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 Do
you have them? And if not, why not? Living plants are good for the
air quality, beautiful the home, and can even supplement your diet
with fresh grown herbs and such. So, let’s get you started.
The first suggestion is to do your research! Many live plants and
herbs need different care, sunlight, and watering when inside as
opposed to outside. If you are new to taking care of plants, go
online, to the library, or check with your local greenhouse to get
specific information regarding the plants you already have growing
outside, that you want to bring in for the winter, or that you want
to start to grow inside.
Indoor gardening
There are eight common plants that you can grow outside and during
the winter months bring inside and use. However, there are a few
important points to consider before making your choice. The first
thing to consider is what is the size of your windowsill and what is
the shape? You may have a plant with very shallow roots, and it may
be a perfect place for a slender, shallow tray or planter. Whereas,
you may have a very deep windowsill or ledge where you can have a
bigger planter. If you do not have a windowsill per say, you can
always move a small table in front of the window to hold a variety
of sized planters for that natural sunlight. You also need to pay
attention to which plants need direct sunlight and for how many
hours per day. This should lead you to pay attention to which
windows have the most sunlight and if it is direct sunlight and for
how many hours per day.
Another item to consider is the temperature during the day and night
on your windowsill. Temperatures can vary dramatically depending on
the amount of sun coming in, wind against that window and the
temperature you keep in that particular room. Therefore, it is best
to determine the best location of that houseplant or herb based on
each one individually.
Plants that you need to consider bringing indoors
from your flower bed are:
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Tropical and subtropical plants - These plants are not as hardy
and cannot survive freezing temperatures and snow. Plan to bring
these indoor, but make sure you check thoroughly for bugs before
doing so.
-
Annual plants – You can bring annual plants in but put them into
compost. Some annuals are as expensive as perennials, so to
preserve from year to year, plan to move them inside.
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Perennials - There are some perennials that are extremely cold
sensitive such as Hibiscus, Impatient and Coleus. For these
plants if your area frequently dips below 60-65 degrees, you
should consider bringing them in for the winter.
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Young Trees – Trees are expensive, and some are finicky
especially during freezing temps. Plan ahead and talk to your
greenhouse about the best way to keep your young tree healthy
during the winter months and the best time and way to plant it
back in the yard.
Windowsill Garden
If you are interested in herbs or smaller house plants, they are an
excellent choice for your windowsill all year round. Herbs such as
thyme, lemon thyme, sage, oregano, basil, chamomile, lavender, lemon
balm, mint, parsley, and chives are all great starters. You can
learn to use these fresh herbs in casseroles, meats and with
vegetable dishes all year round while saving money.
A wise tip for beginners is to start small. Pick 2-3 different
plants so you can learn and grow as your plant does. Make sure you
label each plant or herb and pay attention to the watering,
sunlight, and soil that plant or herb best grows in. When starting
out you will also want to choose plants or herbs that do not get too
wide or tall to contain the growth. Make sure you set up a schedule
to water (usually 2-3 times a week) and have adequate draining holes
to avoid overwatering and the drowning of the herb roots, because
the biggest reason for demise in plants and herbs is overwatering
during the winter.
You will need to snip your plants to encourage growth, but not more
than 1/3 of the plants foliage, but follow your specific plants
instruction. If you cannot get ahold of any live plants, using a
hydro garden and seeds is a fast way to grow your plants.
Here is a listing of the eight most recommended house
plants:
Missionary Plant – This is a low-growing plant with
attractive, fleshy leaves which is perfect for a windowsill. This
plant needs to be in a bright location but not in direct sunlight.
Polly – This plant thrives in a bright, warm condition with
high levels of humidity, such as a bathroom.
Succulents – Most any succulents such as
aloes, agaves, echeverias and crassula’s are perfect windowsill
companions. They need full sun and little water.
Cacti - Much like succulents are perfect for windowsills.
Just make sure you plant them in a porous terracotta container with
gritty compost for adequate drainage and to reduce the chance of
rotting.
Monstera Obliqua – Is a smaller version of Monstera deliciosa
(plant with holes). This will still get semi-large and grow over the
edges of the container. This plant grows best out of direct sunlight
and in a humid environment.
