Plants lift the mood of an otherwise drab and colorless room
Indoor gardening is an easy option for the elderly and frail, as there is no bending or heavy digging to be done like in a conventional garden.
To successfully keep plants indoors and have a thriving indoor garden, there are some basic indoor garden ideas that you'll want to follow...
Choose plants that are intended to be grown and kept indoors. Most failures with plants inside come from selecting the wrong plants. Many plants sold for indoors originally come from rainforest areas that have high humidity and shade. It is easy to reproduce these conditions indoors by keeping the plants out of direct sunlight and filling the saucer with small pebbles that will hold watering overflow and create a little humidifier for the plant.
One important indoor garden idea is that you should know how often your individual plants need watering; more indoor plants are killed with kindness than neglect—most people over-water them. Different plants have different watering needs; this information should be on the plant tag in the pot when you buy it. If not, ask for advice from the garden centre staff. Color code your plants so you remember when to water each one - put colored tags in the pot or mark the outside of the pot. You might have green tags for plants that need weekly watering, red for bi-weekly watering etc. Water on the same day every week so you remember your watering schedule.
Know when to feed each variety of plant. The nutrients in the original potting mix will be used up as the plant grows and thrives, and you will need to feed a fertilizer designed for indoor and potted plants. There are some excellent slow-release fertilizers for pots available; most indoor plants need to be fed every spring, but some may need feeding twice a year.
Keep the leaves of your indoor plants clean. You can buy products to shine the leaves but a damp cloth wiped over the leaves every week or so will keep them looking fresh and allow them to breathe.
Another important indoor garden idea is that you should remove dead leaves as necessary, turn plants so they develop evenly in the pot, make sure they are not in direct sunlight but still have sufficient light to allow for healthy growth. Check regularly for insect damage, changes to leaves or stems and treat accordingly. Don't ignore your indoor plants - they need to be cared for and have some TLC to thrive.
Other indoor garden ideas you'll want to consider are: make your indoor plants into a garden by grouping several plants together on a table or in a corner. Put taller plants at the back, then medium sized ones and then little ones in the front.
Choose coordinating pots in color or shape, or choose to have them all different. Make the pots the design feature of the room; coordinate them to the colors of the room or use them as accents.
