Do-it-yourself winter garden in an apartment: create an oasis for yourself
It is not so easy to make a winter garden in an apartment yourself with your own hands. But it's worth trying. Plants will improve the indoor air and improve the mood of people. It is especially pleasant to admire them in the cold season, when there are snowdrifts outside the window, and summer still reigns in the apartment and the home greenhouse pleases with bright natural colors.
Useful properties of a winter garden
And if you make winter gardens in apartments with your own hands, then they will certainly delight their owners with such properties:
- will improve your mood and give you the opportunity to feel a pleasant feeling of peace;
- normalizes the functioning of the central nervous system;
- relieve depression.
People who surround themselves with houseplants are positive and welcoming. They are always happy to communicate and give all the interlocutors sincere smiles.
How to make a winter garden in an apartment yourself
You should not start creating a greenhouse right away. First, you should choose plants that will be comfortable enough in the apartment. It is necessary to take into account all the conditions necessary for them, and only then determine a suitable place.
Even in a small apartment with a shortage of living space, you can arrange a winter garden. Only it is better to place it vertically, against the wall.
In order for the plants to not get sick in the home flower garden in the apartment and look as effective as possible, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements before creating it:
- The need for natural lighting - at least 2 hours a day, the sun's rays must fall on the plants.
- Dark places and possible drafts should be avoided.
- Choice of plants - they need to be purchased where they are grown in similar conditions and be sure to familiarize yourself with the feeding regime.
- Care - you need to know how much time can be allocated daily for watering or other work with plants.
When choosing a place, you should always focus on the design of the winter garden in the apartment and the overall dimensions of the room, as well as its position relative to the sun and a number of other factors:
- The most preferable place will be the most illuminated place in the room, a window with a bay window, loggia or balcony.
- The most favorable lighting is considered to be from a window located on the south side of the building.
- The west or east side is also a good option as the lighting will be softer and plants can be matched to that type of lighting.
- If the winter garden is planned to be located on the balcony, high-quality glazing will be required. Even plastic windows may need to be insulated.
- Sometimes natural light can be enhanced with phyto lamps, UV lamps, ceiling lights, or special lamps for greenhouses.
- Isolate the room from moisture ingress.
- In the southern regions, ventilation must be provided and sun protection measures must be taken in time to avoid the negative effect of the greenhouse effect.
If a decision is made to set aside a balcony or loggia for a home greenhouse, it is still better to trim them with natural materials - wood or stone.
How to equip a winter garden in an apartment with your own hands
When the space for the plants is determined, the double-glazed windows are installed, the finishing of the balcony or bay window is completed, you need to think about how to keep warm for the winter oasis.
Basic tips for creating a garden with your own hands:
- Choose a well-lit room. It is undesirable for it to be residential, but this option is also possible.
- Ideally, the lighting should come from the south side of the room. If this is not possible, then the lack of light can be easily compensated for using ceiling lamps or solid glass walls.
- The design project should include the marking of functional areas and places where the plants will eventually be delivered.
- If the garden is planned to be placed on a balcony or loggia, they must first be insulated with sealants. It is especially worth paying attention to the seams and various joints that can pass cold air. Ideally have heating.
- Subtropical crops are placed closer to the windows, tropical crops are usually placed a little further away - diffused light is important for them. To humidify the air in this place, it is usually used mini pond.
- Plants must be grown in special pots and tubs.
- Acceptable temperature range - from 17 to 25 degrees.
- A ventilation system is required. The air should enter from below and then rise and exit upward.
- An air conditioner can be installed.
There are many ideas for a winter garden in the apartment. You can choose according to your own capabilities. If you do not have experience with year-round plant care, you can practice with unpretentious annuals sold at an inexpensive price. This will allow you to quickly gain experience in growing them. After that, it will be possible to move on to more complex views and start arranging the winter garden in the apartment with your own hands. Another advantage of this approach is that there is no need to allocate a separate room to create special conditions. In this case, even a living room can become a garden.
Choosing plants for the winter garden
What plants should you pay attention to:
- small firs;
- cypresses;
- araucaria;
- juniper.
It is worth considering that oleanders and magnolias have poison. Primrose can cause hives and even eczema. It is also a very potent allergen, much like geranium and calendula.
Do not allow the installation of a "battery" from flower pots. This can ruin the whole experience. It is necessary to arrange the plants in such a way that the garden is well and originally decorated.