08 May Garden Spot: Indoor or Out

Spring is a fantastic time to dig in the soil and plant some flowers. If you don’t have much space or time, not to worry, try planting a container garden. It’s a simple and compact way to add splashes of color to a patio, deck, or front step.

Tips:

Pick out a container that fits the location you’ve set aside for your “garden” and make sure it has a drainage hole.

Select a recipe of plants with different heights, colors and textures.

Annuals are great for adding instant color and many bloom throughout the summer.

Choose your plants based on sun exposure. For shady areas, try using coleus, impatiens and begonias. Petunias and geraniums thrive in the sun.

You’ll also need potting soil and water. Contact your local nursery for more ideas about plants that will work for your climate and sun exposure.

While the summertime allows us to enjoy planting outdoors, don’t forget that you can also enjoy plants on the inside all year long. Besides, brightening up a room, houseplants help clean your indoor air which is known to be far more polluted than the air outside. They can filter out certain pollutants from chemicals found in carpeting, house hold cleaners, furniture, glue, paint, plastics and more.

Here’s a list of great plants that help improve indoor air quality:

Spider plant – a hardy plant for those without much gardening experience

Aloe – perfect for the kitchen sun

Azalea – do really well in cooler temps such as your basement

Bamboo palm – likes the shady places

Chrysanthemum – full of color and enjoys a sunny spot

Peace lily – lovely when it blossoms, likes shade and regular watering

Snake plant – thrives in humid, low light spots such as a bathroom

Still stuck on where to put plants inside? Put the most plants in the rooms you use the most.  Happy planting, inside or out!