Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Warming Up Those Chilly Days With A Few Indoor Plants

By Autumn Lockwood


If gardening is one of your very favorite things to do, chances are that as the days grow colder you yearn for the warm days of summer. Usually as the beginning of fall comes it brings along with it the end of the gardening season, unless of course the climate you are currently living in is warm throughout the whole year. If you do not want to have to hold on until the warm days of spring arrive to enjoy your gardening hobby, why not prepare to grow some plants indoors this year? The sight of green plants growing indoors might be just what you need in order to ward off the gloom of winter.

Selecting Plants for Household Gardens

There are many different plants you could successfully grow inside. If you do not have a "green thumb," you may want to start off with some easy-to-grow houseplants, such as a philodendron, pothos or ivy. These plants can usually be grown very successfully, even if you do not have a great deal of indoor light. Although, if you wish to grow plants such as herbs, flowers or even vegetables indoors during the winter months, you'll probably want to add a couple of specialized light fixtures. Although there are special "grow lights" you can buy which are specially designed to supply the light spectrum which plants thrive on, in most cases you will be able to effectively grow most plants using nothing more than common fluorescent light fixtures. Simply suspend a fluorescent light fixture from the ceiling over the table, and you will have the perfect place to grow a wide range of plants. Or, set up a collection of potted plants on a sunny kitchen or dining room windowsill.

Getting Good Use from Your Indoor Plants

You may benefit from your indoor garden in lots of different ways; it really depends on the plants you decide to use. Some indoor plants and herbs are extremely easy to divide or take "starts" from, allowing you to grow more new plants that you will be able to use as gifts for friends and relatives. Or, try pressing some of the flowers you are growing indoors, which can be used to create unique wall art when exhibited in picture frames. You could even have nice fresh spices and herbs for use in cooking all winter when you simply grow some inside. Your green herbs could be dried and used for other things as well, such as potpourri mixtures for giving as gifts, or even bath sachets. Other plants which grow very well in a house, especially in a cool place such as your basement, are lettuce and other leafy green salad vegetables.

Adding A Few Decorative Details to Your Garden

If you're one of those people who likes to set aside an entire room just for your winter indoor garden, then you may want to decorate that space in such a way that it really feels like a garden. Try displaying art prints depicting flowers or plant life on the walls by placing them in attractive picture frames. A water fountain may be an additional nice touch, but you should make sure it's a little one that you may even be able to exhibit on a table. Add a comfortable chair and a good reading lamp, and you may discover that your new "garden room" will become your favorite spot to spend a snowy winter day.

So go to work as soon as you can, and add that touch of life and greenery that your home has been in need of.




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