Glasshouses are amazing! These truly splendid examples show how fabulous they can be. The scale of these glasshouses is incredible. Crystal Palace, Madrid, Spain, has 45,000 panes of glass. The glorious plants inside also take my breath away. No wonder people incorporate conservatories in their houses.

#1 Palmenhaus Schonbrunn, Vienna, Austria #2 Crystal Palace, Madrid Photo by Albert #3 New York Botanical Gardens Conservatory Dome Photo by Ivo M Vermeulen #4 Anna Scripts Whitcomb Conservatory Detroit America #5 Crystal Palace, Madrid Spain Photo by MatteoColombo #6 Unknown #7 Biltmore Estate, Ashville North Carolina, United States Photo by Doris Rap #8 Crystal Palace Madrid, from Madrid Experience tours of Spain #9 Kew Greenhouse Photo by Howland Studio

It’s interesting to see how tastes and interest change over time. I visited many of these cities years ago, but did not realise these glasshouses existed. Now, if I return, these sensational places would be at the top of my visiting list.

How has what you love changed over time?

For more examples of glorious greenhouses scroll through these sensational examples.