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Container Gardens: For When You Don’t Have a Yard

brock — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:01:44 +0000

So you are a green thumb and want to start a garden, but the closest thing you have to a backyard is the grass growing between the sidewalk cracks. For whatever reason — you live in an apartment building or a dorm that doesn’t have a planting area, or you live in a place where things just don’t grow well — you don’t have the garden you want.

The answer to this problem is easy: a container garden. In essence, instead of planting a variety of plants on the ground for a garden, you put them in large vases and situate them inside your home or on your patio.

The main difference between a standard garden and container garden is you have to find suitable containers and flowers that fit in with you décor.

Step 1: Pick the flowers first. The flowers will be the focal point of the garden, because their blooms and colors will be the thing people are looking at. Choose flowers whose colors won’t clash with your walls. Also, you have to take into account the conditions of your apartment. Don’t pick flowers that need a lot of sunlight to survive if you don’t have any coming in through the windows or if you can’t place them in front of windows.

Step 2: Pick containers. Depending on how many flowers you want to have, you’re going to need several containers. The important thing about containers is that they must be relatively tall and wide. The height allows for the flowers to have adequate root structure and width means you can plant several flowers in a single vase. The other important aspect is your décor. If you have a rustic home, then you don’t want to choose a modern container. I have always liked getting containers of differing heights; that way, when you put them all together, it provides a more attractive overall look.

Step 3: Plant your flowers. You are not going to have rows of azaleas like in a standard garden; you will need to be a little more tactful in flower placement. Instead of having one container per flower group, mix it up and plant several different types of flowers in a single pot filled with potting soil. Try to coordinate it so the flowers don’t clash with each other as well. (This is a lot more interior design stress than you would have with a regular garden, as nothing really clashes with dirt.)

Step 4: Put it all together. Here is where a container garden has the most flexibility. You can group the containers together and make an attractive “garden” in a single area, or you can place the containers throughout the house or apartment. Just remember that these are living flowers, and you will have to routinely water and fertilize them.

A container garden can be fun, whether or not you have a yard. It offers something different for people who don’t want the hassle of a traditional garden or who like the smell of fresh flowers throughout the home.

Photo Source: flickr.com/photos/68935484@N00/3643762516

Use Organic Pots

colleen — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:37:04 +0000

We’re all preparing our homes for the tough weather and rainy days ahead, but what about our plants? Think about the pots that you put your plants in, and maybe how much more eco-friendly it would be to house your herbs, flowers, etc in organic biodegradable pots! Waste not, want not. Here are some top organic pots on the market today:

1. 100% Biodegradable Organic Seed Pots from Amazon.com: $8.99

2. Haeger USA Organic Eames Pot from Ebay.com: $24.9

3. Organic Real Easy Seed Starter Kit from Arbico-Organics.com: $12.95

Fukien Tea Bonsai House Plant – I Wonder if Mr. Miyagi Would Approve?

evette — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:43:33 +0000

Who doesn’t remember the Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio? Granted I am a child of the 80′s but even you 1990′s kids know about “wax on, wax off” and the how Mr. Miyagi lovingly cared for bonsai trees!

Well I came across the Fukien Tea Bonsai house plant I felt the need to blog about it for three reasons:

Reason 1: The name cracks me up, how do you pronounce that exactly? Ha!

Reason 2: It reminded me of the Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi’s awesome “chopstick-fly-catching skills”

Reason 3: I actually think bonsai plants are quite lovely and have always wanted one myself

Native to Southern China, the Fukien tea tree has shiny, dark-green leaves and a contrasting silvery green trunk. An evergreen tropical plant, it blooms with tiny white flowers in spring and summer. These slightly perfumed blooms are followed by tiny berries that occasionally ripen from deep green to bright red.

Hello awesome! It’s like having a tiny plot of mythical China in your home.

The Fukien Tea Bonsai costs $54 dollars.

If you are interested in purchasing or checking out the Fukien Tea Bonsai, click here.

Household Plants – Large Money Tree

evette — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:19:50 +0000

Money…read that? I said MONEY!

Anything that supposedly brings wealth and fortune is A-okay in my book. Not to mention I happen to think that the plant itself is quite interesting and beautiful.

I especially like the braided trunk and color of the foliage. Well Asians believe that with each unfurling leaf comes good fortune. How can it hurt right?

Plus the plant comes with a decorative, square, white ceramic pot.

Price $65

If you are interested in purchasing the Large Money Tree from Red Envelope, click here.