“Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.”
Make every day feel like a laidback Sunday morning (complete with your throwback playlist) by turning your home into a summer garden resort. Plants are flexible design elements as they suit any type of interior condo design. In fact, they enhance the indoor atmosphere with their organic and earthy feel.
Bring nature into your DMCI Communities condo living room with the best indoor plants. Here are some recommendations and tips on how to maintain them.
Medium sunlight for spider plants
The spider plant, also known as airplane plant and hen-and-chickens plant, is one of the most common indoor plants in the Philippine. You may have seen these hanging plants in your grandmother’s porch. The spider plant cleans indoor air from pollutants and they require minimal care, making them favorite home ornaments. This grower can live with evenly moist soil and medium lighting. It’s advisable to place them near windows or on the porch where they’re exposed to the sun. However, too much sun and heat and be damaging. Make sure your room temperature is between 15 and 23 degrees Celsius for your spider plant.
Choosing the right spot
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Why should you be spending more time in a condo garden? According to studies, green spaces improve mood and attention, lower stress levels, encourage active lifestyles, and boost self-esteem. You can extend the benefits of nature to your personal space through your very own indoor garden. Different indoor plants require different amount of sunlight. Succulents need as much lighting as a spider plant. In choosing a spot, Reader’s Digest points out that south-facing windows receive more sun than north-facing ones. If you have east- or west-facing windows, it’s advisable to first observe the amount of lighting in that area before placing plants near them.
Gorgeous peace lilies for your bedroom
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Peace lilies or white lilies look stunning on your dresser. These indoor plants, which are abundant in southern Luzon specifically Quezon Province, are a perfect centerpiece for your shabby chic condo design. Since lilies can live with minimal lighting, you can place them on a beautiful pot near your bedroom window or in your condo balcony garden.
Keeping your indoor plants hydrated
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Although indoor plants can tolerate neglect, this doesn’t mean that you can totally forget about them. They’re alive, in case you forget! There are plants such as cacti that shouldn’t be drenched in water, and there are those like peace lilies that need damp soil to survive. Keep the soil moist by tucking a damp sponge at the bottom of the pot. Do this before filling the pot with soil.
Avoid over-hydrating your growers
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Before indulging your houseplant with water, you should know that there are plants that rot due to too much moist. Succulents like cacti and laurentii store water in their foliage, thus it is not necessary to keep their soil moist. You may just need to water them once a month during cold seasons and once a week on summers. Touch the soil to check whether watering is needed.
Clean bathroom pollutants with laurentii
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The mother-in-law’s tongue, locally known as the laurentii, is a popular houseplant. Its long stiff leaves are quite sharp (like someone’s tongue!). This indoor plant is recommended for the bathroom for its ability to clean the air of formaldehyde, or the chemicals found in tissues and other toiletries. Be careful, however, as the laurentii is poisonous for pets. Place this houseplant in a room with temperatures not lower than 10 degrees Celsius but not higher than 24 degrees.
Protect your pets from toxic houseplants
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One important indoor gardening technique is taking precautionary measures for all household members. There are houseplants that are toxic to animals such as the laurentii. To protect your cats and dogs, place these plants inside large and sturdy pots. Display them beyond the reach of your pets. If possible, place these plants in hanging baskets or plastic pots made of recycled soft drink bottles.
Colorful Vietnam Roses for your urban garden
Can’t fit a mini indoor garden in your studio condo? No problem! You can turn your condo balcony into a botanical space. The Vietnam Rose, also known as the 10 o’clock flower, come in several varieties that will brighten your balcony. You can plant these beautiful growers in plastic containers—recycle used soft drink bottles or ice cream containers—with a sandy potting mixture with fertilizer and burnt rice husks. The Vietnam Rose can easily be propagated by cuttings and seeds.
Arrange plants in your condo balcony garden
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There are techniques in arranging plants so as not to create a messy jungle. Choose pots or containers in different sizes but complementary in shape and material. Place the largest at the back and the smaller ones in front. If you’re placing plants on tables, get pots not taller than 4 inches. Display three plants in varying sizes in every corner of your garden.
Lucky bamboo plants in your kitchen
Don’t have space to organize an indoor garden? There’s a lot of houseplants that will not take up extra space in your condo. The lucky bamboo plant, which can grow up to 3 feet, is believed to bring good fortune, according to Chinese astrology. It can grow in small clay pots, glass vases and even chinas. These indoor plants can also survive inside aquariums or in any container submerged in water. Display these charming houseplants in your kitchen countertop, work desk or your bedroom dresser.
Space-saving succulents every condo home should have
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Better Homes and Gardens describes succulents as “the perfect plant for forgetful gardeners.” They can tolerate neglect and are cute space-savers. Cacti are probably the most popular variety of succulents, but there are other types that you can have in your home. Explore the hens-and chicks which are flower-shaped plants with rounded edges, the jade plant with thick and glossy leaves, and the aloe vera which has medicinal uses.
Smart watering tips for vertical gardens
Even the best plants for a vertical garden need care not matter how occasional. Reader’s Digest shares some tips on how to water houseplants: mist using a water spray to provide moisture to cuttings with developing roots, hydrate houseplants with soda once a week, and place ice cubes around the soil to release water gradually and evenly.
Make foliage shiny with kitchen ingredients
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Misting can help keep your houseplants clean and fresh. You can also wipe the leaves with a mixture of warm water and milk using a soft cloth. Keep the foliage shiny for weeks by rubbing a small amount of mayonnaise on the leaves.
Living in a condo, with all its lifestyle amenities, encourages healthier habits. Do you know that you can now grow your own food at home? You can check out the latest innovations including hydroponic gardening, the use of LED lights as sunlight substitute, and rotating cylinder housing systems.
Maximize the benefits of condo living by turning your home into a true haven of relaxation. Build an urban garden in your condo balcony, grow vegetation in your kitchen, and display gorgeous plants around your house.