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Solarium

kalenhelfrichkalenhelfrich Posts: 11
in Problem solving
We moved into a home with an existing solarium. As a novice gardener, I am not quite sure how/when to utilize it. Right now I am just using it at a potting shed. I live in zone 7 so can plants be in there throughout the winter? Is it too hot for them in the summer? I have so many questions! Any help would be much appreciated. 
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  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    This is a largely UK site, although we do have posters from Europe and the US. However, it would help if you said a bit more about your solarium - perhaps a picture - and what conditions are like in there. I don't know what the implications of Zone 7 are so further information about conditions and the plants you want to put in there would really help.
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    I'm clueless on what zone 7 means ???
    Assuming your solarium is what we would call a conservatory, I use mine for seed sowing in spring and overwintering tender plants and cuttings.
    Come March/April it's like a great big double glazed greenhouse full of seed trays 😆😉.

    Mine is east facing in the UK. Warms up with plenty of morning sunlight and is shaded by the afternoon. It has underfloor heating but I rarely switch it on.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576

     Zone 7 in the UK would be the colder areas https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/planting-zones/uk-hardiness-zones.htm

    I think we have some folks in Scotland and in the Pennines - maybe they could help?

    Is the solarium double-glazed? Is it heated? Is there ventilation? Are there blinds to give shade in summer? Maybe put a max-min thermometer in there and monitor the temperatures, for starters.

    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • kalenhelfrichkalenhelfrich Posts: 11
    Ah I see. The winters can sometimes get down to the single digits and summers are usually very hot and humid. I am uncertain if it is double glazed, but I don’t think it is. The floor is raised off the ground with wooden planks. There is optional ventilation and a shade that you can mechanically pull down, although I’m pretty sure it has begun to disintegrate. There is also a heat/AC vent, but I haven’t checked if it works or not. So I guess my question is are certain  plants in there safe in winter? Even though it can get quite cold, the plants are safe from frost and that room gets pretty warm from the sun during the day since it SE facing. 
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    OK. You could certainly keep tender plants there in winter. The aim is to keep them cool and bright. Single digit temperatures depend on whether it's  Centigrade or Fahrenheit. Somewhere around a minimum of 5°c is ideal for most but some plants need a bit more or less. Seeds could be started in Spring but again you need to control temperatures and avoid strong sunlight through glass. I hope that helps.
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    Jenny's suggestion to monitor the temps is a good one. Gives you a better idea of what you could keep in there.

    Are these tender plants that normally live outdoors in summer that you want to store indoors?  I've brought  osteospermums and chillies into mine for overwinter.

    I feel like I'm playing a guessing game 😁.
  • kalenhelfrichkalenhelfrich Posts: 11
    Thank you for the suggestions! Yeah like I said I’m super new to plants and gardening so just like a general idea of what can go into that space and survive. I do have a bird of paradise I brought inside and am using a few grow lights to help with the lack of sunlight. I think it’s happy where it is, but I guess I’m worried to put it, or anything else I might purchase in the future in there if it gets too cold. And I was referring to Fahrenheit not Celsius. 
    Thank you for your patience with my vague questions!
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited November 2018
    Single digits Fahrenheit is around -12 to -18 Celsius, so colder than most of us in the UK get, most winters (it got down to -15 in my garden in December 2009 but that was exceptional). 
    What will survive over such a cold winter will depend on how low the temperature in the solarium gets, but if you already have plants that you know are tender where you are, then it's worth bringing them in to give them a chance, rather than certain death if left outside.  Then monitor the temps and plan for next year based on what you find.  Maybe do some local research - is there a local gardening group you could join, or a botanic garden that you could visit?
    I've never grown bird of paradise (I'm assuming you mean Strelitzia, but you might have different common names there), but here's the RHS page for it, if that's any help.

    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • kalenhelfrichkalenhelfrich Posts: 11
    Thank you. I think that’s a good idea to monitor the temperature this first winter!
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Whereabouts are you based, kalenhelfrich?  It's possible we may have a Forum member from your neck of the woods who can give you advice.  As Posy said, we do have people posting from Europe, USA and Australia...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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