Bring Your Home to Life with These Incredible Indoor Garden Ideas
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Plants have a powerful effect on our environment and health. In fact, Peigmont.org states that plants can improve air quality, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. They are enjoyable to tend to, provide alluring aromas to the air and are beautiful to look at. Growing an indoor garden can breathe life into your home and create a sense of calm.
But what type of indoor garden should you grow? I spoke with gardening experts Amber Noyes, horticulturist and executive editor at GardeningChores.com, and Rebecca Sears, CMO and resident green thumb at Ferry-Morse, to get the best ideas for unique indoor gardens and the types of plants to grow indoors for each one.
Whether you live in a spacious house or a small apartment, these indoor garden ideas will make your home feel lush all year round.
4 Inspiring Indoor Garden Ideas with Plant Recommendations
You will not believe the different spaces of your home where plants can live. The kitchen, bedroom, and even your shower can be turned into a plant haven. Check out these expert ideas and plant recommendations to decide which type of indoor garden to grow.
Spice Things Up with a Salsa Garden
It doesn’t matter if you prefer mild or hot ingredients; you can grow a vibrant salsa garden that will add color to your kitchen and the perfect amount of spice to your salsa recipes.
Grab an array of these plants to start your salsa garden:
Tomatoes: Noyes suggests using a small cultivar for small spaces like Micro-Tom, a determinate variety that only grows to about 8 inches tall. Others you can try for small areas are Tiny Tim, Bush Early Girl and Small Fry.
Peppers: “Fresh jalapeño peppers are a must-add if you want to give your salsa some heat. Not all jalapeños have the same spice level, so you can customize the spice of your salsa based on the variety you choose,” Sears informs.
Garlic: This pungent plant is an essential addition to your salsa garden. “You can literally squeeze it in among other plants, because its leaves are long and narrow. For example, you can grow it at the foot of tomatoes, peppers, or even under your basil,” Noyes advises.
Onions: Sears says onions can be grown indoors year-round in containers as long as you grow them in an open and sunny area. You can choose from various types, such as yellow, white, or purple onion.
Cilantro: “This is a critical ingredient for crafting delicious salsa,” Sears advises. “It’s also a great herb for beginner gardeners because it’s very easy to grow both indoors and outdoors, going from seed to harvest in about three weeks,” she says.
Once you have all your favorite salsa garden plant picks, you need to decide what pots you're going to use and how you want to display them.
“You can have your salsa garden in many containers or a single one, but choose a uniform look to give it a sense of continuity. Many pots are easier to manage, in my experience, and you can frame them easily, with an open outer frame or even with a fake stone or a brick wall,” says Noyes.
“But, whichever style and layout you choose for your salsa garden, make sure that the taller plants are at the back and the shorter varieties are at the front, facing a source of light, even if they are all in one container,” she informs.
Noyes suggests using white containers and setting them against some majolica tiles for a Mediterranean feel or using small stones to add coloring and even give it a sunny rock garden feel.
Enhance Your Flavor Palate with an Herb Garden
An herb garden is a great way to add greenery to your home and have tasty fresh herbs on hand. Noyes says you should follow your taste in flavor and fragrance to help you decide which herbs you want to grow.
There are many different types of herbs to choose from for your garden that can add flavor to your dishes or even your evening cup of tea, such as:
Rosemary: You get flavor and fragrance with this powerful shrubby herb. Although it thrives outdoors, it can be grown indoors with adequate lighting and proper care.
Mint: There are various types of mint you can grow in pots, such as peppermint and spearmint. They are aromatic and can be used to make things such as jelly or a calming cup of tea.
Basil: Sears says that basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow because it’s so easy to nurture into a healthy plant, especially indoors. When starting your basil seeds indoors, place them near a south-facing window so that they get full sunlight throughout the day.
Thyme: According to Sears this herb is easy to grow and is a low-maintenance plant. It’s ideal for beginner gardeners or folks who want to add a touch of greenery to their home but don’t have much time to care for more demanding plants.
