Indoor Gardening
Indoor gardening refers to beautifying the areas inside the house with plants. Unlike outdoor gardening, the house plants are grown generally in containers made of earthen pots, ceramic pots or any container of cheap cost. In some places, the plants are grown on ‘totum pole’ which is a support covered with sphangnum moss.
Big sized bottles with, narrow mouth are also sometimes used to grow the house plants and this technique is popularly known as ‘Terrarium’.
Shade loving plants are generally preferred as house plants. The pots should be raised off the ground and placed on neatly arranged and concealed bricks or on wooden panels. The indoor garden can be established in the following zones of the houses:
1. Open Zone:
This is available in roof terraces. This zone is very warm especially during summer in inland plains. Plants like Agave and Catci, which can tolerate reflected heat, can be selected for the above purpose.
2. Shade of a Tree in Front of a House:
Such places near the eastern side of the building may be considered for growing certain house plants which can easily come up under shade. Most of the foliage plants like Crotons, Graptophylium, Eraisthemum, Dracasnca, Asparagus are preferred as potted plants in the area.
3. Varsndah of a House:
This area normally gets only diffused light and the air movement is also good. The plants best suited for growing in verandahs are palms such as Li vision ia, Thrinax, Caryota, Areca tubscens, Ferns and Begonias etc.
4. Living Room, Drawing Room etc:
In these places, we can keep the plants either near the window or away from it. Near a window plants with brighter foliage and occasionally herbaceous flowering plants are preferred, while plants with dropping foliage like Zebrina, Sedum, Mesembranthemum are preferred in the former cases.
The house plants may be arranged in symmetrical or asymmetrical style, but care must be taken to avoid over crowding. The important plants which are preferred as indoor plants are given below:
a)Foliage Plants :
Dieffenbachias, Philodendron, Aglaoenoma, Monstora, Anthurium, Colocasia, Caladium, Aloccasia, Maranta, Aralia, Panax, Helicorrium, Begonia, Asparagus and all kinds of ferns.
b) Flowering Plants:
Ixora, Graptophylium, Hibiscus, Eranthemum, Nerium, Zerbrina etc.