Growing flowers for fun—or profit—is another popular greenhouse application.
Your greenhouse can be used to nurture seedlings before being planted in an outdoor garden. Or your greenhouse can offer a controlled environment where you can tend to tropical blooms.
Before embarking on your flower-growing adventure, you’ll want to keep in mind the needs of each plant in terms of water, sunlight, etc., so you can plan or position them accordingly in your greenhouse.
For the best and easiest types of flowers with which to begin your greenhouse gardening, consider any of these six varieties, keeping in mind their special needs for success.
Amazon Lilies: These beautiful blooms will add fragrance to your greenhouses. Tropical in nature, they grow best in an at least 70-degree environment. Amazon lilies need at least eight hours of sunlight, and they yield the best results when grown in containers.
African Violets: For a splash of color, grow African violets in your greenhouse. Available in an array of pinks, purples and white, these plants thrive in low nutrient soil in a high humidity setting. Avoid getting their leaves wet as that can change their appearance.
Chenille Plants: Less of a flower and more of a plant, these colorful shrubs can help fill in your greenhouse. They need lots of light, can reach heights of more than six feet tall, and their long, fuzzy cattail flowers are bright red, giving your greenhouse garden textural interest.
Chinese Hibiscus: Nutrient-rich soil, steady temperature and regular watering are required for these flowers to thrive. The Chinese hibiscus’ bursts of colors—orange, yellow, red, pink, white and more—usually only last 24 hours before the flowers wilt and die.
Roses: These are the most common of the flowers found in a greenhouse because they typically don’t thrive in colder weather. Roses need temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees, lots of sunlight and plant food designed to enhance their appearance. With so many varieties available, be sure to consider the unique needs that each may have.
Orchids: One of the most temperature-sensitive blooms, orchids need temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees and between 50 and 60 degrees at night to continue their stimulation. Most are grown in greenhouses for this reason, and they also do especially well in humid conditions.
Interested in expanding your green thumb to flower growing? Gothic Arch Greenhouses carries a wide range of greenhouses for everyone from the hobby gardener to the commercial grower. Call us at 1-800-531-4769 to speak with one of our friendly representatives or visit our website at www.GothicArchGreenhouses.com.