TRENDING: Greenteriors
Winter felt like the longest, wettest and coldest period for quite some time. But, finally, the sun has shone, the flowers are blooming, and the Chelsea Flower Show has, once again, impressed and inspired with its unique and creative garden displays. The emotive ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ garden, winner of The People’s Choice Award, and inspired by the Yorkshire Dales, included wild woodland, limestone walls and traditional crafts interspersed with artisan food production. It was a quintessentially English garden that most of us can only dream about.
On a smaller scale, a new category was added to this year’s list, ‘Space to Grow’, showcasing the scope of smaller gardens, to help inspire those working on less of a grand scale. ‘The Seedlip Garden’, designed by Catherine MacDonald, was a celebration of the humble garden pea and the wider pea family, exploring how edible plants can be grown in gardens at home. However, not everyone has the luxury of their own private, outdoor space with which to plant in, and as populations increase and space is at a premium, that number is growing.
Us Manc residents are well aware that Manchester has relatively few public green spaces, especially when compared to other British and European cities. In the early days of development, no attempt was made to control developers and landowners, leading to the majority of the city being built up, and preventing urban green space from flourishing for the public. And since the 1980s, the population of Manchester city centre has increased significantly. Yet, it also means that, not only are people lacking in public green space, housing is invariably lacking in private spaces to create a personal, outdoor haven.
As any creative will know, however, the small issue of the lack of an outdoor garden doesn’t prevent greenery from springing up in different places. The humble house plant has become this season’s must have, with millions of people transforming their homes with indoor planting, or greenteriors to those in the know. If you are reading this and consider yourself to be a bit of a green fingered phobic, don’t worry. You don’t have to go big, small terrariums dotted around the home are easy to create, easy to care for and easily brighten up your home. Here’s a little how to:
1. Buy a terrarium (or three) – these were first created by the Victorians, before becoming popular again in the 1970s. They have the look of being both antique and modern, suiting any home.
2. Add in some soil. Coir (pronounced coya) is recommended
3. Now add your plants, teasing out the roots as you do
4. Add some decorative aggregate (small stones or pebbles) to cover the soil and help moisture levels
5. Finally, spray water on, avoiding the use of a watering can
Even if you do have a garden, rubbish weather combined with the current cold snap killing off various plants before they have had a chance to blossom, makes indoor planting even more desirable. Added to that are the potential health benefits that can come with indoor plants, at a time when stress and anxiety is on the increase, making these little gems more than just a thing to make your home look eye-catching.
Need more inspiration? Take a peek at these delightful Instagram accounts:
Jungalow @thejungalow – plant inspiration, colour inspiration, design inspiration... lush
Urban Jungle Bloggers @urbanjungleblog – bringing lots of plant lovers together in one place who love to display lots and lots of indoor plants together #urbanjunglebloggers
House Plant Club @houseplantclub – another community of house plant enthusiasts #houseplantclub
Kate and Craig @tribeandus – incorporating family into these green photos gives Kate and Craig’s indoors plants a cosy, homely feel
Wildernis @wildernisamsterdam – this is an urban plant and garden shop in Amsterdam, I now want to paint a wall yellow and cover it in greenery!
About Our Author: Katie Calvert's background is in fashion and textiles with a first class honours degree in Fashion Communication and Promotion and experience in trend, PR and events. She decided to take the plunge back into education in 2015 to complete a Master of Arts in Multimedia Journalism. Using these newfound skills and her love of fashion and culture, Katie has been freelance writing for over a year.
