Outdoor SunSpaces News

It's national house plant week! A time to celebrate indoor gardening and the beauty of bringing nature inside. Adding house plants to your home has a lot of physical and mental health benefits, as well as creating cleaner air for you to breathe, having houseplants around will help to improve your mood.

Since most of us are stuck at home due to the latest COVID-19 restrictions, we thought it would be fun to share some different species of house plants that you can grow in your sunroom. Growing plants is a great activity that the whole family can enjoy, so we hope this inspires you to get out your gardening gloves and add a touch of greenery to your sunroom.

Why add plants to your sunroom?

With lots of natural light and insulation from the cold outside, sunrooms are ideal for growing a wide variety of house plant species. While you might grow fruits and vegetables outside, having a sunroom gives you space to grow more exotic or tropical species of house plants that you can admire while you drink your morning coffee. 

Of course, some house plants are easier to grow than others, but by having all of your house plants in an easy-to-access space, you'll be able to keep an eye on them and tend to their needs without having to trudge outside in the rain. Let's take a look at some of the most popular house plants you can grow in your sunroom.

What plants can you grow in a sunroom?

Most house plants will thrive in a sunroom but it's important you research each species to find out what conditions it needs before you plant it. Some house plants need to be kept out of direct sunlight, while others need high humidity, it really depends on the type of house plant you choose. Here are a few popular house plants that you could try growing in your sunroom during national house plant week.

Spider Plants

If you're looking for an easy house plant to grow in your sunroom, a spider plant is the way to go! They can adapt to all kinds of environments and are generally very durable, meaning they're ideal for house plant growing beginners. They thrive when they're in a pot with plenty of drainage and when they're kept out of direct sunlight. For this reason, most homeowners choose to hang them in planters in a shadier part of their sunroom. 

Over time, you might notice a new shoot developing on one of the plant's tendrils. In the spring months, these will flower (shown above) meaning a new baby plant (or spiderette) is developing. If you want to, you can remove this part of your spider plant, allow it to grow roots and plant it in a new pot - expanding your spider plant colony around the house!

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is a tropical plant that homeowners favour for its colourful flowers. This is a great plant to grow inside your sunroom because it thrives in temperatures between 16 and 32°c. Since we're currently in one of our coldest seasons of the year, growing hibiscus in your sunroom is a great idea. It's guaranteed to brighten up your SunSpace, even on the grey winter days.

Some people will start their hibiscus off in a pot inside and then move it outside during the summer. In total, hibiscus plants need around 6 hours of daylight per day, so if your SunSpace catches the afternoon sun, this could be a great choice for you.

Orchids

Orchids are beautiful flowers that, compared to other flower species, are fairly easy to grow. They thrive in bright light, making them ideal candidates for your sunroom. They like to be watered regularly, but they'll happily be left to dry out completely between watering (so you don't need to panic if you forget for a day or two). 

Succulents

Finally, we couldn't recommend house plants for your sunroom without giving these guys an honourable mention. Succulents are adorable little plants that everybody loves - and they're perfect for your sunroom!

They require little to no maintenance, only the occasional water, and can cope with really warm temperatures. Even if your sunroom gets up to 35°c and over during the summer months, you won't have to worry about your succulents dying. Some popular types of succulents are jade plants, cacti, aloe vera and snake plant!

So there you have it, a few different house plant species that you can plant during house plant week 2021! Share a picture of the house plants in your sunroom on Facebook or Twitter by tagging us and using the hashtag #HouseplantWeekUK. For any other SunSpaces enquiries, give us a call on 01727 845 788

Winter is coming! Which means it's time to start thinking about ways to keep warm in your garden. Nowadays, there are plenty of things you can do to stay warm outside so you don't have to abandon your garden until spring. With a SunSpace, you can enjoy the outdoors whatever the weather.

Insulated Glass Rooms

If you want to make more use of your garden during winter, we'd highly recommend taking a look at our insulated glass garden rooms. The Solarlux Wintergarden is designed to retain as much heat as possible so that you can relax and enjoy your garden surroundings without feeling like you're sat out in the cold.

Other non-insulated garden rooms have a tendency to get a little chilly through autumn and winter, so these insulated glass rooms are a perfect alternative. This style of sunroom acts effectively as an extension to your living space, meaning you can dine, relax and enjoy your garden while keeping warm.

Learn more about Solarlux Wintergarden >

Add Heating

Some garden designs feature verandas and awnings, which are great for keeping the rain off but aren't so great for retaining heat. Don't worry though, there are accessories you can add to your garden to help you keep warm. For example, outdoor heaters! 

Here at SunSpaces, we offer a wide range of outdoor heaters that can be used with all our Sunrooms except, Horizon, Dynamic and Solarlux Wintergarden. We know that staying warm in your garden is important, especially at this time of year, which is why we offer outdoor heaters with different features and at different price points. 

All of our outdoor heaters are controlled via remote control, making them easy to operate and adjust as required. We even offer a garden heater with a built-in Bluetooth speaker so you can have your favourite tunes blaring while you stay warm in your garden. 

Shop Garden Heaters >

Back to Basics

If all else fails, there's no harm in going back to basics and heading into the garden with your coat, a blanket and a hot drink in hand. Whether you're using your garden for a spot of stargazing or a late afternoon BBQ, you really can't beat getting cosy to stay warm in the garden.

While we don't recommend having a fire pit inside your garden room or directly under your veranda or awning, there's no harm in having one elsewhere in your garden. Fire pits are a great source of heat, they're charming and they're perfect for roasting marshmallows... and who doesn't love roasted marshmallows?

