50 Simple Indoor Miniature Gardens E-Book

Catherine Delvaux

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 71

Beschreibung

The smallest window sill, the tiniest balcony, or a sliver of space on a bookcase can now be adorned by thriving greenery! This book is the inspiration you need to add decorative greenery to your small living space and contains 50 projects for creating and maintaining a wide variety of charming and low-maintenance mini indoor gardens. Whether you prefer succulents, cacti, greenery, flowering plants, vegetables, or orchids, the chosen plants within these pages are all easy to find at your local garden centers. Like a visual recipe book to modify and create your own mini garden, transform unique items into decorative plant containers, grow inspired with the beautiful photography and helpful tips, and awaken the creative gardener in you!

Leseprobe

Publication managementIsabelle Jeuge-Maynart & Ghislaine Stora

Chief editorCatherine Delprat

Editing and coordinationAgnès Dumoussaud

Graphic designAurore Elie

LayoutJ2Graph/Jacqueline Gensollen-Bloch

ProductionDonia Faiz

English translationUlatus

English edition editingColleen Dorsey

English edition designWendy Reynolds

© 2018 Larousse© 2019 Fox Chapel Publishing

All rights reserved. 50 Simple Indoor Miniature Gardens is an unabridged translation of the 2018 version originally published in French by Larousse under the title Green Déco in France. This version published by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

Cover photo: © GAP Photos/Visions.

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0048-0eISBN 978-1-6076-5726-2

The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Because working with plants and other materials inherently includes the risk of injury and damage, this book cannot guarantee that creating the projects in this book is safe for everyone. For this reason, this book is sold without warranties or guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied, and the publisher and the author disclaim any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages caused in any way by the content of this book or the reader’s use of the tools needed to complete the projects presented here. The publisher and the author urge all readers to thoroughly review each project and to understand the use of all tools before beginning any project.

CONTENTS

THE ESSENTIALS

The keys to successful arrangements

Choosing the right plants to buy

Choosing the right pots and tools

The right soil

Finding the perfect spot

Rules for planting

Daily care

10 essential cacti and succulents

10 essential indoor plants

TERRARIUMS AND KOKEDAMAS

Creating a mini-forest from scratch

Mini-greenhouses

A small echeveria in a jar

A nature corner in your house

Creating a green and white flowerbed

An air plant display

A cupful of greenery

The Mexican desert in a jar

Air plants take flight

Lightweight hanging planters

The perfect kokedama for beginners

Orchid kokedama

Succulent kokedamas

GREEN WALLS

Spring forecast

A daring cactus shelf

Strawberries on every shelf

A little primrose theater

Creating a stunning floral wall

Repurposing vintage objects

A living wall of air plants

A botanical birdhouse

Primroses growing in a sieve

A living wall of lettuce

CREATIVE CONTAINERS

Putting spring in boxes

A “leek”-ing teapot

Breathe in the seaside air

Succulents striking a pose

Lovely lobelias in a row

Strange-looking hermit crabs

Spring comes early

Funny-looking olives

Mineral-enhanced plant

Venture off the beaten path

Ferns, a piece of cake!

Hyacinths are in!

A succulent gift basket

A little taste of summer on your window

Hyacinths in a box

Succulent upholstery

POTS AND PLANTERS

Treat yourself to some springtime sweets

Orange is the new green

A waterfall of green

Traveling to hot climates

In life, there are cacti

A neat manicure for your snake plant

An adorable dry mini-garden

Moss up your décor!

A lovely collection of cacti

Nasturtiums get a makeover

Simply easy succulents

Image credits

About the author

FOREWORD

Green décor is on the rise: the tiniest windowsills are now covered in plant life. Our houses are not far behind: they host original terrariums, mini vegetable gardens, hanging gardens, and unique arrangements. These little green touches in every room of the house and out on terraces and balconies are trendy and refreshing. You can create a small relaxing oasis, stage an indoor garden, or simply display your green creations.

The one thing all these ideas have in common is that they are simple to create and their upkeep is often minimal. Plants are timeless, making them a virtual guarantee of success no matter your personal style. All the different plants presented in this book can be easily found in large garden centers, and many can be acquired from local fellow gardeners (sedum rosettes, different echeveria species, cuttings of spider plant, discarded strawberry plants, a piece of helxine divided from a large clump...).

Plant containers, on the other hand, are undergoing a revolution: long gone is the age of the basic terracotta pot. We can recycle, repair, transform, and repurpose run-of-the-mill objects to create new and interesting homes for plants. Anything is possible—all you have to do is imagine it! Whether you prefer cacti, succulents, vegetables, green plants, or flowering plants, these 50 inspirational arrangements, quirky and totally contemporary, will awaken the creative gardener inside you.

THE ESSENTIALS

The arrangements that are presented to you in this book are only guidelines; you don’t need to follow the instructions to the letter. If you can’t find the exact species or variety, it doesn’t matter. Just stick to the major plant categories: replace one cactus with another, one air plant with another (if necessary, ask a salesperson for advice). Most similar plants’ needs are exactly the same, and they will grow in the same way.

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL ARRANGEMENTS

THE ARRANGEMENTS PRESENTED HERE VARY SIGNIFICANTLY. SOME NEED TO BE SET UP OUTSIDE, IN THE GARDEN, ON A BALCONY OR TERRACE, OR EVEN ON YOUR WINDOWSILL. OTHERS SHOULD ONLY BE SET UP INSIDE. STILL OTHERS SHOULD BE KEPT INSIDE DURING WINTER AND MOVED OUTSIDE IN SUMMER.

Outdoor planters

Winter or early spring plants (pansies, bulbs, primroses, etc.) are available very early in garden centers. They have been grown in greenhouses: if you plant them outside without any transition period and it's cold, they will not survive. But they should not be kept inside where it is too warm and dry. The best thing to do is to place them against the house, where they will be sheltered and kept warmer. If at night the temperature drops below freezing, you should bring them inside in the basement or garage and put them back out the next day. It's a little bit frustrating at the beginning, but it's the only way to keep them alive and see them bloom over time.

For summer plants (pelargoniums, petunias, verbenias, lobelias, etc.), wait until after the temperatures consistently stay above freezing before placing them outside. This is usally by mid-May, but you should know the climate where you live to make sure there is no longer any risk of freezing, even at night.

Follow this useful advice:

• Do not plant seasonal plants too far apart, as they bloom quickly and do not last long.

• Pay attention to the weight of your larger planters. Make lighter soil blends by replacing one third of the soil with vermiculite. This way you can reduce the total weight by about one third.

Potted plants on windowsills

Use common sense when deciding placement.

• Make sure that the base of the pot is not wider than the windowsill.

• Make sure the pots can’t tip over.

• Check that the pots do not prevent the shutters from closing.

• Make sure that you can easily reach the pots to water and take care of them.

• Avoid planters less than 6" (15cm) in diameter, as you will have to water them more often due to a lack of soil.

• Avoid plants that grow too tall or too wide. They will quickly stifle the other plants and block the light inside the house.

Indoor arrangements

The rules are more or less the same as for outdoor pots, with some additional constraints.

• Place large plates underneath the pots so as not to wet the floor or furniture.

• Do not place pots in heavily trafficked walkways, as the foliage will get damaged.

Hanging plants

Pay close attention to the following points.

• Make sure that the wires are strong enough to support the weight. Keep in mind that wet soil weighs up to a third more than dry soil.

• Don’t place hanging plants in drafty or windy areas.

• Make sure that you can easily reach the arrangements to water them.

Terrariums