UNHEATED GLASSHOUSES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8949, 7 June 1907, Page 3

UNHEATED GLASSHOUSES.

« (From tho "Field.") Although the dictum in a standard authority that "tho fundamental principles of good glasshouses for the cultivation of plants are the maximum of light in winter, good ventilation, tho command of sufficient artificial heat, end a waterproof roof," would seem in a great measure to put the wholly unheated glasshouse quite out of court, we maintain that this form of structure has much to recommend it. With the price of fuel rising by leaps and bounds, nobody will deny that the absence of a fuel bill is a very considerable advantage, while it is a fact that in private establishments it is a somewhat rare event for the returns to be really worthy of the outlay upon coke. Indeed, wo have visited a garden in winter to make the amazing discovery that the ingenious man in charge wae consuming coke ad libitum to heat four recently erected and entirely empty glasshouses. He explained to us that Re was afraid that the water might freeze in the pipes and burst them. This ie an extreme instance, but it is certainly by no means an uncommon practice to expend in fuel in the course of a winter about twenty times the value of the few plants thus kept alive. Furthermore, we are confident that the supposedly unavoidable trouble and expense of heating is mainly responsible tor the timicuty which so many people feel about indulging in a greenhouse. Some statement of what can l>e dono in a house entirely innocent of stokeholes, boilers, pipes, flues, radiators, lamps, or anything else of the kind, may therefore be of value as showing that the greenhouse need, not of necessity be & Tiothouse. With the aid of a heated houeo for propagating purpoaee, large ranges of unheated glasshouses are a feature of many market nurseries. In these, of course;' utility is the watchword, and, as we think that rather more enjoyment is to be had from what is of substantial use than from the almost wholly ornamental, we would suggest to those whose gardens are run in part upon utilitarian lines that they would find a cool glasshouse worked upon market nursery lines * highly desirable possession. Of the several alternative cool house crop combinations the following are the most popular : — Summer crops — Tomatoes planted out early in May — (This is the end of the English spring.— Ed. " C.T.")— or cucumbers a little later ; autumn or winter crops — chrysanthemums, lettuce or mushrooms ; spring crops — strawberries (these will fruit about three weeke ' before the earliest out of doors), peas, lettuce or radishes. To these the amateur desirous of variety might, for example, add violets in boxes upon shelves, and obtain from an unheated house his earliest supply of rhubarb, whilst mowt popular of the uses to which cool glass structures put in private gardens is that of growing peaches and other fruit crops. The unheated greenhouse need not by any means, however, only be dedicated to such produce. We have in mind a little greenhouse which now, being filled with pans of Alpine and rockgarden plants, giant snowdrops, hardy cyclamen, dwarf irises, and the like, presents a charming spectacle. And bolder flights than this are not difficult of attainment where pipes are not. A survey made in spring of the imposing Himalayan House at Kew, where there is then a fine display of rhododendrons, camellias and othor rarer early flowering;, hardy, or semi-hardy plants, whoso beauty is too often sadly marred by unpropitious weather out of doors, cannot fail to greatly impress the beholder. Quite a long list might be highly desirable for doubtfully hardy f>la-nt6, ftnd these form ideal subjects or the unheated greenhouse. It is the nature of plants to enjoy a period of inaction in winter, and. certainly the best results will be attained by following out this rule. Over-heat-ing is a very prevalent and great error in indoor gardening. Success with unheated nouses is in a # great measure dependent upon the skill of the gardener. Moisture is the- greatest foe. With but a very sparing use of the water can, and by ventilating with intelligence, the range of plants that can in ordinary years be successfully # wintered in an unhoated greenhouse is surprising.. Many of the oacti will, for example, endure considerable cold without injury.