GROWING PANES
INDOOR GARDENS TRULY COME ALIVE UNDER GLASS AND, IF YOU GET THEM RIGHT, THERE’S VERY LITTLE MAINTENANCE
HERE’S been a massive resurgence in indoor gardening over recent years, with renewed interest reflecting the popularity of plants in our homes.
It’s especially prevalent among young people living in city flats with little outdoor space.
But we can all enjoy indoor planting as a way of brightening up our living and working spaces – especially when we’re spending more time than usual at home.
We’ve spent a lot of time outside in the spectacular sunshine. But when a cold, rainy snap appears, it brings the desire for indoor gardening instead.
And this week, I’d like to share the pleasures of bottle gardens and terrariums – both of which will make a classy addition to your home. there it will become much heavier to move around. Avoid bright sunlight if you can, a semi-shaded windowsill or dresser top is ideal.
Plant varieties such as ferns, ilea, Peperomias and Hypoestes tolerate and appreciate humid environments, meaning they are ideal for planting in a bottle garden. Once they are planted in, watered well and fitted with a cork in the top, it will create its own micro-climate.
This works by the container recycling its own moisture as it evaporates and hits the body of the glass, then as it cools the water falls back into the soil, completing the cycle.
ANOTHER area that is growing in popularity is terrariums, which are panes of glass which usually have beading of copper in between to hold the panes together. These resemble mini-greenhouses and they can be bought in many different shapes, from traditional greenhouse styles to hexagonal varieties which make superb, fun shapes for planting in. Fill them with aggregate sand or dried moss.
Most commonly found are open terrariums, with an open face, rather than closed terrariums, which are sealed. Open terrariums are great for cacti and succulents such as Aloe, many varied Echeveria, Crassula and Kalanchoe, which are suited because they hold a lot of moisture within their foliage and don’t need to be watered as much as non-succulent houseplants.
When planting up a terrarium, keep the plants in their own little pots, simply sinking them into the base material. This means you can swap them in and out with ease. Most of these plants, especially cacti, do not have extensive root systems so they won’t mind. It also stops the compost from mixing with the aggregate sand or moss.