So you want to add a little green to your life indoors. Great idea! Houseplants brighten up just about any room in your home, and they’re literally a breath of fresh air!
But hold your horses…don’t just run out and grab the first plant you see. The area you’re “greening up” inside your home may be smaller than your back yard, but gardening indoors is a lot like gardening outside: The first rule of green thumb is to put the right plant in the right place. The easiest way to do this is to figure out where you want to put a plant or two in your home, then observe those spots to see out how much light they get. Every home has naturally light areas (think near windows and under skylights) and naturally dark ones (think bathrooms and some bedrooms). Once you know how much light a particular spot gets, you can match it to the types of plants that’ll grow under those conditions. The next step is to determine how big you want your plants to be. Are you looking for a large floor plant or something that’ll just sit on a windowsill? Then head out to the garden center or your local plant supplier and check out your options. You’ll find interior selections with low-, medium- and high-light requirements. Ignore the ones that won’t work for the particular space you’re looking to fill – no matter how pretty those other plants may be. (Remember, a pretty plant put under the wrong lighting conditions won’t stay so pretty for long.)
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