Indoor Gardening
Container Garden Indoors
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INDOOR GARDENING
Choose the right plant for your home or garden
For those who have no space for a garden, such as city gardeners, or
for those who simply yearn to be surrounded by greenery all year long,
even during the long winter months, the indoor garden is just what the
doctor ordered.
Indoor gardens can transform a stale room into a vibrant living space.
House plants have been proven to clean and clear air in a house or apartment;
plants are the other end of the gas exchange between flora and fauna,
exhaling oxygen after respirating our CO2 emissions. In the process they
do a huge part of filtering the air in your home.
While they do require a firm commitment for watering and feeding, plants
can be a front-line against dust and allergens. In exchange, you can enjoy
your indoor garden all year long, gaining both greenery and color in your
interior design. There are varieties of plants that are suitable for indoor
gardening; some require less attention than others, so take your schedule
and commitment level into consideration when selecting your indoor plants.
Recommended Plants for Indoor Gardens
Low maintenance is the caveat of the new, fast paced schedule for our
modern home dweller, but it's not high on the list for houseplants. Here
are a few tried and tested indoor warriors that can survive everything
short of total neglect:
Low Maintenance Favorites
- Pothos, (Epipremnum aureum (syn.Pothos aureus, Raphidophora aureum,
or Scindapsus aureus).
The name has changed even in the scientific community, but the plant
remains the same. This plant survives offices, it survives bachelors,
it even survives college dorm rooms! Interesting yellow or white variegation
on a green, heart shaped leaf on a trailing clumping vine. This is a
low light specialist and the toughest one I know; if you kill this one
you're not trying! Water it once a month and give it some room.
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum bischetii, or more usually C. comosum (syn.C.
capense)
You all know this one as we all have received this as a house warmer
or like gift. I once gave these as a Secret Santa for the twelve days
of Christmas: one the first day, two the second, four the third... the
two plants I had at the time carried me through until the twelfth day
(144 plants) when one nice store bought plant yielded the rest of the
crop! This is how easy and prolific this plant can be and it's filtering
and air quality features have even NASA looking at this plant...it likes
medium light levels.
- Snake Plant (Mother in Laws Tongue) Sansevaria trifasciata (syn. S.zeylandica)
This is another tough customer that I have seen suffer over-watering
far more than the opposite; another nice feature is the many different
cultivars that offer a variety of looks and the low light requirements
that make it a candidate in any better light than the closet. From 6"
to 4' tall depending on which one you like...
Bromeliad
The bright bloom of a bromeliad will last longer than most flowers.
A Bromeliad is a beautiful flower to grow indoors. Affordable and ready
to enhance the beauty of any room of your home, office, or apartment,
Click
on photo for more information
Moderate care plants
For those who feel up to more than once a month watering:
- Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco, D. fragrans, D. marginata or D. sanderiana)
With just a little care these plants can grow to be old friends. The
genus tends to be light and drought tolerant and again there are many
cultivars and looks to choose from. A classic at the mall or doctors
office...
- Sword Fern (Nephrolepsis cordifolia, N. exaltata [the cultivar 'Bostoniensis'
is the famous Boston Fern], N. obliterata)
This old standby of the Victorian parlor plant circuit is still a great
plant today. Tolerant of a variety of light levels and very tolerant
of dryer conditions (for a fern). our current pet has been in the household
for two decades; I sometimes wonder if it was him or me and there was
a fire..? A pet plant to grow old with...
- Jade Plant (Crassula ovata syn. C.argentea or C. portulaca. Occasionally
species C. arborescens or C. falcata are found for sale)
Grown in fairly strong light, I have seen these plants develop into
9 ft. monsters. A staple at the Chinese restaurant, as it is considered
a prime feng shui plant for the many coin shaped leaves. The one problem
I have seen to this plant is a susceptibility to mealybug if it is allowed
to decline (easily remedied with a Q-tip and alcohol; wipe them away),
but a modicum of water and good light will help keep this a striking
specimen that grows with you...
Plants that need a little loving
For those who want a pet plant and the care and feeding thereof:
- Bonsai (Various spp.)
These miniature trees made famous from the Japanese art of bonsai can
be found all over Asia, in China (as penjing)Thailand, Vietnam and other
cultures. Although the plants are often thought of as high maintenance
(somewhat true), they have also gained the reputation as a esoteric
secret that is only known to a select group of old men living in L.A.
and giving karate lessons on the side. (O.K., the good ones...) but
there is a network of clubs growing and connecting all over the world,
and the Internet is making quality bonsai and knowledge available to
any one who can access them. A great way to meet people and devote time
to an ancient gardening tradition of the highest order...
- Orchids ( Family Orchidaceae), This is an amazingly
diverse family with plants found on every continent but the Antarctic,
yet delicate and rare wherever found. (There are probably a few species
in your area; check it out with your state DEP or extension service).
The entire family needs higher humidities, but there are differences.
There are three general types to the family:
- Epiphytic: These are tree dwellers that cling high in trees
and feed off of rain, sun and what little detritus settles among it's
roots; sounds easy but these are often jungle types that require higher
humidity and more care...
- Psuedobulb: These are nearly epiphytic, with enlarged stems
for food and water storage; generally easier...
