Built in 1981, the Cool Temperate House is one of the newest greenhouses in the complex. It houses plants that can’t survive outside yet don’t need tropical conditions. They’re subtropical plants - plants that come from the cooler temperate areas of the world. Humidity levels in here are much lower than in many of the other houses and in the winter the temperature is kept in the 50s.

Redesigned in 2004, the greenhouse is divided into four geographic regions: Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Australia and New Zealand. You can see an avocado tree from Central America or your nose may lead you to a eucalyptus tree from Australia. Look for the tea, coffee, and plants such as the fig and olive, which are adapted to a “Mediterranean” climate of cool wet winters and dry summers.

Kid's Audio Tour stops:
Cool Temperate Overview, Tea Plant - Stop 180
Figs - Stop 181
Olives - Stop 182

Adult Audio Tour stops:
Cool Temperate House Overview - Stop 380
Coffee - Stop 343
Cupressus dupreziana - Stop 381
Eucalyptus - Stop 382
Acer skutchii - Stop 383
Shading Panels - Stop 384
Tea - Stop 385
Calla Lily - Stop 386