A terrarium for me!

My wonderful friend Riyaz gifted me an amazing gift!  "How did you know!" I said as he gave it to me, as if I hand't stopped talking about terrariums for the last month. I was so excited to finally have a terrarium that I didn't notice how bad it looked. Apparently he had tipped it over when driving home.

So today I took the terrarium to its birthplace Midnight Blossom Floral Design in Ballard. If you are ever looking for a cool date idea this place is where you should go. You can build your own terrarium step by step. They sell all kinds of glass bowls and containers and a wide variety of soil, stones, sand and succulent plants. Mine has a cool lotus pod and some interesting looking shells in it. Anyways the woman at the shop fixed up my terrarium and made it beautiful again. Im thinking of trying to find a unique small figurine to place inside of the terrarium.

Below are some detailed pictures of my terrarium as well as some pictures of the shop it came from.
Thats all for now,
The Indoor Gardener

Windowsill Herb Garden

Today I was given a really cool windowsill herb garden as a gift. It came with a pot and 5 different seed packets and some dehydrated soil. There was no instructions, so I thought I would put the soil in a bowl of water. The soil more than doubled in size once I hydrated it! So I filled the pot with soil and and put a different herb seed in each opening. Im excited to see if it works.

Had to post this

Contain Me.

I have been seeing some really cool ideas for planters and pots. I really like the idea of taking something that is not usually associated with gardening and turning it into a planter. I have come across some pretty unique designs lately and wanted to share some of my favorite with you.
The Indoor Gardener

Vivarium Terrarium

Today I want to focus on terrariums, which can also be called Vivariums. I have wanted to get into terrariums for a long time, I don't mean climb into one. The definition of a terrarium is a miniature landscape with living things, it is like a mini ecosystem. Some people put lizards and frogs in terrariums, but I am just interested int the plants themselves.

The great thing about them is that they require little to no upkeep. There are two types of terrariums, dry and wet. Usually wet terrariums are completely closed to create lots of moisture. I am planning on making a terrarium soon and think that I would like to make a dry one. The coolest thing about building a terrarium is finding a container to place it in. I have seen some really great ones. I  have shown some really cool and unique ones below. A good foundation for a dry terrarium is small stones or sand, and for a wet one soil is best. Succulents, ferns, and moss are the best plants to add to your terrarium and some people add miniature figures. I have wanted to make a lightbulb terrarium for a while and I am gathering my supplies to make one soon. Here is a really cool link of a step by step guide on how to make a lightbulb terrarium.
Thats all for now.
The Indoor Gardener.

Coming soon...

There will be a new post tonight, I promise! For now get inspired by the images below and see what I have been thinkin about lately.

 

Back to work

I started my new job yesterday so I will be taking a bit of time in between posts from now on. However I wanted to check in quickly and see if anyone had accepted the challenge and had bought a new indoor plant? I was downtown this weekend and found some great inspiration of a project I would like to do soon. At a few furniture stores I saw a recurring theme of indoor terrariums, which looked great!

I have attached a few pictures below of what I saw. I would like to do a similar thing and will be doing some research to see what tips people have. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it.

Thats all for now.

The Indoor Gardener

Orchidaceae

Short post today.
We had some friends come and visit from out of town yesterday and they gave us a wonderful gift. They gave us an Orchid! I have heard that Orchids are very easy to kill and can be pretty difficult to care for. I need some tips if anyone has some. I heard you feed it an ice cube once a week?
Anyways, that's all for now.
The Indoor Gardener.

Looks good, tastes good

Some of the most popular plants that people grow indoors are herbs. Growing an indoor herb garden is very easy, and tasty! All that you need is a sunny window sill. There are two ways you can grow herbs successfully indoors. You can plant seeds in a small pot with some soil and place that pot on a window sill that gets at least six hours of sunlight a day. If you don't think you have a window sill that receives at least six hours of sunlight there is still hope. Many people use grow lights which can be purchased for a small cost and can be used instead of direct sunlight. The lights which are used are either LED or fluorescent. I have included some images below of examples of this.

Another fairly easy method for  people who don't want to wait for seeds to grow is to go out and buy a rather large pot that should have a hole in the bottom. You could place some crushed stones in the bottom for better drainage. Don't forget to put a plastic tray under the pot. Next step is to buy some small herb plants from your local nursery. You should buy a variety. Lastly, plant all of the herbs in the large pot. You should fill it with soil and leave 3 inches at the top. Then just put it in a nice sunny place and water when it looks like it needs it. When you want to use the herbs you should cut from the top first, not the sides.

A new popular method for growing herbs indoors is by using soil-less set up that uses liquid nourishment and grow lights. The most popular and effective product would be the AeroGarden. The AeroGarden works by purchasing seed pods which include lettuce, cherry tomatoes, herbs, chili peppers, and edible flowers. It comes in a few different sizes and colors and in my opinion is great for urban dwellers. I have included some pictures below.
That's all for now.
The Indoor Gardener

Information gathered from:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/indoor-herbs-growing-guide
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-a-o-35198
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/how-to-grow-your-own-indoor-herb-garden.htm

Why don't you join me?

