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7 Unusual Spots to Green Up Your House
Make your house a green sanctuary by using these often overlooked spaces to put your favourite plants
Ansoo Gupta
5 August 2018
Houzz India Contributor. Urban Farmer. Avid Traveler. Design Admirer, Planet Lover, Marketer. Order Changes.
Houzz India Contributor. Urban Farmer. Avid Traveler. Design Admirer, Planet Lover,... More
It is not just in balconies, terraces or windows, your plants can thrive anywhere in your house with a careful selection of spaces and the right plants. Look around, assess the sunlight in various parts of your home. Is there a bedroom wall that stays sunlit for long hours or a hallway that’s mostly dark? Both these areas, and more, can be used to increase the much-needed greenery about the house.
1. Walls in the bedroom
A typical plan is to hang pictures, paint murals or to have a large headboard that covers most of the wall behind the bed. Now imagine a series of small pots affixed to the wall, with air-freshening plants. Not only is that an unusual decor, but it works to purify the air as well.
There’s no need to worry about attracting insects. As long as the soil is not overly wet, insects or mosquitoes won’t breed.
Plants: Song of India (Dracaena reflexa); spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Find out more ways to keep your indoor air clean
A typical plan is to hang pictures, paint murals or to have a large headboard that covers most of the wall behind the bed. Now imagine a series of small pots affixed to the wall, with air-freshening plants. Not only is that an unusual decor, but it works to purify the air as well.
There’s no need to worry about attracting insects. As long as the soil is not overly wet, insects or mosquitoes won’t breed.
Plants: Song of India (Dracaena reflexa); spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Find out more ways to keep your indoor air clean
2. Hallway shelves
Another area which is typically used to place artefacts and accessories is the top of shelves, such as shoe racks or book racks in the hallway. If there is natural light in your hallway, do consider using plants both as natural elements and as your decor on these flat surfaces.
If your hallways stay dark, just ensure that you choose plants which do not require constant sunlight to live. You might have to expose these plants to sunlight only once in a fortnight and they will stay healthy.
Plants: Peace lily in dark areas (Spathiphyllum wallisii); aloe (Aloe vera)
These indoor plants can survive tough conditions
Another area which is typically used to place artefacts and accessories is the top of shelves, such as shoe racks or book racks in the hallway. If there is natural light in your hallway, do consider using plants both as natural elements and as your decor on these flat surfaces.
If your hallways stay dark, just ensure that you choose plants which do not require constant sunlight to live. You might have to expose these plants to sunlight only once in a fortnight and they will stay healthy.
Plants: Peace lily in dark areas (Spathiphyllum wallisii); aloe (Aloe vera)
These indoor plants can survive tough conditions
3. Bookshelves
This is one of my personal favourites. Cicero has famously said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need”. Keeping plants in bookshelves seems to be a two-in-one blessing.
Your potting mix should be absorbent, that is, it should contain cocopeat and not just soil. Also, the pots should have plates underneath to catch any water run-off that seeps through. In any case, the plants best suited to be kept near books would be those that do not require too much water.
Plants: Maidenhair fern (Adiantum); burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum)
This is one of my personal favourites. Cicero has famously said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need”. Keeping plants in bookshelves seems to be a two-in-one blessing.
Your potting mix should be absorbent, that is, it should contain cocopeat and not just soil. Also, the pots should have plates underneath to catch any water run-off that seeps through. In any case, the plants best suited to be kept near books would be those that do not require too much water.
Plants: Maidenhair fern (Adiantum); burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum)
4. The bathroom
Contrary to popular belief, the bathroom can be a great place for keeping plants. Some plants will actually do better in the humid conditions of the bathroom.
Depending on the surface you choose – floor, platforms or harder-to-reach ceilings, you can pick between a tall plant, a smaller bushy plant or creepers. You could follow the idea used in this bathroom – pots of trailing succulents. Make sure the pots are firmly anchored to their support.
Plant: String of bananas (Senecio rowleyanus) – needs indirect sunlight to thrive; snake plant (Sansevieria) – practically unkillable
Plants best suited for the bathroom
Contrary to popular belief, the bathroom can be a great place for keeping plants. Some plants will actually do better in the humid conditions of the bathroom.
Depending on the surface you choose – floor, platforms or harder-to-reach ceilings, you can pick between a tall plant, a smaller bushy plant or creepers. You could follow the idea used in this bathroom – pots of trailing succulents. Make sure the pots are firmly anchored to their support.
Plant: String of bananas (Senecio rowleyanus) – needs indirect sunlight to thrive; snake plant (Sansevieria) – practically unkillable
Plants best suited for the bathroom
5. Hanging from the ceiling
Hanging a planter is really easy to execute practically anywhere in the house. You could go a step further and let a creeper or two actually take over a part of the the ceiling.
Choose a creeper that will grow even without frequent watering. Ensure that your pot with the soil is away from electrical wires, and do not spray water on the vine directly. Always water the soil and that, too, sparingly. Remember, overwatering kills more plants than underwatering.
Plant: Creeping fig (Ficus pumila); grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia)
Read about climbing plants for homes
Hanging a planter is really easy to execute practically anywhere in the house. You could go a step further and let a creeper or two actually take over a part of the the ceiling.
Choose a creeper that will grow even without frequent watering. Ensure that your pot with the soil is away from electrical wires, and do not spray water on the vine directly. Always water the soil and that, too, sparingly. Remember, overwatering kills more plants than underwatering.
Plant: Creeping fig (Ficus pumila); grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia)
Read about climbing plants for homes
6. Vertical plant wall inside
These days you may have seen many exterior walls being converted to living walls with plants running through the entire height. Not only are they on trend but are a great way to introduce greenery in our concreted cities.
You could use the vertical plant wall feature inside a room as well. Choose a statement wall and convert it to greenery or create a screen or a partition if you need one.
Plant: Money plant (Epipremnum aureum); asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
Find out how to grow a vertical wall of flowers
These days you may have seen many exterior walls being converted to living walls with plants running through the entire height. Not only are they on trend but are a great way to introduce greenery in our concreted cities.
You could use the vertical plant wall feature inside a room as well. Choose a statement wall and convert it to greenery or create a screen or a partition if you need one.
Plant: Money plant (Epipremnum aureum); asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
Find out how to grow a vertical wall of flowers
7. The kitchen
This is a great place to consider growing herbs that you can pluck and use in your cooking for unbeatable fresh taste. If you get 6-8 hours of sunlight in any part of your kitchen, do consider growing beans, okra, spinach etc. as well.
If your kitchen doesn’t get much sunlight all through the day, you could still grow microgreens, or even air-purifying plants.
Plants: Mint (Mentha), curry leaf (Murraya koenigii)
Read more:
5 Plants Best Suited for Indian Homes
Clever Hacks for the Lazy Indoor-Plant Lover
Tell us:
Have you made use of any unusual spots in your house to bring greenery inside ? Tell us in Comments below.
This is a great place to consider growing herbs that you can pluck and use in your cooking for unbeatable fresh taste. If you get 6-8 hours of sunlight in any part of your kitchen, do consider growing beans, okra, spinach etc. as well.
If your kitchen doesn’t get much sunlight all through the day, you could still grow microgreens, or even air-purifying plants.
Plants: Mint (Mentha), curry leaf (Murraya koenigii)
Read more:
5 Plants Best Suited for Indian Homes
Clever Hacks for the Lazy Indoor-Plant Lover
Tell us:
Have you made use of any unusual spots in your house to bring greenery inside ? Tell us in Comments below.
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