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House Plant Bowls
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by Diana Roberts |
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Category:
Indoors
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| When you get tired of looking at all those small plants around your home, you may want to think about arranging a bowl of house plants. |
Wicker
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| You’ve probably seen them in stores, possibly in a wicker basket. There will sometimes be ivy, some sort of flowering plant such as an African violet and then something taller like a small corn plant. They look lovely and take 1/3 the watering time as will separate plants. If you are having someone water your plants while you are on holidays, this will cut back on their work also. |
Odd number
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| The first step is to look around your home and take an inventory of the plants you own. Once you have this list, you will need to jot down what the requirements are for each plant; watering, light and warmth. Next you can group plants which have the same or close to the same requirements. You now have the start of your house plant bowls. It is usually a good idea to put an odd number of plants into your bowls, be it three or five, though three is usually sufficient. Try to choose plants of different heights, textures and colors. A flowering plant is always an eye catcher in the trio. By choosing such different plants, (as long as they have similar requirements) you will be sure that your bowl is not boring. |
Low
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| Choose shallow bowls or low pots depending on the size of your plants. Three very small plants may only require a four-inch bowl, whereas three plants already in 4-inch pots will need a bowl about 10 inches. Remember many plants like to be root bound and will not do well when replanted into a much larger bowl. |
Soil
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| Whenever you repot plants, it’s a good idea to use fresh soil. Something made of composted materials is your best bet. Try not to use straight peat soil as it does not have a lot of nutrients by itself. If your plants have any damaged roots or branches, prune these off before you start to repot. Look carefully for any insect damage or diseases as you do not want these to spread to other plants. If your plants are dusty, you can give them a shower before repotting them. If you are using African violets, do not get their leaves wet. |
Group
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If you have chosen a large bowl and want to put five plants in it, you should group them together on your table and arrange them in a way they look best before repotting them into the bowl. Be sure to keep similar textures or colors separated. Next choose your tallest plant for the center of the pot; the other four will surround this plant. If you do not have a plant that is taller than the rest, then just create a mound in the middle of your bowl to plant your centre plant. If you are using just three plants all of similar growth habits, they will be evenly spaced around the bowl. If you have one plant which is more aggressive or grows faster than the rest, give them a bit more space by planting the other two closer together. |
Light
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Once your plants are potted up, water them carefully and place them in a suitable spot in your home. During the winter months, most plants need to be close to windows to ensure they get as much light as possible. If you are interested in planting up a bowl for a Christmas center piece, you may want to buy a tiny poinsettia to group with plants you already have. This will give you color and probably a different texture from your other plants.
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Christmas
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By adding some Christmas decorations, you can also add to the interest and festivity of the bowl. Another idea for a Christmas table is to use a medium-sized poinsettia in the bowl center piece as I have just described, then use tiny poinsettias as name tags for the people joining you for dinner. These small plants can be left single and then fancied up with some tiny decorations for the season. They are also special gifts that each guest can take home with them. As with any kind of gardening, always try to have fun with your bowls and experiment until you get them just right!
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