When the summer ends and all the colors outdoor turn from green to all shades of red and orange, you will need to bring some life into your home. It doesn’t matter if it’s just one potted plant, an entire indoor garden or a mini garden (if you are lacking space), the feeling of refreshment and warmth is huge. In this article we are focusing on mini gardens. Here are few ideas and tips on how to fit them into your space perfectly.
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This is something that needs planning
First of all, you need to decide how it is going to be designed. Is it going to be on a window, on a table, on a shelf or in the corner? It needs to match the architecture and the furniture of your house. Next, you have to find a good location. It has to be a place with enough sunlight and humidity. If you don’t have a place with a lot of natural light, you will have to buy artificial lights for your plants. You need to be careful, though. Too much sunlight can be harmful for young plants. Usually, the indoor plants are the ones that originate from tropical forests and they are accustomed to the dim atmosphere. Have in mind that some plants just don’t need a lot of sunlight, while others do. Those that don’t are ideal for an indoor garden. The ones that do - simply put them on your window sill. You can easily find a list of plants that you can grow indoors on the internet, or in some gardening book. Next, make sure that you don’t overwater your plants since the stagnant water is the worst thing for them. Use pots with holes under them and check the level of water all the time.
Plants in jars
Basically, you can turn almost any dish in your house into decorative plant pots. Seriously now, why would you spend money on buying them when you can make even better ones yourself? Take a soup can, some colored paper, stamps and maybe even some glitter and transform the can into a beautiful planter. Take a glass jar, long piece of wood and tools and gadgets for hanging the jars on the piece of wood and voila, you have a cute wall decoration. You can even use tea cups for mini gardens. Since a lot of tea cups, especially the old ones, are usually beautifully decorated, they can add that special sense of elegance to your home. Just be careful where you are placing them though, since they are very breakable. Another creative, but also practical, idea is to make a bottle garden. Use an upper part of a beer or a wine bottle and put them upside down in a cup filled with water. Fill the bottle parts with the soil put your plants in it, and voila – tiny self-watering garden. Last but not least, eggshells. That’s right, you can use eggshells instead of pots. Just imagine how cute and creative it will look. Make a small hole on one side of the egg, carefully remove the yolk and the whites and then fill the shells with soil and tiny succulent plants.
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A vertical garden
If you are not a fan of pots, or just lacking space, then a vertical garden is a perfect solution for you. These are also called green walls, or living walls. Besides the fact that they look amazing, they are beneficial in so many ways. First of all, they destroy all the toxins in the air. Since they can contain thousands of plants with different absorbing abilities, they absorb pollutants more efficiently than anything else. These walls can help you remove VOCs, Carbon Monoxide, formaldehyde etc. They are protecting your walls since they are acting as a climate control by preventing dramatic temperature oscillations which may lead to your walls cracking because of the constant expanding and contracting. They act like a natural isolation since they keep the air inside the building cooler during hot months and warmer during the colder months, so basically they are saving energy as well. In summer they can lower the indoor temperature as much as 7 degrees Celsius, which is about 44 degrees Fahrenheit, and during colder months this additional wall layer prevents the heat from escaping. Since they also reduce noise, they are perfect stress relievers.
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If you want to build your own indoor living wall, first advise the garden specialist on what plants should you use. Plants like bamboo palm, azalea, Aloe Vera, or various types of ivy are the best for removing toxins. Next, consider which wall are you going to use and see if it receives enough sunlight and check the level of humidity. These walls are composed of a bunch of shelves and plant containers which you then mount on the wall, some are even designed to hang from ceilings. In other words it can be a really complicated task, so find a good consultant and plan it carefully.
The best thing about plants is that they fit in almost every interior and always add that special touch which makes your home greener, brighter and much more fun. They are waking up your inner senses and connecting you with the nature like nothing else.
Guest Article by: Arron Hiddleston
Contributor to High Style Life
arron.hiffleston@highstylelife.com