The Ideal Solarium

I am a plant lover, sun lover and nature lover. A solarium would be my ideal home extension! It would help bring the outdoors in without the bugs, cold and rain. I could enjoy the night sky in the summer without the mosquitoes, the snow covered trees in winter without the -40 windchill and the rain without getting wet.

I have a picture in my mind of what my solarium will consist of. First and foremost, it will be filled with mostly tropical plants. Banana trees, coffee plants, umbrella trees, fig trees, philodendrons and ivies will give it a jungle feel. The addition of a few citrus trees and grapevines for fresh fruit would be ideal.

I can visualize white wicker furniture that consists of a table with four chairs, a chaise lounge and a loveseat. There will be no television in my solarium...the only electronics will be my laptop as I write and perhaps a CD player playing relaxation music in the background. Perhaps a fountain would be more appropriate than a CD player.

Solar lights placed in my plant pots will be a wonderful addition. I love my solar lights, and have several in my garden. There are so many on the market today...big ones, little ones and a variety of sizes in between. Some are blue, green, red or white. Some change colors. There are some very nice hanging ones with wind chimes on the market as well.

Having a solarium will allow me to grow vegetable year round...nothing beats fresh lettuce, radishes and onions. Tomatoes and peppers will also thrive...and home grown vegetables are so much tastier than store bought. I could have a salad within reach at any given moment.

I could take advantage of the sun’s heat during the day and save on my heating bills by circulating the air throughout my home. The addition of passive solar collectors would be ideal because they would release the heat collected during the day into the solarium at night. I am all for solar heating and a lot of windows. I do not function well on dreary days, so in my case it would be a health benefit as well. The sun is my friend, and I would love having more of it in my home.