Room to grow: there are greenhouses for every urban garden, from igloos to pop-up minis that won't break the bank

Coax those seedlings. There’s a greenhouse to suit every space.

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Alex Mitchell17 February 2018

High on a roof in the shadow of the BT Tower is not the first place you’d expect to spot a greenhouse, but squint as you walk along Great Titchfield Street and you might catch the glint of Wendy Shillam’s little glass paradise.

Squeezed in among the chimney pots on her 16ftx23ft rooftop, the organic veg grower picks tomatoes right up to Christmas and cucumbers all summer. Over winter, it’s chard and salad leaves and on cold sunny days she sits in her greenhouse and admires the skyline. “There’s just about space for a chair.”

The aluminium-framed, toughened glass, 6ftx4ft structure (from elite-greenhouses.co.uk) is screwed securely to brickwork so it’s safe in high wind. “If you only grow a few pots of mustard and cress and sprigs of parsley in your greenhouse, you’re doing your nutrition wonders,” says Shillam. “Nothing is better than fresh produce.”

Whether you’re eager to get ahead with spring vegetable sowing, take cuttings of your favourite perennials, grow great tomatoes or overwinter your precious lemon tree, a greenhouse will vastly widen your horticultural horizons. Some Londoners aren’t stopping there.

Keen to squeeze every bit out of the available outdoor space, we’re using greenhouses as summerhouses and kids’ playrooms. Specialist Hartley Botanic has noticed a growing demand for large and lean-to greenhouses from Londoners looking to invest long-term in their properties rather than move.

“Increasingly, homeowners want something that makes a beautiful statement in their garden and will last over time, as well as serving a practical or hobbyist function,” says sales manager Christopher White.

Pretty in pink: Forest Garden Victorian Tall Wall Greenhouse, £389.99 (forestgarden.co.uk)

The Opus glasshouse is popular on roof terraces in the city, providing extra living space without looking like a standard extension. Visit hartley-botanic.co.uk for prices.

Over in south London, the surreal glass dome in Charles Rutherfoord’s garden certainly makes a beautiful statement. Packed with succulents and cacti, the Solardome Pod (3.62mx2.22m, £7,680 from solardome.co.uk) makes a fine backdrop to the 2,000 tulips he plants every year.

The German-made Garden Igloo, a recyclable plastic alternative of the same size, can be put up without tools in a couple of hours. Priced £999 (notonthehighstreet.com).

Also being used as a garden room is the frameless Pure Greenhouse, winner of the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year 2017. Made from panes of toughened glass held in place with 20 stainless steel clamps, it’s all but invisible, easy to clean and blends in with any property.

For roof terraces and small spaces, designer Joe Ellis recommends the Daisy model. At 1.83mx0.76m, you might just squeeze in a deckchair along with your scented-leaf pelargoniums. Priced £2,299 including delivery and installation (puregreenhouse.co.uk).

Up on the roof: Wendy Shillam grows organic veg among the chimneypots in the West End
Sarah Cuttle

Smaller “reach-in” lean-to greenhouses are perfect for narrow balconies and terraces or even side returns, and can pack in a surprising quantity of plants. They benefit from the warmth released by walls at night, rather like a storage heater.

At 1.2mx.07m, Hartley Botanic’s Patio Glasshouse, with safety glass, is an elegant option with an aluminium frame that comes in 12 colours. Also good for narrow spaces is the Victorian Tall Wall Greenhouse, £389.99 — paint the frame cream for an “olden days plant hunter” vibe — and the Mini Greenhouse, £259.99, both by Forest Garden (forestgarden.co.uk).

A pop-up mini greenhouse, basically a plastic cover over a light frame, makes a fine temporary home for spring-sown seedlings and won’t break the bank. The Lacewing three-tier mini greenhouse plant stand with removable cover is £19.99 (primrose.co.uk).

An extra room: the Hartley Botanic Opus (hartleybotanic.co.uk)

But sturdier for stormy nights and a more elegant option for tiny spaces is a cold frame: a long, low box with a clear top and sometimes clear sides, too. Pure Greenhouse (as before) is launching a frameless cold frame at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

If you can’t wait until then, check out the classy hardwood and glass Essential Cedar Cold Frame by Gabriel Ash, £270, and the aluminium and glass Lean-to Cold Frame, from £159, both at Harrod Horticultural (harrodhorticultural.com).

A good budget option is the Lacewing 4ftx2ft wooden cold frame with polycarbonate glazing, £45.99 (primrose.co.uk). Of course, what Londoners really need is a reinforced cold frame that doubles as a seat for tiny spaces.

But until someone fills that gap in the market, there’s something here to tick every box, whether glass or plastic.