We hope that these tips will help you stay warm in the garden whether you have a SunSpace or not! Of course, if you're interested in adding an insulated garden room, a veranda or an awning to your garden this autumn/winter, don't hesitate to get in touch - 01727 845 788.

With 2020 coming to an end (thankfully), we can finally start to look forward to 2021 in hope that it brings much more joy than the previous year. For many, this year has been a real struggle due to the sheer amount of time that we have been forced to spend indoors. But for some, this has provided new opportunities and new hobbies that they may have never indulged in before, such as gardening or simply spending more time in their outdoor space.

With that said, this blog looks at the garden trends that are set to be a hit in 2021, inspired by the activities and noises on Instagram, a place where many garden and outdoor lovers go to share their experiences, advice and ideas.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at the biggest garden trends that are set to take 2021 by storm...

Image: Pixabay

More...

Here at SunSpaces, we offer a wide range of garden awnings that can be fitted to the outside of your home to provide temporary shelter! Lots of clients prefer awnings over glass rooms and verandas because they offer a bit more flexibility.

All of our awnings are electrically operated and fully-retractable, this means you can create a covered space in your garden at the touch of a button and quickly roll it away when it's no longer needed. Awnings are a great option if you have a small garden, or if you already have a garden deck or patio installed and don't want to obstruct your garden space.

Shop Our Awnings Now >

All of our awnings are fitted with UV-resistant fabric that's available in over 250 different styles and patterns, giving homeowners the opportunity to customise their awning to suit their home exactly. We've seen people choose very modern and minimal designs, but we've also seen people choose bold, bright colours to add a playful element to their outdoor space. The options are almost endless.

Cleaning Your Awning

Awnings are often used as protection from inclement weather, and while you may think a heavy rain shower would keep them clean, this isn't always the case. When in use, awnings can become dirty and if they're rolled away over and over again, the dirt can spread and cause your entire awning to lose its appeal. Don't worry, if your awning is due a clean we can help! Follow these steps and we'll help you make your awning look as good as new again.

1. Prepare a bucket of warm soapy water. Washing up liquid, a mild laundry detergent works well.

2. Get a clean cloth nice and soapy and wipe over the awning. This should lift most surface dirt away effectively.

3. If you find that there are tough bits of dirt (or even stains) that the cloth can't lift away, we'd recommend using an awning shampoo. These are designed to penetrate deeper into the fabric.

4. Once the awning is soapy, take your garden hose and use it to rinse the fabric. We do not recommend using a pressure washer/jet wash under any circumstances. This will strip the awning of its protective coating which can lead to dirt/dust ingress. Over time, this would leave your awning looking dull and stained!

5. Happy that your awning is clean? Great! All you need to do now is leave your awning open to air dry before retracting it again.

Tip: Avoid using harsh chemicals or bleach, this will strip the awning fabric of its protective coating and will make the colour/design fade over time. 

As you can see, cleaning your awning is a fairly simple job! If you'd like to add a retractable awning to your home, get in touch with the SunSpaces team today - 01727 845 788.

If you're thinking about putting your house on the market, you'll want to make sure it's in the best possible condition. Ther's a lot of competition on the housing market and obvious problems, dirt and general dis-organisation will really put potential buyers off. Here are a few things you can do to prepare your house for sale:

Cleaning

Before you have photos taken of your house, or before you have people come to look round, it's important that you give your home a deep clean. This means, tidying away any children's toys, piles of documents, toiletries and shoes. Windows and surfaces should be wiped to remove dust and sticky hand-prints. 

As part of your cleaning process, we'd recommend removing most of your 'family' items, including photos and children's drawings. Remember, the person viewing your home needs to be able to imagine living there, which can be tricky if the home is clearly yours. Stripping the house back and depersonalising it makes it easier for people to see it's potential!

Small details

People notice when you've put effort into every detail of your home. Spending the time to freshen up the decor, invest in some eye-catching pieces and create focal points can catch people's eye and spark their interest. We'd generally recommend sticking to neutral tones rather than bright pops of colour as this can distract from the beauty of your home.

Improve kerb appeal

If you pop a 'for sale' sign in the front garden, then it's important that your home gives a good first impression. This means it needs lots of kerb appeal! One of the ways you can improve your house's curb appeal is to add a SunSpaces garden room or veranda.

These striking structures are sure to make your house stand out! You should also make sure your lawns are in good condition, weeds have been removed and that the front of your house looks inviting. This is the first thing people will see when they arrive at your property so you want to make a good impression. 

Expand living space

If you want to maximise the profit you can make on your home you should consider expanding the living space inside. This might include, converting the loft into an additional bedroom, adding an extra bathroom or en-suite or adding a deck, patio or sunroom outside. 

Investing a bit of extra money in your home at this stage can really increase its value when it comes to putting it on the market. We do a lot of work with people who are preparing their houses for sale because people understand the benefit of adding that additional space.

As you know, the weather here in the UK can be very temperamental so homeowners can be put off by large gardens with minimal features. For some people, this just looks like extra work that they won't really be able to enjoy for most of the year. By adding a SunSpace, potential buyers will see that they can use the garden all year round and will be more inclined to put an offer in. 

So, if you're preparing your house for sale, you might want to take note of a few of these hints and tips. If you're interested in adding a SunSpace before putting your house on the market, get in touch with our sales team now - 01727 845 788.