After the Christmas tree finally is removed and all other holiday décor packed up for next year, sometimes a home may seem a bit empty. Or cold. Or just plain boring. That is when the addition of some flowering plants (other than poinsettias!) can make a big difference not only on the appearance of your home, but perhaps more importantly, on your psyche.
During the winter months, a wide range of colorful plants can be found tucked into flower shops, growing in greenhouses, available by mail-order from gardening catalogues, even at places like Home Depot. Some plants, such as the African violet, can be bought just about anywhere, including grocery stores. Others, such as some of the more interesting and rare orchids, must be purchased from a specialty retailer. Prices vary, and although it may be tempting to look for the cheapest plants available, remember that higher prices almost always indicate superior quality, so while your local upscale flower shop may seem expensive, for a long-lived, fresh plant, it is often worth the investment.
Any bright windowsill—it doesn’t require direct sun—offers the opportunity to grow an exciting array of plants, but placing plants directly on a sill may expose them to harmful drafts and nighttime winter cold. A small table, or bench, serves as a better surface on which to display your plants, as it must be set a few inches away from the window’s glass, and also gives you ample room to work with when designing your windowscape. Several specialty companies, such as Smith and Hawken, sell tables made specifically for this purpose. A copper tray table not only makes for an attractive piece of furniture, it can also hold a variety of plants and prevent the common problem of water dripping onto the floor or carpet when providing the moisture plants need to stay healthy.
Think of a windowscape much as you would your landscape outside the home. A window—large or small, multi-paned or not—sets the scene, providing a frame in which to create your designs. Do columns flank a window in your home, just as you might find an arbor framing an area of your garden? What other architectural features define the areas around your windows? Determine these and then use them for inspiration when you draft your plant design.
Once you’ve determined your desired setting, take note of the quality of light that comes through over the course of a day. Do you get early direct morning light and filtered light for the remainder of the day? Does the area remain bright but never see any direct sunlight? Different conditions will play a large part in determining what plants you should choose. However, the plants’ arrangement will also be important. For example, place a plant with a stronger light requirement, such as ivy, closest to the window, and a more shade-loving plant, such as cyclamen, in front of the ivy where it can be protected from direct sunlight.
It is best to stick with around five different types of plants, perhaps less if your area is small, or more if your window is quite sizeable. Grouping similar plants together makes more of an impact than a table full of ten different types of plants that get lost amongst each other. Using multiple pots of the same flowering plant showcases their structure and color variation; combining with a few other types of plants makes for pleasing combinations of texture and form.
After you choose your plant varieties, take some time to consider their containers. Many people prefer the traditional look and simplicity of using all terra-cotta pots. Others like to mix up terra-cotta with ceramic vessels, baskets, metal, and wire containers. All have advantages of their own, and combining different styles often makes for a more visually stimulating design. Using different heights is important, too.
If you can’t find a tall pot, or all of your chosen plants are about the same size, there is something you can do to provide variation in your windowscape. Turn an empty terra-cotta pot upside-down, and place a potted plant on top of it. This will give you height, which is desirable for the back layer of your windowscape (i.e. the area closest to the window). By staggering other plants in front of it, your “trick” will be virtually hidden.
On this page, we show just a few ideas for inspiration, artfully designed by the folks at Ford Flowers. All of these plants are available for purchase at numerous locations throughout the Merrimack Valley, and will bloom for long periods of time with proper placement and care.
TIPS:
1. Some decent flowering and foliage plants may be found at big box stores. To get the best possible quality plants from one of these stores, find out when their regular plant deliveries arrive—plants straight off a truck will likely be healthier and better cared for than those that sit on shelves for a week or more.
2. Different plants prefer different environmental conditions—some like to be kept moist, such as the maidenhair fern, while others, such as the begonia, like to dry out between waterings. Never water cyclamen at the bulb—apply water near the edges of the pot and keep the soil slightly damp. Also, keep cyclamen away from a heat source and direct sunlight.
