Cozy Indoor Gardens

Creating a cozy indoor garden for your home is easier than you think.  All it takes is a little ambition and creativity.  You’ll need to keep in mind the climatic area of the room you are working with.  How much light does it have?  How much heat is available?  These are things that will affect the selection of plants for that particular area. 

A southern exposure window gives the best light, without it being too hot.  If your room is very hot and dry, then you may want to add a source of humidity, such as a humidifier or simply place shallow pans of water with pebbles under the plants.  As the water evaporates, it will add the necessary humidity into the air surrounding the plants.  The latter is also very decorative and gives you a chance to play with colors, shapes and groupings of plants.  If your room does not have enough light, there are lights made specifically for plants that you can purchase. You should be able to find these at your local garden center.

It’s a new year again….many people take this time to re-group and re-organize.  If that’s what you’re thinking, why not paint the room you are using for your plants as well?  A fresh coat of paint will always change up a room and make it new again.  It will provide you with a new palate to work with.  Light, neutral or pastel colors on the wall make a nice contrast to the green leaves and colorful blooms of the plants.  Be creative here; maybe paint or nail a small lattice to the wall.  This is your chance to bring the outdoors in.    And there are so many interesting colors, shapes and sizes of pots.  You can even find pots that attach directly to the wall.  They can be grouped together, like photographs.  This might inspire you to keep similar plants together, or give vine-like plants a place to stretch out. 

 Don’t forget to place trays under the plants on the floor.  You’ll need to protect the flooring from water stains if you have wood or linoleum floors.  Add some up-lighting for accents, a reading lamp and a chair or two to curl up in with a good book and maybe a small side table to perch a cup of coffee or hot cocoa on.  Placing some type of small water feature in the room adds to the feeling of relaxation as well.

If you have tall plants, such as a Ficus tree, place it in the corner and maybe add some white lights to it for a soothing accent. Add some herbs to the mix for double duty with culinary purposes as well as fragrance and texture in the room. 

There are so many ways you can dress up a room to make it cozy and warm for the long winter months.  Inspiration comes from many places and in many shapes and forms.  Create the room of your dreams and keep dreaming; Spring will be here before we know it!