Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Window Garden - Color Options For The House

With the white snow and grey skies of winter, a nature lover can become depressed. Placing houseplants in a window garden are a great remedy to these winter blues. Hanging plants are great options for the window gardens because they save space. You will need to install a plant hook for each hanging plant. Spider plants, Boston ferns, and Chenille plants are some examples of plants that work well hanging. Instead of keeping the plants in the plastic containers you bought them in, you should plant them into bigger, decorative, and stronger pots. The plants will look nicer and be healthier. It can be difficult to choose which windowsill plants to choose. If you won t have much time to care for the plants, some good choices are African violets, peace lilies, and ivy. There are many varieties of each of these as well. You can choose those based on color and personal taste. If you want a bit more control over when your plants bloom, you can use bulbs. You can force the bulbs to sprout earlier in the spring to add color to your home sooner. Forcing is done by chilling the bulbs for a few months in a refrigerator. Four to Six weeks after planting the bulbs, with proper watering, the plants will sprout. If you are looking for an exotic look, orchids are a great option. Don t be scared off by their reputation of being tough to grow. They are actually quite easy to take care of. The Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, and cattleya orchids are a few of the simplest varieties to grow. With the Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilum varieties, it is easy to get the bold flowers to rebloom. It is a bit more difficult to sustain the small flowers of the Cattleya, however. You will need a clay pot, a tray, and pebbles for your orchids. The orchid should be planted in a fresh potting mix in the clay pot. You then need to run warm temperature water over the orchid for two minutes. You should allow it to drain fully because standing water often kills orchids. Cover the bottom of the tray with pebbles and place it on the window sill. The orchid can then be put on the tray. Check the potting mix once per week to see if it is dry. If so, water it as described earlier in this paragraph. If even the simple plants to care for are too much for you, growing plants in a terrarium will definitely work for you. There is pretty much no way to go wrong. To make a terrarium, you need a container with a lid, sand, potting soil, and some tropical plants or ferns. The bottom of the container should be filled with three inches of sand. A few inches of soil should be poured on top of that. Dig out an area in the soil for each plant. Place the plants in the terrarium and fill in the hollow areas with more potting soil. Moisten the soil with a few tablespoons of water. You will never have to water the terrarium again. Put the lid on the container and place it somewhere out of direct sunlight. The terrarium will create it s own moisture to water the plants. If too much condensation is developing, simply open the lid a bit to let it breathe some. Caring for house plants and getting them to grow during the winter will help liven up the spirit of your home by adding some life and color. There is more to learn on the subject of caring for house plants . Why not learn from our years of experience visit http://www.plant-care.com

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