3. Many plants, especially orchids, do not like to sit in water. Orchids need to be kept warm and enjoy humidity, so a better approach to watering is to mist their foliage bark in which they are planted. This more closely re-creates their habitat in the wild. ALWAYS read the informative tags on plants before purchasing, and ask your local retailer what will work best in your chosen environment.
4. When using terra-cotta pots, remember that because they are made of clay, which is a porous surface, the plant’s soil will dry out more quickly than it will in pots that can’t “breathe.” You’ll need to keep a close eye on watering needs.
Winter Windowscapes
After the Christmas tree finally is removed and all other holiday décor packed up for next year, sometimes a home may seem a bit empty. Or cold. Or just plain boring. That is when the addition of some flowering plants (other than poinsettias!) can make a big difference not only on the appearance of your home, but perhaps more importantly, on your psyche.
Any bright windowsill—it doesn’t require direct sun—offers the opportunity to grow an exciting array of plants, but placing plants directly on a sill may expose them to harmful drafts and nighttime winter cold. A small table, or bench, serves as a better surface on which to display your plants, as it must be set a few inches away from the window’s glass, and also gives you ample room to work with when designing your windowscape. Several specialty companies, such as Smith and Hawken, sell tables made specifically for this purpose. A copper tray table not only makes for an attractive piece of furniture, it can also hold a variety of plants and prevent the common problem of water dripping onto the floor or carpet when providing the moisture plants need to stay healthy.
Think of a windowscape much as you would your landscape outside the home. A window—large or small, multi-paned or not—sets the scene, providing a frame in which to create your designs. Do columns flank a window in your home, just as you might find an arbor framing an area of your garden? What other architectural features define the areas around your windows? Determine these and then use them for inspiration when you draft your plant design.
Once you’ve determined your desired setting, take note of the quality of light that comes through over the course of a day. Do you get early direct morning light and filtered light for the remainder of the day? Does the area remain bright but never see any direct sunlight? Different conditions will play a large part in determining what plants you should choose. However, the plants’ arrangement will also be important. For example, place a plant with a stronger light requirement, such as ivy, closest to the window, and a more shade-loving plant, such as cyclamen, in front of the ivy where it can be protected from direct sunlight.
It is best to stick with around five different types of plants, perhaps less if your area is small, or more if your window is quite sizeable. Grouping similar plants together makes more of an impact than a table full of ten different types of plants that get lost amongst each other. Using multiple pots of the same flowering plant showcases their structure and color variation; combining with a few other types of plants makes for pleasing combinations of texture and form.
After you choose your plant varieties, take some time to consider their containers. Many people prefer the traditional look and simplicity of using all terra-cotta pots. Others like to mix up terra-cotta with ceramic vessels, baskets, metal, and wire containers. All have advantages of their own, and combining different styles often makes for a more visually stimulating design. Using different heights is important, too.
If you can’t find a tall pot, or all of your chosen plants are about the same size, there is something you can do to provide variation in your windowscape. Turn an empty terra-cotta pot upside-down, and place a potted plant on top of it. This will give you height, which is desirable for the back layer of your windowscape (i.e. the area closest to the window). By staggering other plants in front of it, your “trick” will be virtually hidden.
On this page, we show just a few ideas for inspiration, artfully designed by the folks at Ford Flowers. All of these plants are available for purchase at numerous locations throughout the Merrimack Valley, and will bloom for long periods of time with proper placement and care.
TIPS:
2. Different plants prefer different environmental conditions—some like to be kept moist, such as the maidenhair fern, while others, such as the begonia, like to dry out between waterings. Never water cyclamen at the bulb—apply water near the edges of the pot and keep the soil slightly damp. Also, keep cyclamen away from a heat source and direct sunlight.
3. Many plants, especially orchids, do not like to sit in water. Orchids need to be kept warm and enjoy humidity, so a better approach to watering is to mist their foliage bark in which they are planted. This more closely re-creates their habitat in the wild. ALWAYS read the informative tags on plants before purchasing, and ask your local retailer what will work best in your chosen environment.
4. When using terra-cotta pots, remember that because they are made of clay, which is a porous surface, the plant’s soil will dry out more quickly than it will in pots that can’t “breathe.” You’ll need to keep a close eye on watering needs.