Today I think that I will talk about the best plants to grow indoors. After you have read this, it would be cool if you all chose now of the plants that I list below and go out and buy one. Let me know what you chose and send me a picture. I can post the pictures in a few days so that everyone can see. 

The reason these plants are considered suitable for indoors is because they are low maintenance and hardy. They are all easy to care for in our busy lives and will improve the air quality of your home. There is a wide variety of suitable plants that can be grown indoors, but I am going to focus on eight of them.  The information below comes from TLC's website which I linked at the bottom. If you would like to see a much larger list of plants that will do well indoors check out this list of Suitable Plants for Indoor Gardening.
Good luck!
The Indoor Gardener


1. Jade plant, (also called Money Tree), is a beautiful succulent that requires very little water (it can go all together without agua for up to a month). It is tolerant of a little shade, but will do better if placed next to a window. If grown under particular conditions, Jade plant may produce small white or pink leaves.

2. Peace lily: winning the award for the most elegant, the Peace lily has white flowers with long, dark leaves, and does not require too much sun; yellowish leaves may indicate that the plant is receiving more sunlight than it needs. The plant may do best if placed within 6 to 8 feet of a window. If the leaves begin to droop, it may need more water; make sure the soil dries out between waterings.

3. African Violet: this striking plant is a popular houseplant, and is one of the easiest flowering-plants to maintain. When watering African Violet, Plant-care.com suggests using a long-spouted watering can to get to the soil and avoid getting cold water on the flower petals. They also suggest using room-temperature or warmer water.

4. Philodendron have heart-shaped leaves and are hearty plants. They will do well next to a window, but they can withstand neglect and low levels of sunlight.

5. Zebra Plant: although the Zebra Plant probably would not do well in my cave-like bedroom, it's a beautiful plant if you have a good window to supply it with bright, indirect light. Mist the plant once or twice a week, and if the leaves start to droop, add a little more water.

6. Lucky Bamboo: according to Feng Shui, Lucky Bamboo brings peace, strength, and luck to the homes it inhabits. Additionally, it is one of the easiest plants to maintain! Change the water once every two weeks and leave in a place with medium exposure to indirect sunlight. If the leaves turn yellow or brown, it may be getting too much sun.

7. Cast iron plant can thrive in deep to moderate shade, and (hence the name) can last forever in seemingly adverse conditions. With its hearty reputation, this is the plant I will adopt in my bedroom.

8. Mother-in-law's Tongue converts CO2 at night (so it is suggested that it be placed in a bedroom), and removes toxins in the home. It prefers sun, but it is a very forgiving plant and will tolerate shade. Let the soil dry between waterings, and err on the side of underwatering.

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/8-best-plants-to-grow-indoors.htm

Bonsai!!!!

Today I thought I would talk about my bonsai trees. 
Last week was my birthday and my wonderful wife decided to get me a bonsai, it was a Juniperus procumbens also known as a Juniper Bonsai . Apparently I had been annoying everyone around me with all of my talk of wanting a bonsai. Anyways, I opened the bonsai which was bought online and the pot was cracked down the middle, shame. I managed to glue it back together but my wife called the place she got it from and they said they would send a new one and that she should just throw this one away. Throw it away! who would do such a thing? So long story short I now have two Juniper Bonsai trees. 

I was so excited to start caring for my bonsai trees and had picked out a nice spot for them in our place. I started doing all kinds of research online and found out that you can't actually keep bonsai trees indoors. The only types of bonsai trees that can survive indoors are jade or ficus bonsai trees and technically they aren't even considered to be true bonsai trees. Anyways, almost everywhere I looked someone was asking the same question as me, "can I keep a juniper bonsai indoors?" and the answer was always no. I discovered that juniper bonsais need a dormant period which can only occur if it is living outside. It is possible to keep a bonsai inside, however it needs to be in a cold room and have lots of light. 

Some general information about caring for your juniper bonsai are that you should pay close attention to watering. There should never be too much or too little. One technique that I thought was cool says that you should place the pot in the sink and to fill the sink up until it is an inch or two deep and to let the water absorb from the holes in the bottom of the pot. The bonsai leaves need humidity to keep green and healthy, so it is important to mist them regularly too. I will talk about fertilizing in the spring when I start fertilizing my trees. I need to do some research before then.

I plant to start training my trees in the spring when I will pinch and shape the branches to create a more bonsai styled look. I have included some images below of what I consider to be good examples of this, also I just wanted to show so cool looking bonsai trees. Like I have said before I am no expert on this topic, I am just passionate and excited about it. That being said, I would love some advice on this topic if anyone has any to give.
That's all for now.
The Indoor Gardener