Chapter 1 - The Pleasures of Plants

If you didn't already believe that house plants pay for themselves in beauty and in the pleasure you can get from watching them flower and prosper, you wouldn't be reading this book. So we're not going to waste any time or space selling you a proposition you already agree with. What we will do is outline some of .the ways your plants can be used most effectively and efficiently. The rest is up to you.

Choice of Plants for Your Garden

There are literally hundreds of plants that you can grow in your indoor garden and consequently thousands of different ways in which they can be arranged. At the end of the book we have included a rather extensive chart which you can use for quick reference. It enables you to tell pretty much at a glance which plants fit into any given situation. The physical properties of more than a hundred plants are given, as well as some basic information such as how much light each one likes, and the best methods for propagation. The main categories into which they have been divided are flowering plants, bulbs, foliage plants, and cacti and succulents. Many of them have been illustrated to give you a more exact idea of how they look in their living state. Although obviously in the limited space available we can't illustrate every plant, we are firm believers in the philosophy expounded by the wise Chinese gentleman when he said that a single picture was worth a thousand words. Therefore, you will find that throughout the latter part of this book we have relied heavily on pictures and captions to give you the information you need. If you feel inclined to try one of those plants for which there is no picture, it's an easy matter to drop in at your local florist shop, seed house or nursery where they will be glad to supply you with a catalogue picture or, if they have it, the living plant.

Arrangements

Arranging living flowers, like cut-flower arrangement, is always a matter of personal taste there are no rules or restrictions except those imposed by the space available, and the needs of the particular plants you want to use. You can literally fill a room with plants or you can satisfy your urge for an indoor garden by growing a miniature jungle in a terrarium.

Every plant has its preferences as to light, humidity, soil, etc. These are the first factors to take into consideration before you decide what plants or seeds to buy. Analyze the space you plan to utilize. Is it a north window? Do you want a spot of green on the mantelpiece? On an occasional table? In the kitchen? The home you give your plants determines to a great extent which of the many varieties you can use. Some plants need a good deal of direct sunlight, while others will grow and sometimes prosper for years in a spot that is never exposed to direct rays.

A handsome window arrangement

The next most important angle for you to evaluate is climate. Is your home generally humid? Dry? Do you live in a warm moist area, or is the air in your house cool and dry?' Never fear, wherever you are and whatever the conditions, there are plants which, given the proper care, will prosper under your green thumb.

Pots, Boxes and Terrariums

There are, of course, infinite variations and combinations that you can employ in setting up your indoor garden, but basically there are three main approaches to the arrangement of house plants:

1. Individual pots which can be set up and moved about at will.
2. A tray or box arrangement (almost always in a window) in which a number of different plants are grown together.
3. Terrariums (also known as Wardian cases) of which only the smallest or bottle variety are truly mobile.

For the beginner, obviously the easiest arrangement, individual pots, is the best. Here, each plant can be given completely separate attention. The likes and dislikes of the plant can be catered to, and the chances of success are greatest. The arrangement possibilities are limitless. There are any number of holders and shelf arrangements on the market designed to help you arrange your indoor garden to show off to the best advantage. These accessories are discussed in detail in Chapter 2, The Equipment You Need, where they are also illustrated. Suffice it to say that starting an indoor garden in the least ambitious way, with individual pots rather than with a window-box or pan arrangement, is safest, cheapest, and probably in the long run the most satisfying way to begin.

Remember, you are not restricted to displaying your plants in the same places you grow them. If, for instance, you have a sunny kitchen window with a wide shelf an ideal spot for growing plants, but not much of a showcase there is no reason you can't grow them there until they flower and then bring them into the living room. If you can return them to the sunlit window during the day, so much the better. You can set a pot of trailing ivy on either side of your mantle piece, brighten up the dining-room sideboard with two or three philodendron plants. Nothing adds to the charm of a room like plants. A flowering geranium in the guest room makes your home a much more attractive place to visit.

For the more experienced gardener, a really striking display can be made with a tray arrangement, in which a number of different plants are set out together, in individual pots, in one large box or tray. This type of set-up can consist of anything from a specially built box to go under a picture window or on a sun porch to a small garden growing in a baking dish. By grouping plants in a box or tray, you can really achieve some interesting effects, and with deft handling and wise choice of the plants you use, you can make a miniature flower garden which will bloom all year round. There are problems with this kind of arrangement, as we have indicated before. Since all the plants are placed together, they must live under the same physical conditions of sun, humidity and, to a certain extent, water supply. These problems are, of course, not insurmountable since the range of plants that will live together is broad, but a great deal of care is necessary not only in the choice of plants selected but in the handling once the garden is started.

Plants can do so much for a kitchen

The third planting arrangement mentioned, terrariums or Wardian cases, is a completely different approach to house-plant culture, and will be discussed more fully in Chapter 15, Terrariums. Back in the middle of the nineteenth century an English botanist by the name of Nathaniel Ward discovered by mistake that many wood plants will grow and posper with little or no care if kept in a sealed container. Terrariums growing moss, ferns and lichens can provide a woodland in miniature for your home, and almost any glass container can be used, from a fish bowl to a cocktail glass. From the point of view of home decoration, the difficulty with terrariums is that 1) the plants that will grow in them are relatively few, and 2) because they are enclosed they don't add the same kind of color to a room, as do potted plants.

It doesn't matter if you have room for just one or two plants or if you can grow a veritable flower garden indoors the pleasures that come from growing plants are tremendous. And the pleasures are not just your own they are shared by everyone who visits your home and sees them.

Maybe we're prejudiced, but we can't think of a hobby anywhere nearly as rewarding.

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