Indoor Garden

Adding houseplants to your home's interior provides color and life. Many species help 'scrub' the air while adding the benefit of a living thing to the home. The sight of a healthy, growing plant gives a lift that can be provided in no other way.

Caring for houseplants needn't be a big burden either. You can select plants that require almost no care at all, just a little bit of water from time to time and the occasional pruning. Many require no fertilizer whatsoever and will thrive in just about any lighting conditions you happen to have.

Rates of growth vary enormously among plant species. You can select one that will change week to week or pick a plant that takes years to grow by any visible amount. If you want to see rapid progress, be prepared to re-pot more often. Some plants can flourish to the point they'll split a clay pot. Others will remain relatively unchanged for years, making them a stable point in your interior design.

You can select plants that thrive at different times of the year as well. Some flowering species grow blossoms very soon after the end of Winter. Others bloom only very late in the Summer. And many are in between. You can select a variety to have color for months on end.

There are a whole range of exotic plants to choose from as well. Carnivorous plants take more care, but they are often admired for their beauty and the stark difference from their more stationary cousins. Not a bad way to naturally clear the air of those pesky flies that always seem to find their way in, either.

There's always a little work involved, though, in taking care of any houseplant.

Many plants are insect and disease resistant, but nearly all will suffer from some sort of problem. Spider mites, aphids and others are easily taken care of though, by simple physical brushing or a mild insecticide.

Poor watering practices kills many more plants than pests, however. Overwatering is one of the most common errors by aspiring indoor gardeners. The surface of the soil looks dry, so we react to keep the plant well watered. But in the eagerness to do well, we can do wrong. Finding out how much water your plant needs and when, and monitoring carefully the actual amount, can eliminate the problem.

Once the basics are mastered, most indoor gardening enthusiasts will want to take the next step by planting from seeds or cuttings. Just a step beyond the skill needed to re-pot, growing your own plant from scratch can be tremendously satisfying.

Selecting quality seeds or the right kind of cuttings will start you off on the right foot. Applying the right kind of fertilizer at the right time will give that new plant the best chance for success. Give it ample light and nature will do the rest.

Houseplants provide beauty and the feeling of life that will enrich any home. Invest a little time learning how to care for your plants and they'll reward you many times over.