Buying Guide
Greenhouses
Crafted from responsibly sourced timber, our wooden greenhouses are both durable, sustainable and designed to give plants the best possible start
Read the Ultimate Guide to Buying a Greenhouse to help you choose the perfect structure for your growing needs. A greenhouse is an essential addition for gardeners looking to extend the growing season, protect plants from the elements, and create the ideal environment for seedlings and crops to thrive.
Crafted from responsibly sourced timber, Mercia’s wooden greenhouses are designed with durability and sustainability in mind, featuring large window panels that let in plenty of natural light while keeping temperatures stable. Vent windows make it easy to control airflow, ensuring your plants get the right balance of warmth and ventilation throughout the year.
With so many sizes, styles, and glazing options available, this guide will take you through everything you need to know to select the greenhouse that’s perfect for your garden.
Materials
Greenhouses come in a range of materials and glazing options. Choose between classic wood or durable metal frames, paired with styrene, glass, or polycarbonate panels to suit your style, budget, and growing needs.
Timber
Wooden greenhouses offer a timeless, natural look that blends beautifully into any garden while providing strength and better insulation to help maintain a stable growing environment. However, they do require regular care and treatment to prevent rot and keep the wood in top condition.
Metal
Metal greenhouses, typically made from lightweight yet sturdy aluminium, maximise light with their slim frames and “glass to the ground” design, making them perfect for growing directly in soil or raised beds. They’re low maintenance and though they offer less insulation and can lose heat more quickly.
Glazing
Safety glass is a great option for families, as it’s laminated to prevent shattering while offering excellent clarity and resistance to UV light, making it ideal for tall greenhouse windows that won’t warp over time. Polycarbonate, around 200 times stronger than glass and half the weight, provides superior insulation, UV protection on both sides, and outstanding safety, though it’s the priciest plastic and needs careful cleaning to avoid scratches. Styrene offers a balanced middle ground, being 10 times stronger than glass with optional UV protection and a moderate cost. For a budget-friendly option, shatterproof styrene is lightweight, durable, and provides good insulation and light penetration, though it can yellow over time without UV protection.
Handmade in the UK
All Mercia Timber Greenhouses are handmade in the UK in our Nottinghamshire factory, ensuring expert craftmanship and top quality every time.
Space
When it comes to choosing the right greenhouse, it’s all about finding the perfect balance between your space and your growing ambitions. If you have a compact garden or patio, a small lean-to or mini greenhouse can provide just enough room for seedlings, herbs, and a few choice plants without taking up too much space. For medium-sized gardens, a traditional freestanding greenhouse offers plenty of versatility, giving you room to grow a wider variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Then for larger gardens, a spacious greenhouse or even a combi-greenhouse lets you create a true gardener’s haven with dedicated zones for potting, growing, and relaxing. Whatever your setup, the key is to match your greenhouse size to both your available space and how you plan to use it, ensuring your garden grows with you.
Woodsman
Woodsman Premium Greenhouses are crafted for passionate gardeners, offering a perfect blend of strength and versatility. Ranging from the sleek 6x4 all the way to the spacious 8x6.
Combi Sheds
Combi Greenhouses provide the best of both worlds, a dedicated space for growing plants alongside a built-in shed for storing tools and equipment, creating an all-in-one, practical gardening solution from 10, 12 and 14 x 6.
Lean-to
The most space saving solution. A Lean-to greenhouse elegantly leans against a spare wall creating a greenhouse extension while saving space.
The Potting Shed
The 8 x 6 Premium Potting Shed is ideal for gardeners who want both a bright space for potting plants and secure storage for tools and equipment, featuring a styrene-glazed lean-to panel that fills the interior with natural light. Perfect for nurturing plants and homegrown produce.
Installation
Choosing the right location for your greenhouse is key to creating the perfect growing environment. A well-placed structure will get plenty of light, stay protected from harsh weather, and be easy to maintain year-round.
Find the sun: Position your greenhouse on flat, level ground facing south or southeast to maximise sunlight.
Stay sheltered: Choose a well-drained spot protected from strong winds to help regulate temperature.
Leave space: Allow room around the greenhouse for cleaning, maintenance, and easy access to water or power.
Plan installation: Confident DIYers can build it themselves, but Mercia also offers professional installation and free delivery for a stress-free setup.
Maintenance
Keeping your greenhouse clean and well-maintained helps your plants thrive and extends the life of the structure. Regularly wash the glazing to maximise light, check seals for leaks, and clear gutters and vents of debris. Wooden greenhouses may need re-treatment to protect against rot, while metal or aluminium frames should be checked for corrosion and tightened if needed. During colder months, ensure adequate insulation and ventilation to prevent mould and condensation. With a little seasonal care and attention, your greenhouse will stay bright, sturdy, and productive all year round.
Dip Treatment
Our buildings are dip treated during manufacture as standard. This is the process in which we apply a water-based colorant for protection whilst in storage and transit. This is not a preservative; therefore, the building will require a preservative and waterproofing top coat application as soon after construction as possible. This is required to validate your 10-year anti-rot guarantee.
Pressure Treatment
Mercia's TimberArmour pressure treatment is a high-pressure chemical process designed to preserve exposed timber by providing optimal protection against insect attack, fungal attack, and decay. This process provides your building with a 15-year anti-rot guarantee and can be added to your Mercia Greenhouse before you place your order.
