I too up interested although my greenhouses are not wooden like yours Karen .

Of course we have seen it, Karen! A very attractive greenhouse, ours are standard 8X6 aluminium.
Ventilation, ventilation and ventilation!!!! As much as you can manage. Low temperature is not normally a problem but wet and humidity are. The first thing that I would do with your geenhouse is to remove the glass from the door and replace it with a fine mesh screen - to keep cats and birds out; this would be permanent. I think that I can see 2 high level windows and this is good. The only reason that I would be closing them is during a gale. If you can get even more ventilation that would be good but you can manage with the above.
In the summer this greenhouse will get very hot, yes. We take a number of our plants out of the 'alpine house' in summer when they have finished flowering and put the pots somewhere exposed to the wind. They only need protecting then if it is very wet. I would suggest leaving the door open in summer, felines permitting, and putting shade material against the south facing windows. If you hang it on wires like a curtain then you can pull it back on the occaisional cloudy day;-)))
How do you plan to water your alpines? I would suggest using grit trays or grow-bag trays, I find that they fit better, filled with grit and the pots stood on this. Put in a strip of wicking material and the fill the tray with water, probably once a week in summer.
Hope this helps a little. Please ask again if you think that I can be of further assistance.

I would also be inclined to remove the top panes of glass from the windows and replace them with mesh too.
I thought I had done a Blog on my Alpine house. but cannot find it. Will have to do one then.

Oh, ok..thank you both very much....eeek! That's a big decidion to remove the glass from the door isn't it...I need to really think about it and decide whether or not I really want to do this. Thank you though...that's given me the information that I need. :)) Looking forward to your blog owdboggy. BA, I love your comment about the 'occasional cloudy day'...nice one...if only! :) Last summer it was the 'occasional sunny day'!

When I think about it, it's not that big a job, and I could always replace the glass later if I had a change of heart and built a rock garden! :)

Our aluminium 'bulb house' is all mesh at one end and the door is mesh too. As Bulba has stated alpines do not like wet and humid conditions the wind fairly whistles through the thing and it is never a problem.

It depends on what you intend to grow. For the majority of Alpines which need protection, it is from the rain rather than cold. So in fact all they need is a roof. If you want to grow,say, Primula allionii then they need as draughty a place as possible to keep the dreaded Botrytis at bay. A small structure like this one is going to heat up very quickly to temperatures which will fry a lot of things.

Yes, I understand what you both mean. Thank you. I will have to have a think about it, it's a serious step to take, but I certainly don't want to invest in lovely Alpines, only to have them all rot on me!

One of the advantages of Scotland, Owdboggy, is that days of hot, bright sunshine are few and far between. They do happen though. If it has been a hot day, Karen, then fit the spray gun on the end of your garden hose in the cooler evening and 'MIST' the plants. This is what happens in the mountains and how a lot of the alpines get their moisture in summer.

Great tip BA, thank you! Oh, a hot day.....what do you think our chances are? lol ;)

Well we do get them occasionally... If you think about it up in the mountains in summer the plants get baked during the day (literally at times) then at night the temperature drops to only a little above freezing. But the plants are baked outside so no humidity to deal with... I know mine and Bulba's understanding of how alpines grow comes from being there in the mountains and seeing them growing in situ we then try, to the best of our ability, to recreate this for the plants.

I could write a lot more but this is your question not a blog of mine!

Yes, well that is what I was thinking MG, and I totally understand your point about the lack of humidity which necessitates the removal of some of the glass. This is the only thing holding me back I think, well that and the prospect of yet another plant addiction! lol. I need to consider whether I really want to go to all the trouble of making the greenhouse a suitable environment for the alpines, or whether it would be better to leave it glass and keep growing cucumbers! :)) Thank you so much. At least I did join the Scottish Rock Garden society today!

Wow that is great news! Send me a pm and I'll get in touch about upcoming events BUT mark 18 Feb in your calendar SRGC's Early Bulb Day in Dunblane! BTY I am Secretary of the SRGC and Bulba is publications manager - we'll be at Dunbalane and hope to meet you. MG

Whey-hey, welcome on board the SRGC train, Karen Susan! We look forward to meeting you.

Thank you both very much! I look forward to meeting you this year. :)) oh and yes BA, it's Karen! :)

One more recruit via the Internet!

Funny you should say that OB because I think it was last year, or possibly 2 years ago, I was going to join and at that time you had to print off form and post and I just never got around to it, so this time, much easier. I think that's right, or perhaps it was some other Plantaholics' society that you had to print off the form!! ;)))

Well, there is of course the SRGC Website too for anyone else interested in joining.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php

Are you a member also then OB?

You've been able to join the SRGC via our website for several years now...

Only for the last 25 years or so, so only a relative newcomer really.

lol...sorry, my mistake, must have been some 'english' club!! lol :))