When it looks like this outside, it's definitely time to bring some green into your home. Image source: Andrew Prokos Landscape Photography (http://andrewprokos.com)

With the frigid months of winter upon us, it’s all too easy to find ourselves sitting around and twiddling our green thumbs. We can’t wait to dig our hands into some spring soil, but alas, months of frozen earth lay ahead. And our mood is starting to reflect the gray, black, and brown shades of our frozen gardens.

What’s the perfect cure for the winter blahs? Bring some green indoors! After all, nothing brightens up a room like a cheerful indoor plant. As a bonus, houseplants also help to clean the air by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, which is a definite plus when it is too darn cold to open the windows and get some fresh air in your home.  There are numerous  Benefits of Decorating with Houseplants; click here to learn all about them.

When the weather prevents you from gardening outside, some friendly and perky houseplants can come to the rescue. They also make the perfect hostess gifts, as they are considerably more creative than the obligatory bottle of wine. Our favorite houseplants here at aHa! Modern Living are cheery, low maintenance, and easily portable.

Check out the Perch! Campy Planters

These simple yet stylish handmade planters come in three different vibrant color combinations: green and turquoise, gray and green, or white and yellow. We absolutely love their mini size; each planter stands just 6 1/2 inches tall. They can fit even on a small space such a bathroom sink or nightstand.We love the idea of planting a succulent in a Campy, which is pictured on the left. This is super low maintenance, since succulents can survive for long periods of time without water. Perch! Campy Planters also have a perforated bottom for water drainage, which is integral for healthy plants.

Another great indoor option: Eggling Seed Starters

At just 10 bucks a pop, you can afford one as a gift for each of your friends and still treat yourself. Check out both varieties: basil and chrysanthemum.Eggling Seed Starters are simple as pie to use. All you have to do is crack open the top, and water the soil within, which is already filled with peat mixture and seeds. One thing that we really love is how easily the Eggling may be transferred from the indoors to the outside. After 5 months, the whole egg can be planted outdoors. This way, your Eggling can brighten up your home all winter, and come spring it will be ready to take root.

Looking for something a little bit quirky and fun?

Then you will love the iGrobot Planter.  Again, we just can’t help but love how fool-proof this planter is. It comes with instructions, two measures of peat, and a packet of rye grass seeds. Once your grass sprouts, you can trim it into a mohawk, or any other shape you may desire. We are sure that it will make a fun addition to your home or office space, not to mention a great gift for any techie.

New aHa! Monthly Newsletter

We will be “growing” our Grow Category this February, so check back soon for new products!  Or why not make it easier on yourself?  You can receive updates on new products, special promotions, earn aHa! Customer Rewards, and unique content you won’t find on the blog, by subscribing to our new aHa! Modern Living E-letter.  Take a peek at our December issue.

Photo by SDCDeaCerte

Growing beautiful container plants doesn’t have to be hard or require a lot of resources.  Smart plant choices, like the succulents pictured above, and stylish containers can create a calming effect within your home in today’s technology age (sidebar: ironic that I am talking about creating soothing environments with plants on the internet).

Why Decorate With Succulents?

Every modern garden lover should have potted succulents.  The architectural elegance and minimal maintenance of succulents complement the essence of modern design. In my humble opinion, very few low maintenance plants offer such an eye-catching arrangement like the echevarias, aeoniums, or agaves.  These varieties look great by themselves in a bold, colorful pot, or grouped together by contrasting colors in larger pots.

Caring For Indoor Succulents

Watering Their fleshy leaves allow them to store large amounts of water, which make them the perfect companion for the forgetful dweller.  Water often during the growing season, spring through fall, but keep them drier and cooler during the winter.  Best to set them in a tray of water since their leaves can be damaged by splashes of water.  Once the roots have soaked up the water, remove your pot and wait to water again when the soil is dry.

Temperature The warmth and low humidity of living rooms provide the perfect environment for most succulents.

Light Since succulents are native to warm, dry areas, find a sunny windowsill to make them feel at home. Many succulents can live in their pots up to three years before needing a new home.

Feeding Liquid fertilizer is the easiest way to feed your succulents.  Keep a bottle next to your watering can and add a few drops once every couple weeks.

Potting Good drainage is important.  Use a free-draining potting mix made up of at least one part sharp sand to two parts loam.

Pests & Disease Fortunately succulents don’t suffer from many pests and diseases, and the few that cause you problems are easy to get rid of.  If the idea bug juice doesn’t make your stomach turn, hand picking is a good means of control.  These plants are easy to care for but prevention is the key to successful indoor plants. If you have to resort to chemicals, use them outside or in an area that is well ventilated.

More The above info should help you get started. If you’re beyond the basics, try learning more about propagation, more varieties and troubleshooting