Bring the Garden Indoors

February can feel like forever in New England, and I’m always looking for ways to cure the winter blues while grumpily awaiting Spring. The best cure for my impatience is to bring the garden indoors. Plants with beautiful foliage and blossoms always lift my spirits and help me anticipate warmer weather. My favorite indoor plants are both beautiful and unfussy. They just sit around looking pretty, and that’s my kind of plant!

Bring on the Blooms!

Your local nurseries and most grocery stores carry an array of flowering plants all year long. My favorite long-lasting blooming plants are orchids, kalanchoe, cyclamen, and begonias.

The soft pastels and delicate beauty of begonias just speak to me. I can’t say no. The bok choy tole planter above contains three eight inch begonia pots for a lush effect.

Image via Pinterest

My favorite source for orchids is Trader Joe’s. They always have a terrific supply, and their prices are so good that you can stock up on several plants and create a miniature orchid forest, like the stunning container above.

Hothouse campanula, above, is widely available in grocery stores and greenhouses. Don’t overlook grocery store plants. Make a habit of cruising through the floral department and you’ll be rewarded with cuties like these.

Campanula’s masses of purple flowers harmonize beautifully with my collection of blue and white china.

Foliage

I’m crazy about beautiful foliage and dramatic plant structure, which is why I love topiary. Its classic form reminds me of formal gardens and orangeries in Europe.

I purchased my eugenia double ball topiary, above, at the grocery store. Really! As long as the plant is healthy, why not bring it home?

I overwinter my eugenia standard by placing it next to a window for maximum light. Each summer I gradually reintroduce it to full sun outdoors, where it sets a formal tone on my front porch.

Lime is one of my favorite green hues. The miniature footbath above was a gift from a family friend, Kay, and it’s the perfect vessel for two small ferns with soft, feathery foliage. I have really good luck with certain ferns, despite dry conditions indoors.

I have good luck with palms too. Their arching habit and strappy leaves reminds me that I can bring the tropics home to New England.

Forced Bulbs

Bulbs, like Narcissus and hyacinth are beloved for their scent, like breathing in Spring. When you see these at the store, scoop them up, place them near your favorite chair, and enjoy the perfume.

Because bulbs tend to bloom out quickly and become leggy indoors, placing them in a cool spot, like your garage, overnight, will slow down the process. When the blooms are spent, trim them off and stick the pot, soil and all, in your garage until spring. Plant them when the foliage has dried completely, and get a second dose of beauty next year!

To make my bulb planters look natural, I tuck sheet moss around the foliage so the container echoes a mossy bank in the countryside.

Three Tips for Creating Beautiful Indoor Gardens

When I bring a plant home, I place it in a container from my collection. I never use nursery or grocery containers unless they are exceptional in some way. Often I pot up several plants in one container to create a lush effect.

I mulch plants with Spanish or sheet moss so the containers appear finished. Looking at the rim of a plastic pot can spoil the effect of a beautiful container.

Once a week I give my foliage plants a shower, literally. I spray them with cool, not cold, water, including the underside of leaves, to wash away any pests that may be present. Plants love the humidity and appreciate a break from desert-like conditions caused by central heating. I allow them to dry naturally and soak in the water through their leaves as well as through their roots. I don’t water flowering plants this way, as some have leaves that rot when water sits on them.