Winter Garden

Winter Garden

A winter garden will be the most beautiful place in your home. It will be a green oasis, a relaxation center, and a piece of nature right inside your house. Starting from a broader perspective, every capital city in the world has a massive winter garden that is an architectural gem and simultaneously a collection of the most interesting plants. You can draw inspiration from these winter gardens and create such a jewel at your own home.

If you are building a new house, now is the time to think about the layout of the entire home and consider this relaxation corner and make room for it. There are wooden, aluminum, and plastic structures available. You just need to choose according to the style of your entire house. Sliding doors can lead through the winter garden directly to the garden. This way, they can connect the greenery outside with the greenery inside the house.

If you already have a house, then consider which part of the garden the house can be opened to, brightened, and thus build a winter garden. The design is seemingly simple. The implementation may seem more complex. Contact companies that specialize directly in the construction of winter gardens. You will save yourself a lot of time and worries.

Winter Garden Principle

What is a winter garden used for and how does it actually work? Originally, winter gardens were built for growing oranges. This is why winter gardens are sometimes called orangeries. A winter garden can be a completely new "room" at your house, you can also create it on a balcony, loggia, on the roof of a garage next to the house, or another extension. Always ensure sufficient strength of the structures and work with a professional company.

The most pleasant part is planning. Draw a sketch. If you are not good at drawing, then photograph your house/part of the house and print the photo several times. It will make your work easier. Draw the garden - its intended shape - into the photocopy. Save your ideas and let them mature for a day or two. Then look at the sketch again. Of course, you can consult your ideas with your closest ones.

When planning a winter garden, don't forget to follow these principles:

• sunny side of the garden
• suitable shading or air conditioning
• good ventilation
• good orientation to cardinal directions
• dimensions should be at least 15m2

The optimal temperature in a winter garden varies according to the current season. For the optimal temperature to be maintained at all times, the winter garden must be well thought out and well constructed. Energy waste could also show up in your budget. The optimal temperature also depends on the use of the winter garden.

Solar radiation is converted into thermal energy. This can be optimally utilized to maintain a stable climate in the conservatory. The amount of sunlight depends on the orientation of the conservatory to the cardinal directions. Ventilation is also important, whether natural or controlled by an air conditioning unit. For ventilation, 20% of the perimeter windows and walls of the conservatory should be utilized. This includes ventilation grilles, doors, windows, sliding roof windows, or controlled ventilation with electric fans.

How can you use a conservatory?

• as part of the living space (extension of the living room, dining room, study, etc.)
• relaxation center
• growing common houseplants
• growing exotic plants

Always consider how you will use your conservatory. If you don't want to grow flowers, you can use the conservatory as a relaxation center. A relaxation center can include relaxation loungers or armchairs, seating with a wine cellar, massage spa pool or swimming pool, wooden sauna for two, glass shower, and more.

TIP: When furnishing with relaxation pools, be careful about what water treatment you will use in them. How much chlorine and other substances will evaporate into the air, and what effect this will have on any plants being grown.

How to choose plants for a conservatory?

Choose plants according to your taste, which should be influenced by acquired knowledge. While one plant may thrive, others may suffer. Appropriately combine the plants you want to grow with those that are most compatible with the type of your conservatory.

Recommendation: Also choose plants according to the orientation of the conservatory to the cardinal directions. According to the amount and intensity of solar radiation, select the most suitable species that can tolerate full sun, or conversely love shade or partial shade.

Ideal situation - If you heat the conservatory and it is not part of the residential area of the house or apartment, then we recommend growing all types of houseplants. Thanks to the fact that the space is separated from the residential area, it also maintains optimal humidity.

If the conservatory is part of your apartment or house, then the temperature moves in it the same as in a regular apartment or house. However, air humidity is lower. "Dry air" is not suitable for all houseplants.

If the temperature in your conservatory fluctuates. This may be, for example, an older conservatory. A conservatory that you close off from the residential area in winter and do not heat. A glazed balcony or loggia. Here grow plants that are able to overwinter in more demanding conditions. Here the temperature can drop to as low as 8°C.

In contrast, a tropical garden is one where we deliberately heat to a higher temperature and maintain higher air humidity.

Become an architect for a moment and look at your house from the far end/corner of the garden. Choose the south side. Look at your house differently. Think differently. Consider what type of conservatory would suit the house (not what you would like, or what you know from catalogues). Think about it. In the final phase, consult your design with experts from the installation company.

Conservatory curiosities

Did you know that you can build a conservatory in your courtyard even if you have a mature tree near the house? Simply hide its trunk and roots inside the conservatory and the crown will be outside.

The most beautiful conservatory in the Czech Republic is the Orangery in the Royal Garden by architect Eva Jiřičná from 1999. If you visit Prague and Prague Castle, don't forget to see this magnificent structure as well.

The largest conservatory is located in Nice. It covers an area of 7 hectares and represents 7 different world zones. 2,500 species of plants are grown there.

What plants do you grow in your conservatory?

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Author: Hana Michalíková