Griffin Glasshouses Blog Take Over!

Chilstone hands over to Griffin Glasshouses!

As the Autumn takes hold and leaves fill the garden, it is an important time for gardeners to have a good clear out and prepare for winter so they can look ahead to spring. It is also time to ditch old broken pots and be on the look-out for new garden planters to invest in.

Thinking about planters reminded us here at Chilstone of the collaboration at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show with our friends at Griffin Glasshouses.

The Managing Director Linda Lane offered to take over our blog with her tips on preparing your glasshouse for the months ahead.

Winter Prep Tips for your Glasshouse

Once the leaves start to change colour you know you have to start getting your garden ready for the colder months ahead.

Help keep your plants strong and healthy this winter.  Before the frosts set in prepare your glasshouse for winter to protect the less hardy plants against the ravages of the cold weather.  Some simple guidelines to keep them strong and healthy:

• Let the light in
• Eliminate disease
• Control bugs and pests

A Good Clear Out

It is essential to keep glasshouses clean and healthy.  They should not be used to store garden tools, pots, old plant labels and seed boxes as they can harbour pests and diseases. Move these items to a shed or garage. Special pots and planters can be wrapped with a fleece covering to protect them through a harsh winter.

Clean and Tidy

Make sure the glass on both the inside and out of your glasshouse is regularly cleaned to maximise the short daylight and sunshine hours we have in the winter. Use a proprietary glass cleaner if the panes are particularly dirty, otherwise use plain water.  It is important that water does not drop onto the leaves of the plants to reduce mildew and I would advise against using a pressure washer unless it is a warm day when plants can be taken outside.

Keep pathways and staging clean and if necessary wash over with a non-toxic disinfectant.

Repair broken glass because draughts can cause immediate damage in cold weather. If it is not too late in the season, repaint or treat wooden greenhouses.  All metal supports should be washed down, inside and out, again ensuring no spillage onto the plants.

Rain Ready

Finally, our changing weather patterns suggest that we are going to experience a lot more torrential rain so make sure glasshouse guttering and other rain harvesting facilities are working efficiently and are clean.

On warmer, sunny days, do make sure the glasshouse is ventilated but remember to close up at night to avoid unwanted mice nesting in your clean and cosy glasshouse.

Follow these tips and you can relax through the colder months, ready for spring planting.

Thank you Linda for your top tips and we look forward to working with you again soon!

It’s been a wonderful summer, but it’s time to get our Chilstone planters full of Cyclamen for autumn colour and get our spring bulbs in ready for 2017!