Ireland

History
This Orangery successfully adds a large daylight living area to a couple of cottages which have been joined together to become one home. The large family who live here wanted a spacious retreat for both living and dining and for the extensive area under glass to give attractive views into various parts of the garden

Design and Planting
The grand, almost church like proportions of the room with its charming doors, windows and lofty roof space, give it a slightly theatrical feel, being full of possibilities for entertaining. The roof is entirely glazed with opening vents to allow for a free flow of air and the large flag stones lay over an under floor heating system. The design of the side walls with windows and doors gives a fair amount of shade to this space. Our considerations before planting this orangery included how best to show off it’s great height and to plant both sun loving and shade tolerant species in positions where they would look beautiful and thrive.

Life in the Orangery
There is space to sit and relax and also to dine with friends and then there is still room for the children to play together. The potted specimens are placed just so, to create a subtle but distinct divide between these areas. The tall tree is especially suited to life under glass, being one of the Ficus family which gives this room added drama. There are also built in planting beds which allow us to grow Vines, Mimosa, Olive and Bougainvillea for some Mediterranean fruits and fragrance and some stunning colour.

Caring for the Plants
The day to day watering, feeding and tidying is carried out by the owners and their garden help and this works well as most of the species are fairly easy to care for. Fleur de Lys undertakes the specialist pruning and training required to keep this collection in top condition.