- Terrestrial: Many orchids (most natives) are this type. They
grow in the loose moist humus of the forest or occasionally a meadow...
For the beginner, may I recommend?...
Cattleya spp.
A native of the tropic Americas, the cattleyas are a psuedobulb type and
considered an orchid with training wheels. Kept outside year round in
southern Texas, brought indoors in Florida and like
climes on those occasional colder nights, they are in for the winter everywhere
north. They need 60 degrees at night, 70 degrees during the day, 50-60%
humidity and good indirect light.
 If
this sounds like too much for you, then it is. Back away slowly... On
the other hand, if you want to be part of the most obsessed gardeners
I have ever seen (and I'm a bonsai fan), this is the plant...Check for
a local society near you...
African Violets (Saintpaulia ionantha)
This is a single species that has hundreds of cultivars; I was always
impressed with the booth I judged at the Boston Flower Show that the local
society put on. It was never the biggest or showiest, but it was always
put together with an obvious love of the plants they were showing. And
the varieties and cultivars that have sprung up over the years must number
in the hundreds now. Bottom watering is the key to this plant; crown rot
and leaf spot are the two biggest enemies and keeping the water away from
both is key to keeping this plant healthy. Needs the higher humidities
and good indirect light that orchids crave...
Caring for your Indoor Garden
Indoor plants crave consistency: consistent watering and feeding schedule,
consistent light, and consistent temperature. The more you can do to give
your plants a stable environment, the better off they will be. Your plants
will also flourish with a little extra attention. Removing dead leaves
and flowers as well as wiping or dusting the leaves of your plants will
keep them happy and healthy and keep your indoor garden looking gorgeous.
There are leaf shines and sprays from all over but I find that plain water
and a clean damp towel or sponge is the best bet.
Watering
Plants can suffer just as much from over-watering as they can from under-watering.
So, how much is enough? Every plant differs as to how much water they
require depending on everything from the variety of the plant to the type
of pot it is in to the level of humidity in your home. Although they are
generally not as attractive as other option, plastic pots do help to retain
moisture more than ceramic pots, and you can always nest them inside of
a basket or a more decorative container.
In colder climates, heating in the winter can make the air very dry.
You may need to increase watering or consider purchasing a humidifier.
Putting higher need plants like bonsai or orchids on a humidity tray (filled
with pebbles and water to almost cover them) will help to keep the atmosphere
moist. Over time, you will develop a sense of how much and how frequently
you need to water your indoor garden. If you feel unsure when you are
just starting out, you may wish to use a moisture meter which is stuck
into the soil in order to gauge if the plant needs to be watered.
Feeding
Potted plants have nowhere to go for feed apart from the soil in their
pot, so it is crucial that you make a regular habit of fertilizing your
indoor garden. There are many fertilizers available for specific plant
varieties, but if that seems too complicated, a one-size-fits-all fertilizer
will do just fine. Liquid fertilizers are easy to fix when watering your
plants, but be sure to pay attention to the proportions as too much fertilizer
can harm your plants. Fertilizing sticks are an easy solution, too, as
they generally only need to be inserted in the soil once a month.
Repotting
Most container plants will need to be repotted from time to time. You
can generally tell if it is time to re-pot is the roots are growing out
through the drainage holes or if they are coiling around the container’s
inner edges.
- To begin, select a larger pot than the current container.
- Layer the bottom of your pot with rocks, shards of pottery, or chipped
wood in order to assist with drainage but prevent soil loss through
the drainage holes.
- Fill the container with good soil up to where you want the roots to
rest.
- Gently loosen the rots of the plants and rest it on the soil, filling
in around it with the remaining soil to about one inch from the top
of the container.
- Give the soil a good soaking once the plant snug in its new pot. If
the plant has gotten so large that it needs to be maintained in the
same pot (at the same size), try loosening the top three inches or so
of soil around the base of the plant and replacing it with new potting
soil and/or humus.
- Scrape away; the root ball will tell you when you can't go deeper
and ripping a few smaller roots is no more than happens in nature. This
is known as top dressing, and done on a yearly basis it can keep a plant
in the same container for decades or longer; this is part of the basis
for the art of bonsai.
Indoor gardening can be the basis of a lifelong love affair with plants
that never needs to leave the city. Or it can be an artful adjunct to
your interior design. Or it can be an elegant and integral part of the
purification system of your home (both physically and spiritually). Any
way you see it, there is a place for a houseplant in your home... Enjoy!
Related Links
- Vacation
Watering Solution
Waters your plants while you're away.
-
Deluxe Indoor Gardening Set
Contains four digging tools, pruners, and a mister in an attractive
canvas mini-tote.
-
Track Pot Kit
For any container gardener short on space. These pots provide you with
a revolutionary vertical planting system that easily attaches to any
vertical surface, indoors or out.
-
English Garden Tools
These English Style handtools are forged in the classic Cornwall design.
The tines are hardened steel with a deep green enamel finish. There
is a genuine brass joiner cap and a leather loop strap for easy hanging.
The tools have a 10 year guarantee and are virtually indestructible.
They will handle all of your toughest gardening projects.
Start your garden with these products
Containers
for Indoor Gardening 
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