By this point in winter, all I dream of is a greenhouse. Sunny and sheltered, it would let me break all the rules. Heat-loving fare could luxuriate in its extra warmth.

All sorts of edibles and ornamentals would grow faster, stronger and fleshier in this see-through sanctuary insulated from the weather outside. You only have to see the crazily patterned crotons, the flamboyant calatheas, rare orchids and bizarre lilies thriving in public glasshouses in Melbourne and Sydney to know how much you can mash up the seasons. Greenhouses come in all different shapes and sizes.

Credit: Getty Some of these glasshouses are as grand as ballrooms – and heated for extra effect. They house everything from towering palms to clumping peperomias – they are built for show. But it is also possible to get a greenhouse that is no bigger than a cupboard.

Some are even small enough to fit on a balcony, and many are heated by sunlight alone. The whole premise of a greenhouse is that its transparency allows the sun’s rays to enter and heat whatever is inside – cucumbers in ancient Rome, citrus across Renaissance Italy, ferns in Victorian England and, by the end of next month, the germinating seeds of summer crops for anyone wanting to harvest tomatoes, say, before Christmas. While greenhouses were traditionally fashioned from glass – hence the term “glasshouse” – they are increasingly being made with clear plastic, which is cheaper, lighter and more easily transportable.

They come in a.