Houseplants to see in our conservatories and glasshouses

The glasshouse at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

As houseplants enjoy a renaissance, there’s never been a better time to get indoor plant inspiration from National Trust gardens. Conservatories, orangeries and glasshouses across the country are packed full of tender plants, including historically significant collections and classic, popular houseplants.

Find fantastic houseplants

Many National Trust gardeners are houseplant enthusiasts. They’re constantly on the lookout for rare and unusual plants, alongside more familiar ones, arranging them in creative displays. From the smallest succulent to the largest cactus, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and spadefuls of horticultural inspiration and ideas for your own houseplant collection. Here we look at some of the best.

Dyffryn, Vale of Glamorgan: The long glasshouse at Dyffryn was home to Reginald Cory’s important collection of tender plants. It was rebuilt in 2011 on the footprint of the Edwardian original and is heated in winter. The cactus house features prickly pears and many mammillaria cacti alongside aloes, agaves and other succulents. The orchid house is a steamy, tropical paradise, home to bromeliads, begonias, orchids and tender ferns. Some of the glasshouse specimens are huge but many can be kept as small houseplants. See the gardens at Dyffryn
Kingston Lacy, Dorset: The large range of glasshouses are part of the Kitchen Garden, created by Walter Ralph Bankes, who inherited the estate in 1869. Not only were these used for growing edibles, they were also home to many exotic plants. Now, you'll see pelargoniums, begonias and succulents as well as an impressive grape vine, espaliered peaches and summer crops such as tomatoes and salads that are used in the Stables cafe.Explore Kingston Lacy's garden

The greenhouse in the walled garden at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, with a sloping glass roof beneath which there are geraniums, orange trees and orange bird-of-paradise flowers — The greenhouse in the walled garden at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, with geraniums, orange trees and bird-of-paradise flowers | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire: Installed in 1910 by 7th Duke of Newcastle, Clumber Park's walled kitchen garden is home to our longest glasshouse, measuring an impressive 451 feet. This Victorian glasshouse showcases a range of houseplants including figs, grapes and peaches alongside other seasonal and exotic plant varieties.Discover Clumber Park's Garden
Monk’s House, East Sussex: Leonard Woolf kept an impressive collection of cacti and succulents at Monk’s House, the country home he shared with his wife Virginia. His collecting spanned nearly 30 years, until his death in 1969. Leonard kept extensive lists and notes, including dates of purchases and when each plant flowered. These have been invaluable in tracking down some of the rarer plants he once owned. Originally kept in a dedicated cacti house, the collection is now housed in the conservatory, alongside other tender plants. Be inspired by the Monk's House garden
Overbeck’s Garden, Devon: Overbeck’s Garden is home to a diverse collection of houseplants. The lean-to conservatory is full of sun-loving succulents and cacti, some of them over two metres tall. The small conservatory in the Banana Garden houses many air plants and branches draped with Spanish moss. Alongside these are kokedama, a kind of Japanese hanging basket, in which trailing succulents are suspended in moss-covered balls. Visit Overbeck’s garden
Peckover House, Cambridgeshire: Inside the Orangery at Peckover are displays of pelargoniums, fuchsias, aspidistras and ferns, all popular Victorian plants. Spider plants, peace lilies, abutilons, Swiss cheese plants and aloes in the main display are enhanced with many flowering plants. The heated Orangery is open during winter – the best time to see the 300-year-old orange trees in full fruit. Their flowers soon follow, filling the air with heady fragrance. Peek at Peckover's plants

Inside the glass-roofed Conservatory at Standen House, West Sussex. Plants line a red-tiled path, with two wicker chairs to one side — Inside the Conservatory at Standen House, West Sussex | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Standen, West Sussex: Head Gardener James Masters is a houseplant rescuer, finding homes for abandoned and neglected plants in the conservatory at Standen in West Sussex. Adoptees include a Swiss cheese plant that has been trained towards the roof to provide summer shade. Cacti thrive and are a favourite with children. Flowering plants change with the seasons; Christmas cactus bloom in winter, followed by clivias in spring and later pelargoniums and the glory lily in summer. Not all the plants are recent introductions; a hare's foot fern has been growing there for over 100 years. See the plants at Standen
Stourhead, Wiltshire: Sir Richard Colt Hoare was one of the most important pelargonium collectors and breeders of his day. By 1821, he owned over 600 varieties and his collection was considered in his lifetime to be the ‘finest in the country’. Today, Stourhead’s collection contains many of the pelargoniums which Sir Richard either bought or bred, including the night-scented P. triste, the pelargonium that John Tradescant introduced to the UK in 1631. Head for the garden at Stourhead
Tyntesfield, Somerset: The Orangery at Tyntesfield is a historic glasshouse that features a variety of houseplants. You can explore the various plant collections and enjoy the seasonal displays within this restored structure, which adds to the Victorian charm of the garden.Explore Tyntesfield's garden