Crafting beautifully bespoke greenhouses, we recently had the pleasure of catching up with Nelly Hall, Brand Director at Alitex Glasshouses.
Working closely with clients to create glorious glasshouses since 1952, Alitex are renowned for their breathtaking Victorian greenhouses. Framing idyllic growing spaces that can be seamlessly slotted into gardens of all shapes and sizes, Alitex are the experts in understanding and crafting greenhouses that are best suited to you and your garden. Allowing you to grow a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and more, greenhouses are a must-have feature for any productive garden. So, come with us, as we sit down with Nelly to find out more about the fascinating history and work that goes on behind the scenes at Alitex.
1. Creating beautifully bespoke glasshouses since 1952, can you tell us a bit about the history and heritage of Alitex?
We started as a small business making greenhouses for nurseries – roots very firmly in creating excellent growing spaces. They were simple and functional in looks – not emulating the great Victorians just yet – and unpainted aluminium, known as ‘mill finish’ which you see so many industrial scale glasshouses in. It was the late 80s that we felt a shift was needed and it was time to embrace our Victorian heritage and their beautiful timeless glasshouse design – the classic look we have become so well known for was born.
2. Alitex greenhouses are known for their beautiful and bespoke Victorian designs. What materials and colour schemes do you use to inspire you to create such wonderfully timeless glasshouses?
We have stuck with aluminium from day one, it is light and easy to handle and you can create slim glazing bars to create an elegant classic look. There are so many details that we have embraced and stick to religiously – our vent handles are taken from original historic structures and cast in aluminium, along with the spandrels which are decorative as well as structural. The eaves height compared to the top of the door is another classic Victorian aesthetic. They not only created beautiful looking structures, but they were also highly functional creating exceptional growing environments. Colours definitely change and we will always do classic off whites but the favoured dark greens of the late 1900s are now being replaced with muted soft greens and greys, or bold dark shades like bronze manganese and black. The darker shades are surprisingly more subtle in how they blend in your garden and can help create a more contemporary feel.
3. When collaborating with clients on a bespoke greenhouse, we’d love to know more about the process and steps that you take to ensure that the design is the perfect fit for their needs and vision?
We have to visit, always want to stand with a prospective client and spend time in their garden understanding what they want to grow, what space they have, the best location etc. There is no rush to take the time to get this stage right and make sure your greenhouse arrives and looks like it was meant to be there! We recommend marking out the area to make sure it is the size you expect (no-one ever says they wish they bought a smaller greenhouse!) that is also good when landscaping the area around your greenhouse, also crucial if you have any furniture you would like to include to make sure it will fit.
4. Which greenhouse seems to be the most popular choice with your clients? And why do you think this is?
Hard to say as such a large portion of our work is bespoke and they are built to suit the client each time. We do every size you can imagine really – some are huge, and real statements. They can range from the creation of a new walled garden from scratch, or replacing an old timber structure that has fallen into a very poor state. We also do a collection in collaboration with the National Trust and have 8 ranging from the 2.6m by 3m Hidcote at the smallest scale up to 8m long cruciform Ickworth. The Mottisfont in this collection is a really popular choice for a smaller project with its flat fronted lobby.
5. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 is fast approaching and we can’t wait to visit your stand at this year’s show. What can we expect to see at your stand this year? And what are you most looking forward to seeing at the 2025 show?
We have our most beautiful greenhouse on show – the Thomas Messenger is an authentic replication of timber inside and out and is the choice for the truly discerning, and in very sensitive heritage sites. It will be a monopitch lean-to for maximum impact, to partner this and show the smaller end, we have chosen the Mottisfont which will sit on our new Wainscot panel base which is a new alternative to the brick base. This will sit in a traditional cottage flower garden with a mix of home grown flowers and gems from FORM nursery. In our Mottisfont we are joining forces with Cath Kidston and her latest venture C.Atherley which is a collection of body care products infused with the scent of perlagoniums. Cath will dress the stand with some of her beautiful props and it will be filled with a collection of pellys on loan from the fab Fibrex nursery to really get the scent going.
I am really looking forward to seeing the dog garden!! Intriguing! Also Jo Thompson’s garden for the Glasshouse charity which is all about helping female ex -offenders and is a fantastic story. Tom Hoblyn has been sharing a gorgeous journey for his garden which I cant wait to see and also Tom Massey who is using AI in the garden amongst other state of the art stuff which promises to be ground breaking.
6. As the greenhouse experts, we’d love to know a few of your favourite fruits, vegetables and plants to grow within the greenhouse.
I am now a die hard pelargonium fan!! So always pellys with cuttings and a range of things I am trying to propagate, seeds at various stages – in my Charles Dowding seed trays ready to go straight out – at the moment, chard, cavolo nero and kallettes. No fiddly pricking out needed! Some padron pepper seedlings, lots of pots of herbs, and cut and come again salad. Some cobaea scandens which will last up to 2 years and more in a greenhouse offering a wild feature, great on a wall, but will flower all year and look stunning. I also love pineapple sage!
7. Having worked on such a wide and diverse range of projects, are there any that stand out as particular highlights or ones you’re especially proud of?
Too many to mention! It is great when someone has saved for years and years and eventually gets their greenhouse and LOVES it! I love it when people personalise them, with gorgeous flooring, and unique pieces of furniture to make it their own. Passion projects such as Louisa Henriques on insta at @ourbeautifulglasshouse was a recreation of an old rotten Messenger greenhouse that we replicated perfectly even down to having replica handles made – it was all allowed by Louisa’s mother leaving her the finances to make her dream come true. She has her first NGS on May 18th.
8. We adore your National Trust collection and greatly admire your work with the National Trust. How did your partnership develop?
A phone call in 2004 and we started working closely with the trust to create the collection. We are really proud of the collab and there are now 8 and since we started we have raised well over £1 million for their great causes which we are starting to get more involved in. We also work with them on replacing old rotten timber greenhouses and we offer lots of volunteering hours each year to make our connection very genuine.
9. Sustainability is incredibly important to us here at The Oxfordshire Gardener. At Alitex, what ways do you try to be as sustainable as possible?
We have a sustainable team here where we are looking at everything across the business and how we can make a better impact and tread lightly. Latest impactful move was switching from diesel to HVO for all our vans – reduces emissions by over 95% for the coming year! We are on a pathway to B Corp status which we hope to secure in 2026.
10. If you could give a few tips or words of advice to someone who had just purchased a greenhouse or is a beginner to greenhouse growing, what would they be?
Buy lots of seeds and get growing, do not be nervous and give stuff a go. There is rarely a right or wrong! Its all about trying and learning. Tom Brown from West Dean has just written a greenhouse growing guide book which is a great support tool. Know what you are keen to grow in your garden – no-dig is a great principle that I try to follow and avoid any pest control or chemicals etc. It makes for an easy and reliable crop I think! Most things thrive well when started in the greenhouse and planted out when strong enough to flourish.
With thanks to Nelly for her time and to Alitex for providing all images.
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