Walled gardens are a wonderful part of our gardening history and over the years Alitex has been involved in the creation of many new walled gardens and the restoration of countless others.
The main purpose of the walls is to protect plants from wind and frost and create a sheltered microclimate which allows plants to be grown that might otherwise struggle. Indeed there is an organisation called the Walled Garden Kitchen Network dedicated to the restoration and preservation of this wonderful part of our heritage. They are an informal group of organisations and experts who aim to help others work together and share their knowledge to keep these wonderful places thriving.
The walls are normally constructed from stone lined with bricks, which absorb and retain solar heat. This provides the raised temperatures needed to allow peaches, nectarines and grapes to thrive in our climate.
Often the show-piece of a walled garden is a glasshouse or maybe more than one if it is a large plot. And that is where Alitex come in.
Replacement of timber Victorian greenhouses, when done well, brings new glory to some of our finest historical walled gardens. Our Thomas Messenger Glasshouse was created by working closely with a private estate that was spending vast sums every year in maintenance and repair of old timber-framed greenhouses.
The design has succeeded in replicating the look of timber and satisfying sensitive planning conditions, yet crucially take away costly maintenance issues.
These projects are often very lengthy as they combine a ruthless pursuit of perfection and painstaking reference to original garden plans to make sure your renovation is consistent with the garden's former glory.
We have replaced large lean-to greenhouses, pit houses and cherry houses in a variety of Walled Garden restoration projects, many of which are open to the public.
You can see examples of our work throughout the UK from The Walled Garden at Cowdray, in West Sussex and Haddon Lake House on the Isle of Wight to Staunton Country Park in Hampshire and Normanby Hall in North Lincolnshire. Another project took us north of the border to Loch Lomond Golf Club.
Such are the great benefits of growing within a walled garden that many people are creating their own from scratch.
If you are starting with a new build greenhouse you can be more flexible in design but the traditional principles are hard to beat.
Use local walled gardens and greenhouses as a source of inspiration but, unless you have a great vision, employing a garden designer to make sure the end result lives up to your expectations may be a wise move, and one that saves great heartache and possible delay.
For more ideas and inspiration on walled gardens old and new, have a look through our bespoke greenhouse gallery, as many of our bespoke greenhouses form the focal point in a wide variety of walled gardens.
As a full or ¾ span lean-to, a greenhouse is the ultimate focal point for any garden. It is also enables you to extend your growing season, protect delicate species and, of course, get your seedlings off to a flying start.
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