Toughened Glass Greenhouses

Horticultural Glass vs Toughened Glass

Benefits of Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is much stronger than horticultural glass and tends to be a bit thicker at 3mm or 4mm.

It's also safer than horticultural glass because it will granulate if broken rather than break into large sharp pieces thereby decreasing the risk of injury.

It is also heavier, which means your greenhouse is more resistant to wind, much less likely to be blown away.

Benefits of Horticultural Glass

Horticultural glass is cheaper, and so it's best for people on a budget.

It's also fine if you don't expect your greenhouse to be in high winds, or in danger of the glass smashing (although accidents can always happen).

If you want a stronger glazing alternative, then choose polycarbonate glazing instead.

Greenhouse Frames

Aluminium Frame

Our range of aluminium glass greenhouses will look beautiful in any garden. Aluminium is lighter than wood, so it's easier to manoeuvre around the garden. It is also naturally more weather resistant.

​Browse all Aluminium Greenhouses here

Wooden Frame

With timber frames and crystal clear glass, our range of wooden glass greenhouses are spectacular. Wood is a very traditional greenhouse material, giving it a wonderfully classical look, which fits into the natural setting.

​Browse all Wooden Greenhouses here

Popular Sizes

4ft x 6ft Greenhouses

For your compact garden space check out our range of 4X6 glass greenhouses.

 Shop all 4x6 greenhouses here

4ft x 8ft Greenhouses

We stock a select range of 4X8 glass greenhouses, including the 4x8 Cotswold Eden Birdlip.

6ft x 6ft Greenhouses

Our variety of 6x6 glass greenhouses will provide a perfect space for all of your plants to thrive. One of the best is the 6x6 Halls Forest Green Popular greenhouse.

Shop all 6x6 greenhouses here

6ft x 12ft Greenhouses

Enjoy the extra space a 6x12 greenhouse has to offer. The 6x12 range is a strange long shape, but has a few appropriate locations. One of the most popular versions, is the 6x12 Elite High Eve Painted Finish greenhouse.

8ft x10 ft Greenhouses

Build the perfect greenhouse with tons of space for all your plants with one of our 8x10 glass greenhouses. One of the best is the 8x10 Elite Belmond Painted Finish greenhouse.

Shop all 8x10 greenhouses here

10ft x 6ft Greenhouses

It is always nice to have ample space for your plants and we can help with a wide variety of 10x6 greenhouses. This is a wide greenhouse, but is very appropriate if you have a wide but short space. One of the most popular ranges is the 10x6 Elite Supreme Aluminium Finish greenhouse.

​Shop all 10ft wide greenhouses here

What is a glass greenhouse?

A glass greenhouse is a structure in which the walls and roof are made primarily of glass giving your plants sufficient light throughout the year. There are two primary types of glass available including horticultural glass and toughened safety glass. The frame may be made of aluminium or timber.

Glass Glazing vs Polycarbonate Panels

Whether you have a large glass greenhouse or a small glass greenhouse glass is your best option when it comes to greenhouse materials. This is because glass is both beautiful and durable, lasting fifty years or more. Glass is more expensive than polycarbonate but for keen gardeners, the advantages make it worth the money. 

With crystal clear clarity glass greenhouses are spectacular looking and they can make you feel like you are working in your garden outside while you are in your greenhouse allowing you to savour the beauty of both. 

Glass greenhouses boast extremely high light levels, in fact, glass greenhouses transmit almost 100% of the sunlight and as long as they are regularly cleaned will retain this clarity for fifty years or more! People can choose from single-layer, double-layer or even triple-pane glass, perfect if you want to continue growing plant throughout the winter months. The thicker the glass the better the insulation making some of them as well insulated as polycarbonate greenhouses.

There are advantages to polycarbonate materials as well. A lot of heat can be lost through traditional glass and this problem can be avoided by using polycarbonate sheets. The fact that polycarbonate does not let in as much direct sunlight as glass is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that it allows for better light diffusion which means the light will be spread more evenly throughout your greenhouse.

All Glazing Options

Toughened Glass

Many people prefer toughened safety glass in their greenhouse because of the beautiful look it offers. It has the same clarity of glass without any of the safety concerns. 

Horticultural Glass

When compared to toughened glass horticultural glass is less safe. People tend to choose horticultural glass if they are looking for a cheaper alternative.

Accessories

You have lots of accessory options with your aluminium greenhouse:

Ventilation

You can customise the ventilation options such as roof vents, auto vents/automatic openers, and windows. Very important for controlling heat and air circulation in the summer.

Heating

Greenhouse heaters are very important in the winter months, to stop plants being damaged by extreme cold.

Shelving/Staging - Maximise Your Available Space

You can have the option of adding aluminium staging to your greenhouse on the individual product pages, useful for storing plants and growing equipment.

You can also customise the sliding door on some variants.

Reviews

Here are a small selection of the thousands of reviews we've had:

Charlie, 4th July 2015, reviewed the 8x20 Elite Belmont Aluminium Finish

"Excellent service from SW Greenhouses, who even altered their website to accommodate the additional extras we required that were not listed before. Delivery was earlier than expected. This was the first time I've had a self assembly project with no items missing, in fact there was more than required of some fixings. A few teething troubles while building the greenhouse, as instructions are not always clear, but problems were soon sorted out. Once built, this greenhouse is very sturdy, and with the additional capping should stand up to the Scottish winds that demolished our two greenhouses last winter. The only disappointment to date is the auto-louvre, where the pin connecting to the louvre arm to open and close the louvre window has snapped after two weeks,. This pin would be better if made from metal and not plastic.".

Robin, 2nd March 2015, reviewed the 6x10 Elite Titan Aluminium Finish

"We bought a large Elite Titan a couple of years ago and it has withstood gale force winds and feet of snow in the Peak District. When we decided to buy a smaller greenhouse for citrus fruit bushes, the Elite Titan was the obvious choice. Easy to assemble and pretty well bomb proof construction. Should last 50 years even at 1100 feet above sea level."

Keither, 30th April 2015, reviewed the 8x12 Elite Belmont Painted Finish

"Ordered a standard model with a couple of extra vents. Delivery was ahead of schedule by some 4 weeks. Greenhouse has been assembled and is fully operational. The auto vents have been improved and are well worth investing in. This is a good looking, roomy and sturdy greenhouse."

South West Greenhouses are rated 4.94/5 based on 2161 reviews.

UK Delivery and Installation

We offer free delivery on all glass greenhouses to UK mainland postcodes, with some exceptions of the Scottish Highlands and other hard to reach areas (which will require a custom quote). You can click into the individual product pages to learn more about delivery of each type. Visit a product page for more information on availability, free delivery area, affordability, and product lead-time.

Need More Help? Contact South West Greenhouses

We know shopping for a greenhouse might be overwhelming, which is why our helpful team is always on hand to help you make an informed decision on our product range.

You can submit your question on our contact page form here, or email us at support@swgreenhouses.co.uk and even call us on 01225 710479