Oregano: This bold and pungent herb is one of the most versatile herbs to cook with and fairly easy to grow indoors with sufficient light and warm temperatures.
Sears states that you need to place your herbs in areas that provide conditions they thrive in. For instance, since basil enjoys a humid environment, you can place your plants on windowsills in your kitchen to get enough sunlight and take advantage of the conditions that a kitchen is prone to.
“If your space permits and you have ample lighting conditions, try growing your herbs in hanging planters that can double as home décor,” she suggests.
Surround Yourself with a Serene Shower Garden
Turn your bathroom into an oasis with an indoor shower garden. Noyes says the best plants for a shower garden tolerate high humidity and wet soil. Use these plants recommended by the experts to grow in your shower and bathroom:
Ferns: These lovely plants are native to forests and the tropics, which is why they thrive in humid conditions such as the shower. They come in various types and sizes, so you can choose which is best for your shower garden.
Lucky Bamboo: Sears says this plant is actually a type of tropical water lily. Lucky bamboo is known for its ability to grow in water only and in low light conditions, making it an ideal plant to grow in your bathroom or shower.
Orchids: “Some orchids, especially epiphytes like Cattleya and Phalaenopsis, can grow well in hanging baskets in showers, but you need to keep them to the side,” Noyes advises.
Philodendron: If you want to add a rainforest feel to your shower, this plant is for you. There are climbing and non-climbing philodendrons, so you can choose how wild you want your bathroom to be.
Aristolochia gigantea: Noyes says as long as the roots are watered separately (not by your shower water), you could go super exotic and grow this spectacular flower. It is a climber and an insectivorous plant. It’s by far one of the easiest, fastest growing, and least demanding of all.
“The best way to display plants in a shower depends on their size. But in my opinion, for average-sized showers, it is above your head. So, unless you have a large one, you should have a hanging basket or more above the shower head,” says Noyes.
“Choose the hanging basket very carefully, so that it works with the tiles and general décor of your bathroom, and then use your imagination.”
Create a Calm Space with a Bedroom Garden
Your bedroom should make you feel relaxed and ready to rest. Remember, plants reduce stress and promote happiness, and some also help purify the air. Keep in mind that the best plants will require less light. If you choose plants that require a specific amount of direct light, they will need to be displayed close to a window.
So grab these plants to turn your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary:
Snake plants: “These plants can really beautify your bedroom and are very low maintenance. This plant prefers to grow in low light, opting for partial shade or very shady conditions, so don’t feel the need to place it directly by your bedroom window,” Sears informs.
Succulents: Noyes advises choosing a soft succulent, such as a classic like Echeveria, a Jade plant, or Burrow’s tale for an incredible trailing effect. If your bedroom has sufficient lighting you could even add a small cactus, like a Mammillaria to your indoor garden.
ZZ plants: Sears recommends these low-maintenance plants because they grow best in indirect light or low light, which is ideal if your bedroom doesn’t receive a lot of sunlight and you don’t want to add fluorescent grow lights to your space.
Air plants: These unique plants don’t grow in dirt. Noyes says they will give you oxygen at night, and they look lovely either on stones or hanging from the ceiling.
Lavender: Sears says that lavender is an extremely versatile herb that’s known for its sweet floral scent, but it also has air-purifying capabilities. Growing lavender in your bedroom is a great way to aid anxiety or insomnia while improving air quality.
Utilize decorative pots and hanging baskets for your bedroom garden. “Spider plants and ZZ plants look great in hanging baskets and can give your bedroom an essence of nature while making the space even more tranquil. You can also place these plants on a bedside table or dresser, choosing planters of different shapes and colors to complement your existing décor,” says Sears.
“It’s important to know that spider and ZZ plants are toxic to pets, so keep them out of reach from your furry friends if you choose to add them to your home,” she warns. Other types of plants and flowers are also toxic to pets and children, so research plants before adding them to your gardens.
Check the care tags for your plants so you can provide them with proper care to make them flourish. Try one or all of these wonderful indoor garden ideas to make your home feel fresh and alive.