Streptocarpus – Native to South Africa, they thrive better in
low light or dappled shade. A north or west-facing windowsill is
most desirable.
Venus Fly Trap – This plant needs a sunny
windowsill with humid conditions to mimic it’s native subtropical
habitat. A bathroom location would be best in a planter that has
peat-free ericaceous compost and water with rainwater only.
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Beware of these plants!
With that being said if you are a household that has children,
visiting children or any pets of any kind, there are twelve plants
that you should NEVER have in your house or yard.
They include:
Oleander – A beautiful shrub that is popular in warmer
climates, but its flowers and leaves can cause abdominal pain,
drooling or even death. A single leaf can be fatal to a small child.
Giant Hogweed – This plant is part of the carrot and parsley
family and can reach up to 15-20 feet tall. The sap that it extracts
contains furanocoumarins and when this sap contacts skin that is
exposed to sunlight it can cause sever skin inflammation and painful
blisters. These blisters could last for months and cause long-term
sensitivity to sunlight.
Foxglove – Every single part of this beautiful
popular cottage garden plant contains dangerous components that
leads to cardiac failure or death if ingested by humans or pets.
Nightshade – This is an exceptionally beautiful plant with
white or purple bell-shaped or star-shaped flowers. It also has an
intriguing dark purple, black, or red berry that makes curious kids
and animals pick and eat. Even the touching of any part of the plant
can cause dermatitis in people with sensitive skin.
Mistletoe – This popular holiday plant contains phoratoxin
which is toxic when any part of this plant and it’s berries is
eaten, cooked, or drunk by humans and animals.
Rhododendron or Azalea – These quite common ornamental shrubs
can cause vomiting, excess salivation, coma, or death. Azaleas or
often given as gifts as houseplants, so please be wary when
displaying them indoors.
Caladium – This is also known as elephant ear, and you often
see this both indoors and out. However, this plant contains
insoluble calcium oxalates which can cause irritation, swelling of
the mouth, tongue and lips and vomiting in pets, as well as its
toxic to humans.
Lily of the Valley – This is most popular as a summer bouquet
filler, however, all parts of this plant can be irritating or even
fatal for humans and animals causing vomiting, irregular heartbeat,
or death.
Daffodil – These wonderfully bright yellow flowers are
extremely popular in most flower beds and even inside pots. However,
daffodils and its related plants such as clivia and amaryllis
contain ingredients that can cause vomiting, drooling, convulsions
and irregular heartbeats in humans and pets. The highest
concentration of these toxins is located in the bulb.
Autumn Crocus – This is another popular bulb
flower that one can often see inside and outside of the house. This
one contains colchicine and other alkaloids that are toxic to people
and pets and can cause oral irritation, vomiting, shock, and organ
damage.
Morning Glory – This vining annuals are filled with
attractive flowers but can cause vomiting in pets when ingested and
can cause diarrhea to hallucinations in humans.
Yew – This isn’t a common shrub, but many will use this
outside as landscaping, and it resembles an evergreen bush with
bright red berries. However, every part of this plant is toxic
causing muscle tremors or sudden death in animals and breathing
difficulties, dizziness, and convulsions in humans.
What makes it the scariest with these plants is that you may not
know exactly what is planted in your yard, especially if you just
moved in or the previous owner, or neighbor has already planted
these types of shrubs or flowers. It might be a nice border to that
driveway, or that flower really fills in nicely next to that shed or
that’s the only thing that could be grown under that tree. But be
aware, do your homework and make the best possible list of plants,
trees, shrubs, and flowers already in your yard or in your
neighbor’s yard and plan accordingly when landscaping. Because the
truth be known, you cannot watch every pet and every child every
moment of the day and you need to have that list of plants inside
and out in case they become violently ill so that treatment may not
be so difficult.
[JA Hodgdon-Ruppel]
Source
Eight House Plants To Grow On A Windowsill | BBC Gardeners World
Magazine
12 Toxic Plants You Should NEVER Have in Your House or Yard (housebeautiful.com)
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