Not everyone has the chance to own a garden. However, if you have a staircase, a window sill, an entrance, a balcony or a terrace, you can use potted plants to create a green and flowery decor reminiscent of a garden. Growing plants in pots will satisfy both the urban gardener living in an apartment building and the collector of rare or frost-sensitive plants, which can be sheltered during the winter.
Less work, better results
Potted plants will brighten any home and purify your ambient air, but they do require more attention than those grown in the ground. In addition to the actual potting task, you will have to water them and fertilize them more often.
Fortunately, you can save yourself a lot of work and problems by using a common kitchen item: a coffee filter. This is a clever trick we picked up on Apartment Therapy. Contributor Shifrah Combiths recommends placing a coffee filter between the soil and your planter’s drainage hole (at the bottom of the pot). This will reduce maintenance time while contributing to your plants’ health by:
- allowing water, but not dirt, to drain;
- giving plants maximum soil;
- holding moisture;
- enabling you to transplant plants with less mess.
SOURCE: Apartment Therapy
