Ode to the Orangery

An orangery (also orangerie) is a 16th Century European interpretation of a greenhouse. A conservatory, more accurately, but with less glass. Orangeries were born out of necessity. Hailing from warmer climes, oranges, and other citrus, required protection in the European winter. Practical gardeners built crude plank and sack tent-like structures, and later, better insulated buildings, in which to house delicate oranges.