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Stitching Pathways. Jack Kramer
Читать онлайн.Название Stitching Pathways
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781607657408
Автор произведения Jack Kramer
Жанр Изобразительное искусство, фотография
Издательство Ingram
Plants in bedrooms improve the air quality while creating a tranquil atmosphere. The fern and the palm in the bedroom lend a sheltered, cozy feel to this space.
Bedrooms
There was a time when people didn’t keep plants in their bedrooms because they believed the plants would deplete oxygen levels and make breathing difficult. Actually, the opposite is true—plants give off oxygen during the day as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Plants also improve air quality by absorbing pollutants, while creating a relaxing ambiance. Graceful palms or ferns on bed tables or in hanging containers are especially fitting.
The ficus tree in this more traditional bedroom adds needed color and visually raises the wall height.
Contemporary bedrooms are often designed for both living and sleeping. In a bedroom divided into sleeping, dressing, and sitting areas, you can use plants in imaginative yet functional ways to create the feeling of an indoor garden. For example, you can place about three tall plants in a row to create a divider or natural screen between the different parts of the room. Keep a watering can in a nearby bathroom so that you can water the plants easily.
Well-selected plants can thrive under bathroom skylights. And the daily higher doses of humidity in the bathroom can complement good lighting to provide excellent growing conditions.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms can be excellent locations for plants. In fact, many plants grow better in bathrooms than in any other place in a home. The warm, humid conditions there help make tropical plants grow well. Also, many bathrooms have frosted or patterned glass windowpanes, which provide diffused light that is neither too bright nor too dim—exactly what most plants prefer.
Floor plants are ideal for a large bathroom, and there is usually ample space for them. Smaller plants, such as orchids and bromeliads, can suggest the tropics. Vanities and tables offer innumerable places on which plants can be displayed. If your bathroom is small, consider placing a hanging fern or other basket plant near the window or installing glass shelves across the window to create platforms for small plants.
Even though tropical plants are particularly well suited to both the environment and style of many bathrooms, you should be bold in trying all kinds of plants there, including those that aren’t doing well elsewhere. Plants really perk up in the brighter light and higher humidity of the bathroom. The only plants to avoid placing in bathrooms are those that prefer drier conditions, and many of the plants with fuzzy or hairy leaves.
Kitchens become more inviting when decorated with plants
Kitchens
Modern kitchens tend to be large, natural centers of activity often located near a recreation or morning room. There is usually plenty of bright light from windows or skylights and ample humidity from cooking, so plants can do well in kitchens. There, your favorite plants can lend a personal touch and extend a cheerful, colorful welcome to all who gather.
Shelves, cabinet tops, and windowsills are all prime places for small potted plants. Flowering plants such as African violets, geraniums, and miniature begonias grow luxuriantly in bright, humid kitchens. Dozens of medium-size foliage plants, such as prayer plants (Maranta), arrowhead vines (Syngonium), and peperomias, also do well. In a large kitchen where you want a green look, consider a floor plant such as a large lady palm (Rhapis) or sago palm (Cycas).
The upper tier of plants benefits from skylighting, and the flowering plants benefit from artificial light.
White and yellow are two favorite color schemes for kitchens. In a white or yellow room, plants with apple green or variegated foliage look splendid. For a unified look, put all the plants in pots of the same color.
Background photo: Leafy culinary herbs in matching hand-painted pots please both the eye and the palate.
Growing Culinary Herbs Indoors
The best indoor location for herbs is a warm, sunny south- or west-facing window that receives a minimum of six hours of sun a day. Turn the pots every day or two so the stems grow reasonably straight. Most herbs thrive in temperatures of 65°F to 68°F (18°C to 20°C) indoors, with a slight dip at night. Plenty of humidity and good air circulation are also important. If your herbs are on a windowsill, move them back from the glass during very cold winter weather. Fertilize the herbs monthly with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer. Avoid over-fertilizing, or your herbs will grow too quickly and have poor flavor. Herbs don’t like soggy soil. So let the soil dry slightly between waterings, and then water when the soil feels dry just below the surface.
To use herbs in cooking, wait to cut their leaves until the moment they are needed.
It’s a good idea to use waterproof saucers.
It can be a challenge to prevent water from dripping onto woodwork and floors when you water houseplants close to windows. To avoid damage, either place plants over flooring impervious to water (such as tile), carry plants to a sink to water them, put waterproof saucers under the plant containers, or use containers that have attached saucers. Water the plants slowly so that the water doesn’t spill over the container edges and is not too much for the saucers to handle.
Another option is to place pots atop a layer of pebbles in cachepots, most of which do not have drainage holes. Cachepots are decorative pots that hold a plain pot in which a plant is actually potted. The pebbles prevent the bottom of the inner pot from staying constantly wet, thereby helping prevent root rot. Be sure that the drainage water in the cachepot does not rise higher than the pebbles and flood the inner pot.
Pick the Right Container
A well-chosen container displays the plant to its best advantage and becomes a decorative element. Select containers that are in proportion with the plants they display. Also, the texture of the containers should be compatible with nearby plants and the room’s decor. For example, a cachepot looks more formal than a wicker basket, and a terra-cotta pot looks more natural than a colored plastic pot.
When in doubt, it’s always safe to use a white ceramic pot, which complements almost any decor and houseplant.
Plants should be repotted into larger containers as they grow. Here, copper pans disguise plain pots with drainage holes. Although these plants are all about the same size, you could