Foliage Plant Greenhouse

The foliage plant house came about because people began to recognise and appreciate that no matter how beautiful they might be, flowers alone were not the only attraction of a plant.

Indeed, as a result of the tremendous efforts of the great plant hunters to scour the globe and seek out unusual plants. Men whose enthusiasm for the rare and unusual plant drove them to the far corners of the earth on behalf of their sponsors, be they a large nursery or a wealthy patron. The plant hunters were discovering whole groups of plants which might often have rather insignificant looking flowers, but whose foliage was considered beautiful and exotic in its own right.

Popular foliage plants were those which had a striking foliage, by virtue of their colour, texture, shape or size. Many of the plants that we might today describe as 'architectural' would have been grown in the Foliage Plant house. Typical examples of foliage plant include the palms, bananas, Dracenas, Caladiums, Alocasias, Crotons and Sansevierias. Many Victorians who could afford a collection of glass houses would purchase specific house designs considered to offer the best conditions for the succesful cultivation of their favourite plant group.

Plants could be like music. Depending upon a person's particular mood they could enjoy the variety, warmth and 'loudness' of a floriferous summer border. Conversely, but equally, they might prefer the equally beneficial calming and soothing effect that was created by having a collection of foliage plants under one roof, perhaps with the sound of trickling water in the background.

The Foliage Plant House on the right was erected for Chilwell Nurseries, Notts. It was 30ft wide, 8ft high at the eaves and 16ft high at the ridge.