Our client first heard of Alitex in 2015 when she decided to begin the process of searching for a greenhouse. She attended Chelsea Flower Show in 2015 to explore and compare the available options and upon finding Alitex it was love at first sight, and she consequently arranged a site visit to explore the options at her property. Our client decided to wait until the work on her garden was finished, before purchasing a Tatton greenhouse from our National Trust Collection two years later, to complete her garden.
Our customer was initially drawn to Alitex purely for aesthetic reasons as she wanted a traditional Victorian greenhouse that was beautiful and authentic. After doing a little more investigating our client chose Alitex because she felt we were the best, not only in terms of aesthetic but in the quality of the materials, the build and in our attention to detail, culminating in the perfect growing environment. Our client capitalised on our ability to colour match her greenhouse to the paint work of her house and furniture. She also felt that the service she received was another important aspect of her choice, with the sense of a proud family run business emanating strongly from her interaction with the company.
Our client’s favourite things about her greenhouse are the automatic air vents in the roof, which use bayliss pistons to open and close according to temperature, and the design details of the front windows and handles, which are classic features of a Victorian greenhouse. Our customer uses her greenhouse as a personal space and one of her favourite things to do is to enjoy her breakfast in 18 degrees surrounded by tropical plants in the middle of winter.
This greenhouse is used primarily for sub-tropical and tropical plants, including orchids, ferns, anthuriums, palms and philodendrons. One of the first things our client put in her greenhouse were two small basjoos, to bring on for her new jungle garden. Her greenhouse creates the perfect growing environment for these tropical plants to grow well with the help of a heating system installed for the winter and with light reflecting blinds in the summer to prevent her plants from being scorched. One of her best plants, a pachira aquatica, grows at an incredible rate in the greenhouse. It hit the roof in the first year and has been pruned back twice since then. Benching was also installed into the greenhouse to store plants at a more convenient height.
Our client describes her greenhouse as the heart of the garden, and she can’t imagine her property without it now. One of the most wonderful things about having a greenhouse for our customer is that she can garden all year round. The greenhouse has also spurred her on to become a student at the English Gardening School over the last year and her Tatton greenhouse has been a great place for her to study and get inspired. The greenhouse is also our client’s own personal sanctuary where she can go to switch off and relax.
