Indoor garden design ideas: Indoor gardening tips, Plants for house garden

The trend of house indoor garden is on the rise and it is valuable for those living in apartments, where there is a dearth of land to cultivate a garden. Indoor gardens can be easily designed and managed and it does not require a lot of space.

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“Indoor gardening is one of the most rewarding activities, as the greenery can improve one’s well-being. Moreover, one can enjoy pretty flowers, delicious vegetables and if space permits, even juicy fruits. Once you fall in love with indoor gardening, horizontal and vertical spaces and every corner in the living room become potential spots to host additional beautiful plants,” says Smita Shirodkar, founder of Earthoholics, a social enterprise headquartered in Mumbai that specialises in urban garden training, edible landscaping consultancy and set-up services. Other indoor plants like palms, crotons, snake plants and varieties of succulents also do well indoors.

See also about: Why Mikado plant is an excellent choice for your garden

Indoor garden ideas in India: How to display plants

Think creatively about indoor garden design ideas, when it comes to the placement of plants indoors, to ensure that it complements the overall décor. You can opt for indoor garden design in living room or keep greens in the balcony, study, kitchen, in the bathroom or on windowsills. As part of indoor garden design in living room, group them together in one corner of the room, to create a cheerful ambience. Placing them on both sides of the entryway, near the main door makes up for a grand indoor garden living room. Some plants can be kept high up on a shelf, allowing it to flow downwards or you can even place it on a multi-level stand. Select fancy pots and arrange them on the floor, tables or shelves, or hang them up, to create a thriving indoor garden design. Terrarium plant plays an important role in beautifying an indoor space.

See also: How to grow indoor water plants

Indoor garden ideas: How to grow a vegetable garden on the window sill or balcony

In a house indoor garden, window sills and balconies with direct sunlight, are ideal for flowering plants and vegetables. The common vegetables that can be grown indoor include tomatoes, chillies, spinach, fenugreek, basil, coriander, etc.

“Flowering and vegetable plants yield well, when they receive direct sunlight for six to seven hours in a house indoor garden. However, one can grow all herbs and leafy vegetables with two to three hours of direct sunlight or bright light at home on the window sill or next to the window,” says Shirodkar.

How to go about designing an indoor garden

Indoor garden design ideas for Micro-greens

If one has small windows or no balcony space or less or no sunlight, one can grow indoor plants which are shade loving, indoor micro-greens, terrariums or dish gardens.

See also: How to set up a kitchen garden at home

“Micro greens are baby plants, harvested in a span of seven to 14 days and are ideal for house indoor garden with low light and less space. Also, the seeds for these plants are readily available in most homes like methi, mustard, beans, peas, chickpeas and others. For this indoor garden design, any old container/tray, food parcel packaging boxes, egg trays, coconut shells or any container can be used that has a height of one to two inches or is proportionate to the quantity of microgreens you wish to grow/harvest. The best results are seen using coco peat or coco soil as a medium to grow the micro greens,” says Shirodkar.

Indoor garden ideas: Beautify your indoor garden living room with a DIY terrarium

If space is an issue, you can use miniature gardens, referred to as dish gardens, to incorporate greenery at home. Terrariums are mini eco-systems showcasing creative designs. Terrarium plays an important role in beautifying an indoor space.

“For making terrariums, use a clean glass container and assemble layers in the order of pebbles and charcoal to absorb impurities, soil mix and the plants. Depending on the size and shape of the glass container, select plants which fit and grow well. For a classic fish bowl-shaped, 10-inch terrarium, opt for plants like syngonium, hypoestes, peperomia, fittonia, button ferns or any variety of miniature, indoor plants,” says Shirodkar.

Create a landscape design of an island or a fairy garden and decorate it with miniature ceramic animals, rocks and coloured stones. Terrariums can be open or closed. Closed terrariums are low maintenance and some can go without watering for long. Open terrariums and dish gardens need to be watered, just like potted plants.

See also: Lucky plants for the home

Indoor garden ideas: How to create an indoor vertical garden

Vertical space on walls in the living room or in balconies, can be decorated with ornamental plants, by adding wall panel planters or by simply using low-cost, wall-mounted shelves. One of the popular indoor garden ideas India is growing herbs, leafy vegetables or flowering plants like petunias, portulacas or money plants in hanging baskets or in PET bottles.

See also: Add greenery to a small space, with vertical gardens

Indoor garden ideas: Ideal plants

Money plant: Grows in soil and water, needs indirect light and regular watering.

Spider plant: Needs medium light and moist soil.

Peace lily: Needs bright medium light and moist soil

Boston fern: Needs moisture and bright, indirect sunlight.

Other indoor plants like palms, crotons, snake plants and varieties of succulents also do well indoors.

Tips to take care of the indoor garden

For indoor gardens, choose pot sizes of six to 12 inches, based on the plant’s size and type. Use a mixture of two parts of red soil, one part of any manure/compost and one part of porous material or coco soil.
Always keep the indoor pots on a drainage plate, so that the table or shelf is not spoiled. Regularly clean the plate.
Place the indoor plant in the light according to its need, as plants can die due to inadequate or too much light.
Inadequate watering may not kill the indoor plants and can be dealt with but excessive watering will surely kill the indoor plants and is hard to reverse.
Indoor plants bought from nurseries are often sold in small pots. Place them in bigger pots, as otherwise, the indoor plant’s growth will be stunted.
Ensure that the leaves are free of dust. It helps the indoor plant to grow better.
For pest problems, use neem oil which has antimicrobial properties. Chili-garlic spray made by crushing and boiling 10-12 green chilies and garlic is also effective against insects.

See also: Tips for designing a house garden

FAQs

How do you design an indoor garden?

The basic principles for designing an indoor garden are to choose the right space for the plants, keeping a minimum number of plants and choosing the right plants.

Where do I put my indoor plants in my apartment?

Apartment owners can place indoor plants on the windowsill or on the grills or in the balcony or even put up hanging pots in the rooms.

What are the best plants for indoor gardens?

Herbs, micro-greens and easy-to-grow vegetable and flowering indoor plants are ideal for indoor gardens.

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Purnima Goswami Sharma

Purnima Goswami Sharma is a freelance writer based in Mumbai, who has been contributing to various newspapers, magazines and portals for the last two decades. Besides being a research writer for various TV shows, she has been a visiting faculty at SNDT for Communication Skills. She hold a master’s degree in English Literature from Mumbai University and a diploma in Communications and Journalism. She writes on diverse subjects like real estate, interiors, education, lifestyle, health, entertainment and environment.

Email: [email protected]