If you enjoy nature, consider adding live foliage to your home for either beauty or function. Regardless of your climate, there are lots of plants, herbs, and small produce you can grow indoors. Whether you have potted house plants, widow box herb gardens, or a heat lamp garden, there are many items you can grow in your home.
Air Purification
Your live greenery will not only be beautiful, it will also help to clean and purify your indoor air. Any living plant, herb, fruit, or vegetable that grows leaves will help to clean the air in your environment; however, some do a better job than others. Some popular plants for air purification are aloe, peace lilies, English ivy, and bamboo. If these are not plants that fit the size, scale, or design of your home, select your greenery accordingly.
Herb Gardens
A great way to beautify your home and save money on expensive store-bought fresh herbs is to plant an herb garden. Herb gardens can be grown in window boxes that are not too drafty, or areas that are warm and receive bright natural light. You can even plant herbs in decorative pots, on vertical wall gardens, or in decorative accessories. Some of the most popular indoor herbs are basil, chives, wheatgrass, sage, and oregano. If you can’t use all of the herbs before they go bad, you can freeze or dry them.
Garden Seedlings
If you live in an area that has a very short spring and summer season you may not have the time you need to plant a garden that will produce fruits and vegetables before the weather turns cold again. In this case you can plant an indoor seedling garden under a heat lamp so that your seedlings can be transferred to the ground once spring and summer arrive. Even with a heat lamp it is important to keep your seedlings away from drafty windows or doors that might produce blasts of cold air when open.
Tropical Plants
Regardless of the climate you live in, you can grow tropical foliage indoors. If you live in an area that is cool or cloudy you may need to invest in a heat lamp that has a timer built in to it to give your tropical plant its daily amount of recommended heat and light. Tropical plants can be quite finicky and take a lot of patience to grow—making them a challenge for novice gardeners. Some popular indoor tropical plants are bromeliads, banana plants, African violets, and birds of paradise.
Sunroom Garden
If you have an area such as a sunroom that can be temperature controlled and has plenty of natural light you can turn it into a greenhouse or large indoor garden. When you have a large-scale area that you can commit to gardening, you will have more selection as to the types of plants, herbs, fruits, and vegetables you can grow. Your greenery can be planted from seeds or purchased fully grown. You will also worry less about the mess of planting and watering that inevitably comes with larger gardens. If you don’t have a sunroom in your home you can build a detached sunroom or greenhouse.
Even if you only have a handful of indoor plants, they will add personality and style to your home.
This article was provided by Chase Roberts, home & garden expert. If you’re a renter looking for the right protection for your possessions –and indoor garden for that matter– Chase recommends renters insurance from Protect Your Bubble.
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