Skip to main content

Create your perfect home gardenscape with these five houseplant growing tips

Growing plants indoors is a great way to connect with nature indoors. Whether you live in an urban setting with no outdoor space, a cold environment with a short short growing season, or simply love plants, indoor plants bring joy. Houseplants help to clean the air, improve focus, decrease stress, and boost productivity. They soften the atmosphere in a room to make it generally more pleasant. There are plenty of great reasons to grow houseplants, and the best time to start is now. If you’re ready to begin, follow these tips to create a perfect home gardenscape.

houseplants displayed in a bedroom
Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

Choose plants to fit the space

Each type of plant has adapted to grow in specific lighting, from full sunlight to deep shade. They also display particular growth habits, or shapes, such as trees, climbing vines, trailing plants, upright clumps, and shrub forms. These different variables apply to houseplants. For the best results, select plants that require the lighting your space has to offer and that will fit comfortably into the space.

Recommended Videos

Observe the lighting in the areas where you wish to grow houseplants and the amount of available space. A sunny room with south- or west-facing windows that receives six hours of sunlight daily is considered a bright room. Rooms with no natural sunlight, or only north-facing windows, have low light. 

Floor plants are an excellent way to fill empty space.They typically range from 2.5 to 5 feet tall and include tree forms, also called standards, as well as bush forms. Smaller tabletop plants may be bushy or trailing. Display them on plant stands, shelves, end tables, and other open spaces.

Display plants in groups

Large floor plants work well alone, but smaller plants easily become lost in space. Rather than dotting individual small plants throughout the room, create a more impactful garden feel by clustering them in groups of three or five. Try mixing and matching a variety of growth habits, leaf textures, and foliage colors for even more visual interest. In addition to the aesthetic benefit of plant groupings, they also make plant maintenance more efficient since it’s done all in one place.

Pot them correctly

Aesthetics aside, plant pots are first and foremost a replacement for the earth. They must provide adequate resources (water and nutrients) for the plant to survive. New houseplants can either stay in the plastic grower pot they came in or be re-potted into a nicer pot of the same size. Eventually, as the plant grows, it must be re-potted into a larger container. The next size up should be two to four inches larger than the one it’s coming out of, depending on the plant’s growth rate. Planting containers come in endless shapes and sizes, so choose what you like best. Never plant into a container that does not have a drain hole.

Most houseplants, including pothos, philodendron, aglaonema, ficus, palms, ivy, and many others prefer to grow in a moist, well drained growing medium (aka, potting soil, potting mix, or container mix). When time comes to re-pot, choose a sterilized general purpose potting soil to reduce the likelihood of fungus gnat infestation. Some plants, like cacti and orchids, prefer specialty growing media designed for their unique needs. Do not cut corners. Use the appropriate soil for these specialty plants.

colorful houseplant display
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Water wisely

If a plant is growing indoors, in a quality growing medium, and in a properly sized container, it should only need water once a week (or less often).There are several methods to help determine whether or not a plant needs water. Pick up the plant and notice the weight of the pot. If it is noticeably lightweight, it may need water. Push your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If it is dry at that depth, it probably needs water. Or, probe the soil with a moisture meter. The display will tell you if the plant needs water.

The easiest place to water houseplants thoroughly without making a mess is in a kitchen sink. Place the plant in the sink and use the dish spray nozzle with low pressure to deeply water the whole root mass. Then leave the plant in the sink until all excess water drains off. Gardeners who wish to water without chlorine or water purifying chemicals use day-old tap water or collect rainwater for their houseplants.

Isolate plants to control pests

Occasionally pests find their way into houseplants. Fungus gnats live in damp soil and swarm by the dozen when the plant is disturbed. Their young may damage plant roots if the population swells. Aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites attack tender leafy growth and fresh, succulent stems. They insert their mouthparts into the plant tissue to feed on the sap. These and other bugs are relatively harmless in small numbers. But you’ll need to take action to avoid a full-blown infestation.

Isolate the affected plant into an area away from the others, ideally another room. Doing so will minimize the likelihood of the problem spreading. Use yellow fly tape on short stakes to trap fungus gnat adults. For aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites, wipe down the plant with a rubbing alcohol-soaked microfiber cloth. Keep the plant on quarantine for a few weeks as you watch for a resurgence of the population.

Houseplants make a cozy addition to any home. They clean the air, soften the edges, and bring a comforting touch of nature indoors. By choosing appropriate plants for your growing environment and caring for them according to their needs, you can create a beautiful home gardenscape that you’ll love.

Mark Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mark Wolfe is a freelance writer who specializes in garden, landscaping, and home improvement. After two decades in the…
Here are some fun and easy DIY plant wall ideas
Setting up your own DIY plant wall
Hanging planters made of a recycled tire and bucket.

If your home could use some extra greenery, but doesn't have much space to spare, then a DIY plant wall might be just the thing you need. Plant walls come in a lot of sizes and designs, and building one yourself lets you create it to fit your individual space. They’re perfect for sprucing up that wall in your living that you just don’t know what to do with or for creating a privacy screen between you and your neighbors.

If you’re in the business of small deck gardening, vertical plant walls and setups can grow just about anything, from herbs and flowers to fruits and vegetables! Want to get started building your own DIY plant wall?  Here are our recommendations for you!

Read more
What are water globes, and why should you use them for plants?
Tips and tricks for using water globes
An iridescent pink water globe under a holly plant.

Not being able to water your plants doesn’t have to mean instant death for them! Whether you’re going away for vacation or find yourself too busy to consistently water your plants, water globes for plants can be a reliable source of hydration for a few weeks. Plus, there are tons of colorful options, so no matter what your personal aesthetic is you're sure to find one that work for you. How useful are these gardening tools, and are they more effective than other watering methods? We'll answer all your questions and even recommend some of our favorite water globes!

What is a water globe?
The idea of a water globe is straightforward. Essentially, you have a sphere made from glass, plastic, clay, or metal with a long, thin neck. At the end of the neck, you'll find a small opening that slowly dispenses water after you fill up the globe and stick it into your soil. When your soil dries out, air gets into the globe, which pushes a small amount of water out of the stem.
Pros of water globes
Water globes are great if you’re going away for a while or find yourself without much time to tend to your plants. They can usually keep your soil moist for between seven to 14 days. If you’re out of town for a week or two or have a particularly thirsty plant, a water globe can be a quick and relatively affordable solution. It’s especially ideal for water-loving plants such as ferns and calatheas, which appreciate moist soil.
Cons of water globes
There are some matters to consider, of course. A globe can be fragile, especially if you get a glass one. Also, the amount of water dispensed can be variable, depending on how you stick the globe into the soil, the size of the sphere, and your home temperature conditions. While water globes dispense water slowly and don’t waterlog your soil, they aren't the best choice for plants that prefer to fully dry out between waterings, such as cacti and succulents.

Read more
The 4 best window shelves for displaying happy houseplants
Choosing a plant shelf for your window garden
Plant in a window

Those of us who are obsessed with house plants know that the real estate around a window is in high demand for our leafy friends, especially for those of us who adore succulents, cacti, and other plant friends who need extra sunlight. Depending on the number of windows you have and what direction they face, there may not be enough light to go around. This leads to crowded windows and sometimes means we can't grow our collection because we have nowhere to put any more plants.

Investing in a plant shelf is a great solution, but how do you know which is right for you? We've got all the info, including 4 recommendations for you to choose from! Your plant shelf window garden will thrive with these tips and tricks.

Read more