[Ebook Việt Hoá] Indoor Gardening (2017): Getting Started (Bắt đầu)

The celebrated German architect Mies van der Rohe famously declared that less is more; this does not apply with plants. More is more, and you will soon become addicted to caring for your plant collection. A key way to pick out different plants that look good together is to find different shapes and textures that complement each other. If you are finishing an interior, the plants you choose should be compatible with the space you are putting them into. There is no point placing a huge Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant) in a tiny bathroom: it just won’t look right! It should be given enough space to showcase its dramatic sculptural appearance. Don’t be afraid to try out placing your plants in a few different locations around the house to see where they look best.

 

Many common house plants are prized for their wonderful leaves, which almost look as if they are made of painted silk. This is what makes the magical world of plants so interesting: their different shapes, their spots, pleats, hairs, spikes and grooves. As well as considering the space you want to put your plants in, think about whether you want “colourful leaves, such as a Calathea roseopicta (rose-painted calathea), or something simple and striking like a Pilea peperomioides (Chinese money plant).

 

Some plants need more care than others, so once you have established whether you are going for sculptural large plants or miniature pots of cacti, you need to determine the level of maintenance you will be able to commit to. As well as the aesthetics of the room you want to keep plants in, you also need to consider the environmental conditions. Some plants need lots of light (see Light & Shade for more information on light levels), others more humidity. Your goal is to simulate a plant’s native environment in order for it to flourish.

 

Plants need six key nutrients to survive: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (which they get from water and air) and nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which come from their growing medium and so you will need to provide. When grown in the ground, these last three elements are naturally replenished, but because our plants will live in pots we need to manually top them up with fertiliser as the plant uses up the nutrients. I recommend using an organic fertiliser, which will not only feed the plant but also the soil.