orchid houses

[pikevi]

Hi,

I see many references to 'hot houses', 'shade houses' and 'green houses'.

Any major differences amongst all three?

Thanks

[Anton]

A shade house / green house are one and the same, it is shade cloth over a frame like a small house and is open for air to freely move through it.

If you have shade cloth over a frame, this can be also called a shade house, such as my beach shade covering my cyms, this can be loosly called a shade house.

A hot house is a completely sealed house with a translucent white material covering it. Heat builds up inside due to the light getting in and warming the air, and as it is completely sealed the heat stays in. Hot houses are used for more tropical species and things like tomatoe cultivation.

Some people use them for cultivating exotic "weeds".

Image 1. Commercial Shade House
Image 2. Hot House
Image 3. Beach Shade (shadehouse)

Hope this helps.

[Ellen]

The terms are actually used very loosely. Basically, in the US "hot house" and "greenhouse" are essentially synonymous and are both used to describe an enclosed structure that can be heated in winter, either passively by the sun or actively using a heater. "Hot house" is an old-fashioned term that isn't used much any more - at least I never hear it used. A shade house is open to the outside air and may be anything from a canopy like Anton's beach shade to a fully or partially screened structure. It sounds like the usage in Australia may be different, if "greenhouse" and "shade house" are synonymous. Of course, to complicate matters, there are also "cold frames"...

[pikevi]

Thank you Anton and Ellen.

Shade houses ( in your picture) are used here in the backyard to ward off insects, while having breakfast or for ' barbecuing'.

And ,Ellen,thanks for throwing 'cold frame' into the mix