Love gardening but do not have a spacious backyard or a lawn? Don’t worry! You can have a soothing and stunning garden in your city home too.
It’s true most city homes do not have enough space to accommodate a garden. Even in spacious apartments, people would rather keep every space for their daily living purpose rather than devote it to plants. But the fact remains that green plants are beneficial in various ways: from providing oxygen and pure air to lending a positive aura around you. They also serve as an appealing décor.
Creative Home Gardening Ideas You’ll Love to Try
So, how to create an incredible home garden in small spaces with minimal efforts? Here are 7 ideas through which you can transform even tiny corners into a delightful garden.
1. A living wall in your home
When floor space is limited, go up! Convert an existing wall into a green wall.
You can either attach a frame on a solid wall or build a stand-alone frame. Go DIY or get a professional designer to help you with a green wall. The structure is filled with the growing medium first, and then the planting begins. You can choose self-watering systems for the green wall if you do not wish to water the wall daily.
A vertical garden can also be a partition space if you so wish. Another way you can use a vertical garden is to block off windows which do not have a good view.
Green walls are superb alternatives to floor-standing pots. All you have to do is choose suitable plants. The ones with small roots work best for green walls.
Money Plant is a great option that can thrive on green walls. You can also plant ferns, bromeliads, spider lily, ferns or even small flowering plants. Choose a mix of flowering and non-flowering species to add contrast to the wall.
2. One pot, many plants
These days, the trend of planting several plants in a single pot is gaining popularity, as there are multiple advantages to the system.
You can create your plant bouquet with different coloured flowering plants.
It saves you space.
You can also grow different vegetables or herbs in a single pot.
You can either take wide containers or narrow ones, depending upon the space available and the number of plants. You can use up to 4 plants in a 12-inch pot, up to 8 plants in 16 to 20-inch wide pot and so on. If you are a beginner in gardening, use less number of plants to manage the plants better.
The process is simple. Take the pot and make drainage holes in it. Add the potting soil and start planting. Leave at least half an inch space between each plant. Keep the same space between the edge of the soil and the edge of the pot.
If the pot you are using is round or square-shaped, plant them in an equilateral triangular form, but for a rectangular-shaped container, a row form would suit better.
3. A garden in a bottle
Using recycled bottles for a vertical garden is much popular. Even offices use such gardens to rejuvenate their environment. When you use used plastic bottles, you are also helping the planet. The only care to take is to use thick plastic bottles. So, mineral water bottles are a no.
Hang them vertically or horizontally, your bottle garden will be as attractive and space-saving. You can also grow spices, herbs or microgreens in your bottle garden. You can either hang them against a wall or from your balcony railing. Cut out the side, fill with soil and start planting. You can also colour the bottles if you want your garden to look more vibrant.
4. Convert your shoe organiser into a plant organiser
It is one of the simplest and fastest ways to grow plants in space-starved city apartments. Hang a shoe organiser on a wall or against a railing, add some soil and compost and start planting. You can grow flowers, microgreens, or herbs in the pouches. Ensure the plants get enough sunlight. With little efforts and less time, you can create a beautiful and appealing garden in the simple shoe organiser. Try it now!
5. Adorn your windows with a small garden
Even if you have no balcony or any spare space fit to plant a garden, you have a window, right? You can create your DIY box to fit on a window and use it to plant flowers, herbs or any other plant. Plant some daisies or jasmine or an orchid to add beautiful colours to your home. When you stand at your window, especially in city homes, what you often see is other windows, but when you have a window box garden, you can enjoy some ‘me time’ looking at the beautiful flowers and greens you have planted. Feels refreshing already?
6. Wooden pallets or crates make wonderful gardens
You can either buy wooden pallets or use the old crates at home. You can also ask your local market for old crates. They are absolutely perfect for a vertical garden in a city home. Once you get the crate or pallet, make sure you scrub it down and clean it well. Use an organic bleach if need be. Dry the pallet and then use it to plant. You can also colour it if you wish. Attach your pots to the pallets or crates using a strong holder.
7. Mason jar, old furniture or plastic dabbas - Go creative
Create your garden with any item you have at your disposal. Design them with your creativity and lo! You have super attractive planters. Mason jars are popular options worldwide to plant herbs in homes. You can hang them in your kitchen and use fresh herbs daily for cooking. Mason jars can also be used for planting pretty flowers.
If you have plastic containers, colour them using acrylic colours to add a new look to them. You can also use old ceramic jars, pots or even teapots to plant. Place them in a ladder or open shelves on a wall or your window grill, and you will have a rejuvenating garden all to yourself.
Do you have an old chest of drawers or a standing shelf which you badly want to discard? Try this before you throw them out. Scrub them well, add a dash of paint (you can look at spray paint bottles for DIY projects from your paint store), or you can leave them as it is, and you have beautiful space-saving planters. Poke a few drainage holes in them, add compost and soil, and plant your favourite flowers or herbs.
No matter how much space you have in your home, creating a small garden is always on the cards. You can try these ideas and make your surroundings greener and fresher. Either try DIY methods, or you can seek the help of an expert who can give you umpteen creative ideas to transform nooks or tiny spaces of your home into an oasis.