On the list of frustrations about living in a small space, here is one : not having enough place for a lot of plants.

For me, biggest frustration EVER. The best I could do was having only one plant, medium-size, full-green, called an Epipremnum if I’m right. Quite boring. Resistant but boring. And alone, so looking nothing like an indoor garden… But I could have done much better, if only I took time to think about it. Because yes, today, I’m about to share with you 5 tips I tought about !

But first, bonus ! Tip #6 : if you have an Epipremnum, I suggest you suspend it and let the leaves going down smoothly to the floor. I’ve just spotted a picture when checking for the name and it’s really nicer that in a pot on the floor, going up a stake :)

Now, back to our 5 tips for small spaces !

#1 Shelves

Of course, these are your best friends. Easy to fix and multi-purposes, you’ll be able to mix organising with gardening. It’s really trendy in 2017 to have shelves cover by plants, specially well-aligned cactus, no doubt about it. An other option would be to use these supports to create your suspended jungle with plants of all kind : climbing, flowering, cactus,… Imagination is the limit ! And daylight too : always keep your plants close to daylight but not directly exposed. Biggest secret ? Don’t be afraid to reach both floor and ceiling with several row of shelves.

#2 Hanging

Lucky Macramé is back :) Hanging plants are everywhere nowadays but be careful if you don’t want an interior too « bohemian » style. Less is more, remember ? Choose your support wisely : macramé if you want to follow the trend, sober if you want to keep it discreet. In any case, using the ceiling to create your garden is a really good option and will create quite a unique feeling. Choose one good spot in your space and focus on it, with different varieties of plants at different levels, and always with finesse. Few spots examples  : above the dining or coffee table, above and next to your couch, above the sink in the bathroom.

#3 Lighting

Definitely connected to the previous point but optimising the space even more ! Plenty of brands and designers have created beautiful lights to combine with plants, either IN the light or ON it. Of course, they will not create the feeling of a garden on their own but it’s a pretty good start. And as soon as it helps combining 2 functions to save space, it’s always worth knowing about it. Without forgetting the obvious originality of a design touch !

Babylon by Object/interface

#4 Plant wall

Even more efficient than shelves, you will indeed save depth. We don’t usually think about this option because we imagine it’s complicated to create one. Indeed, some systems exist that can be tricky and quite expensive to put in place because of watering system and specific materials. But if you are ready to pay by your time of manual watering, you have cheaper options like creating a wooden structure or use a metallic grid on which you will hang usual pots. It’s DIY but can be really helpful to get your own beautiful forest-like plant wall.

#5 Wallpaper+plants

The magic combo or how to use optical illusion :) If you really don’t have any space to put enough plants to create an indoor garden (or are a bit lazy about watering for 30 min every 2 days…I can be) this is the one for you ! If you already cover your wall section with a wallpaper showing leaves or forest graphics (avoid pictures), you won’t need 10 plants to get the garden effect. If you are a bit afraid about wallpaper with a pattern, you can also choose a green-shade colour, it works. In any case, 3 to 5 plants will be enough to do the trick.

Instagram @emilie.lagrange

Inspired by one of those ? Resolved to apply one of the above to your home ? Tell me in the comment, I’d be glad to hear about it !

And if you are struggling with your small home where you don’t even think about an indoor garden because you already have difficulties with the essential, I can help :) Send me a message here and we will change this.

Don’t forget to share picture(s) of your own indoor garden on Instagram @emilie.lagrange #GreenyGreenery so I can see them.

And if you are interested by Indoor garden, check #GreenyGreenery on my Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for ideas.

Have a great (and hopefully sunny) day !

Emilie