For us city dwellers, garden space can be at a premium. There’s lots of little ways, though, to bring in some green indoors. Whether you are a chai lover or not, how about a teacup or three on a ledge? I love the look of these concrete teacup planters (above).
Teacups by the virtue of their size are perfect for small plants like succulents.
This would look great in any room!
Or DIY a simple one with your favourite illustration
Have you tried a teacup garden?
Whether you have a green thumb or plants die the moment they step into your house, a dash of these cute planters might help revive the gardening bug. Can’t afford these? How about DIY-ing a simple version at home?
and recycled plastic drink bottles into this lovely pair…
I love my plants very much even if I’m lousy at keeping my flowers alive. I was so delighted, therefore, to come across the ‘Urban Jungle Bloggers’ started by Igor of Happy Interior Blog and Judith of Joelix. I’m excited to be participating and hope this is motivation enough to blog more regularly.
This month’s theme is ‘Watering your houseplants’ and really, in July, we have an abundance of water out here in India with the monsoon in full swing. The rain beats down on my little row of greens in the verandah. I don’t have to worry about watering them, perhaps until September unless a dry spell comes by. I brought some of our taller crotons and palms off the ledge and onto the verandah because they were in danger of toppling over in the strong winds. These I have to keep an eye on, watering when they’ve dried out. Because of the moisture content this could be once or twice a week. The plants inside stay damp longer, funnily, while the ones on the ledge dry up between rain showers.
The crotons that I brought back from my grandmother’s house in May are finally sprouting tiny little leaves. Who knew such a miniscule spot of green could give me such incredible joy? My heart bursts will happiness every time I see one more new shoot on a twig that looks pretty dead to me. Never give up on a plant, they say and I’m glad I saved all of these.
Are you an #urbanjungleblogger? Do you have a watering schedule for the monsoons?
If there’s one thing Justina Blakeney knows, it is colour. Look at this patio makeover! From a neglected outdoor space with a vegetable “cemetery”, this has now been transformed into a lush, welcoming space. I love the bright colours and that plant stand is yum! I’m also inspired by those two-coloured pots – time to give mine a makeover!
See more of this transformation here. What are you inspired by?
Images via Home Depot Blog
This gorgeous cobalt blue Jardin Majorelle, created by French painter Louis Majorelle and where the ashes of Yves Saint Laurent are scattered . More here.
One of my favourite gardening blogs is Gardenista. I enjoy their updates and before-and-after style posts are especially entertaining (maybe because they give me hope of a better ‘after’ for my own little balcony garden?).
My favourite? This little backyard in Brooklyn, once a dusty, overgrown space, now transformed into a colourful retreat with a little seating area.
See more here.
I’m going LUSH.
No more scraggly plants and worn-out leaves.I want giant bunches of hardy ferns…
There will be shiny leaves, healthy plants in every pot…
I’m not sure my family would approve of such big plants indoors, but given half a chance (and no opposition) I think our old house with its tall ceilings would do very well with such new friends…
and I’m going to get more of my paints and canvases out…
and decorate the bathroom with something quirky and unexpected.
Those are my ambitious plans for July. What about you?
Hello everybody from sunny London! We’re so glad to be back here after five long years, our first trip back since we relocated to India.
Right now the sun has been out everyday and while it is still a little chilly, the weather could not have been lovelier.
This is our first trip with our four year old and we’re doing the rounds of dinosaurs, parks and zoos. And of course, MAJOR plans to visit Thomas the Tank Engine as well!
We’re renting a house for our little stay and it is such a pleasure to wake up to a quiet street, a back garden filled with magnolia flowers and the occasional visitor – magpies, robins and a beautiful red fox.
Catch up with you soon!
I’ve been loving the look of these black planters that have been popping up everywhere lately. I’ve got a tin of chalkboard paint that might be good for experimenting. These look lovely with a vibrant green or contrasting colourful plant in it.
Do you have a black planter in your home? I’d love to see it!
Pinterest isn’t always about gazing dreamily at beautifully styled photos (although that comes in handy when a deadline is looming). The site can be terribly useful too. One of my favourite things to pin is plants and green ideas for small spaces. Our ‘garden’ is a long stretch of our verandah that is home to a dozen plants or so. I love having plants around me in the house, too, but with not much light indoors, this can get tricky. I’m always looking for ideas to improve my little green space. Here’s what I’m come across lately on Pinterest.
Top fragrant house plants (via)
For brown thumbs, a helpful guide (via)
Handy plant identification guide (via)
Clean your plants! Some simple tips here, via
Lots more ideas on Pinterest, of course. Take a look, planties!
