50 Of The Most Stunning Green Spaces That People Have Cultivated At Home

It’s one thing to be a gardener; it’s another entirely to feel like a babysitter to several dozen plants with different wants and needs. You have to consider not just a plant’s species when it comes to things like sunlight, watering frequency, air movements, music preferences, etc., but also the individual.

Sure, as a species, succulents are incredibly hardy and don’t demand much of you. But in our experience, they are particularly prone to withering away in certain microclimates.

According to Homes & Gardens, some mistakes are more common than others when it comes to growing houseplants. One of the biggest ones is overwatering your plants.

“Although many houseplants (especially tropical indoor plants) love growing in moist soil, it should never be soggy. This limits airflow around the roots and encourages fungal growth, leading to a condition known as root rot.”

Rachel Tenny, the host of the Plant School podcast, told Homes & Gardens that watering your plants is a natural instinct when people see something going wrong with them.

“We assume the first thing it needs is water. Or, we just aren’t sure how much water our plant needs and we overdo it,” she explained.

Broadly speaking, you should do a bit of research to find out how much water your plant needs. Meanwhile, be more hands-on. Physically check the moisture of the soil with your fingers. If the top and lower layers are still moist, it’s better to refrain from touching your watering can for a while.

A good rule of thumb, in general, is to spend as much time around your plants as you can so you get to know their quirks. Research is good and all, but the other half of that coin is practice, practice, and even more practice! Don’t be scared of getting dirty.

Some other common issues include things like using pots without any drainage holes in them (this leads to root rot), underwatering your plants (they begin to wilt), overfertilizing your garden (this can damage the roots), and not providing enough light. For example, ‘low light’ doesn’t mean complete darkness.

On the flip side, putting some plants in direct sunlight can burn their leaves as they try to curl away from the rays. Do your research. Pay attention to how your plants respond to where you place them at home. Then adapt as necessary.

The Indoor Garden subreddit has been around for a long while. Created way back in early January 2013, it’s grown by leaps and bounds into a flourishing community of a million plant lovers from all corners of the globe. The online group’s main focus is to discuss tips on growing indoor gardens, from houseplants to fragrant herbs and delicious veggies.

The moderators are very big on transparency and encourage everyone to either share their own photos or to clearly credit the people whose magnificent indoor gardens everyone’s marveling at.

Which of these indoor gardens impressed you the most? Were there any that inspired you to start a new plant project, dear Pandas? What are the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome while gardening, whether indoors or funny-frogs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outdoors?

We can’t wait to hear from you! If you have a moment, swing by the comments to share your thoughts. Meanwhile, feel free to share photos of your own gardens in the comments section at the very bottom of this post.

And don't be scared of reaching out to the r/IndoorGarden community: they're happy to help!