There are many ways to get some winter’s heat into your bones. Some countries swear by the sauna. Others participate in hot springs or sweat lodges. However, in Britain there is an alternative that does not involve taking your clothes off: the tropical greenhouse.
Early practitioners of greenhouse cultivation faced enormous obstacles: in the 15th century, chemist George Ripley suffered a death for making a pear tree, which “bears in winter.” However, it was the Victorian gardeners who really triumphed, erecting massive structures and increasing rarities such as pineapples, bananas, and even papayas. Not that things always went smoothly, the Palm House in Kew opened in 1848, but the curators were able to kill many specimens by 1895 (the green stained glass was a bad idea). Since then, science has successfully solved many problems, and green technology has unleashed a new wave of fantastic steam greenhouses across the country. In addition, some of the best Victorian greenhouses have been significantly modernized while maintaining the original appearance.
Some projects that began in the millennium were immediately appreciated: bridges and domes, for example. However, others have had to wait for the plants to mature and are now at their best, among them a wonderful pair of greenhouses at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The largest features plants from Mediterranean climates, about 2% of the Earth’s surface, but contains a fifth of the flowering plants found as far afield as South Africa, the Canary Islands and Croatia. With temperatures generally soaring into the 1920s, this is a balmy walk through the world’s best grape-growing regions. In two minutes, you can walk from Australia to Chile. If you’re still a little chilly, head to the tropical home, where a biomass kettle keeps things comfortably steamy all year round, with bananas and pineapple surrounded by vanilla and cheese. The outdoor gardens were once a popular Regency water park and, after a £7 million restoration, are also well worth exploring.
Winter entry: From 10 AM to 4 PM (last entry 3pm), The adult is £12.50
The example of all greenhouses is still the best. The centerpiece is the oldest pot plant in the world, the Eastern Cape plant. It was collected in South Africa in 1775, and brought back to London where it is currently resting after producing a single cone, in 1819. Other specimens include rubber trees, oil palms, and cocoa trees. If things get too warm, head to the larger Temperate House, another top-notch marvel. Opened in 1863 and completely renovated in 2018, it houses more than 1,500 species of plants from frost-free areas, including six that are extinct in the wild. One of the rarest trees is another cycad that was moved from Palm House in 1997 and celebrated with cone production in 2004. The tree is actually a cut taken in 1899 from its only surviving relative, a specimen growing in the Durban Botanical Gardens .
Winter entry: 10am to 3pm (last entry 2 pm), The adult is £11
Another wonderful addition to the greenhouse collection was erected in Britain to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2007. Highlights include insectivorous plants, ginger flowers, some giant rainforest trees and Ethiopian black bananas. With waterfalls and three different climate zones, the greenhouse manages to pack a lot into a space the size of 10 tennis courts with a 12m high ceiling. A temperature below 20°C is never allowed in summer, with a humidity of about 70%.
Winter entry: 10 AM – 3:15 PM (last entry 3pm), adult sterling14.95 or Free for RHS members
A gem of Victorian engineering, Belfast’s palm house was started in 1839, but things were really moving towards the end of the 19th century, when local gardener Charles McKim took the reins. He built large clusters of orchids, chrysanthemums, and bananas, and added the gorgeous Tropical Valley, a multi-tiered fern that twice extended to include a waterfall and lily pond. In 2018, a £3.8 million refurbishment included triple glazing and an elevator, but also brought back many original features that had been lost. Now it’s a delightful mix of ancient caves and new viewing platforms, plus plenty of tree ferns, bromeliads, and orchids.
Winter entry: 10 AM – 3:45 PMAnd Free
One of Britain’s oldest and finest greenhouses, Sheffield Botanical Gardens opened in 1836 and appears to have been fighting for survival ever since. The repeated cycles of underinvestment and failure were ended with more than £5 million in Heritage Lottery funding plus massive local financial input, allowing for the complete renovation of its three magnificent pavilions and the rebuilding of the connecting glass walkways. Replanted in 2003, it has now reached maturity with tree ferns, various palms and some gorgeous flowers – the Gemma lily from New Zealand sent a six-meter flower stalk last year. The design gives you a nice long walk through the hot spots of the world with a guaranteed minimum of 10°C.
Winter entry: 10am-4pm on weekends, 8am-4pm on weekdaysAnd Free
If the word “greenhouse” conjures up visions of steamy greenery, think again. Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens include a “dry house” that features desert-dwelling plants such as cacti, euphorbia and aloe vera, all kept at a temperature never below 7°C. Opened in 1884, it was the third large greenhouse; Others feature subtropical and tropical plants. In the last stand, two separate tree ferns, one from St. Helena and the other from Tasmania, came together and produced a hybrid, dicksonia x lathamii, the only one of its kind in the world that is now more than a century old. There is also the Wollemi Pine, one of the oldest species on the planet, discovered in 1994.
Winter entry: 10 am5 p.m. (last entry 4.30 p.m.), Adult £7.50
The history of Glasgow’s beautiful greenhouses is almost as bizarre as some of its floral inhabitants. The giant glass dome was first built by eccentric John Cable in 1865, then moved by barge to its current location, where it hosted concerts, religious events, and political gatherings before settling into the residence of an impressive collection of tropical plants near the heart of the city. City. It was completely restored in 2006. Specialties include carnivorous plants, orchids, and tree ferns. (The Edinburgh greenhouse is currently under restoration.)
Winter entry: From 12 noon to 4 pmAnd Free
Opened in 2001, Eden’s interconnected plastic domes are trumpeting their stride in terms of plant growth these days, with around 5,000 species represented, covering climates from steamy to arid and Mediterranean. The rainforest really captures the atmosphere of the original, right down to the jungle birds circling the forest floor. Plants like cocoa, coffee, and rubber tell the economic story of the tropics, too.
Winter entry: 10am-4pm weekdays, 9:30am-6pm weekends, Adult £29.50
One of the world’s first large greenhouses and still one of the most beautiful, the Bicton Palm House uses 18,000 glass panels in a voluptuous curved design completed in 1830. Nearby the tropical house is home to the Bicton Orchid, named after the place where it first blossomed Once in 1836. There are also barren and temperate homes.
Winter entry: 10 am4.30pmAnd The adult is £12.95
As a working garden for the Botanical Department of Cambridge, this horticultural gem is responsible for around 8000 species, and as you might expect, its seven habitats in the Greenhouse Collection offer an education in their own right. Explore topics such as convergent evolution, the diversity of carnivores, and continental drift as you walk from the tropical heat through arid regions and into mountainous climates. Of the 73 critically endangered species, the titan arum plant, which throws out a three-meter flower every seven years.
Winter admission: 10 a.m.–4 pm (last entry 3.30pm), The adult is £7.50