How to Create an Indoor Jungle with Houseplants

house-plant-makeover

One of the most difficult parts of winter for me is the total lack of color outside in my yard. My vegetable and perennial gardens are huge pops of color that bring me a deep joy all season long. When the gray days of winter set in I start to feel visually depressed.

This fall, when I was bringing some of my houseplants back inside I started to think about how I could recreate the feeling of a garden inside my house. In the past, we had all of our houseplants spread throughout our house in various rooms. One day while I was puttering around I had a flash of inspiration – I wanted to create a jungle of houseplants around my dining room table!

Our dining and living rooms are one big area and it’s where we spend a lot of time hanging out near the woodstove, reading, entertaining friends, and watching movies. We also sit down at our table every night and eat dinner together.

What better place to create a plant jungle?

I decided to take it on as a fall decor project! I reached out to Gardener’s Supply Company and they generously offered to send me a few of their products to assist me in making over my houseplant area. Here’s what I did…

HOW TO CREATE AN INDOOR  HOUSEPLANT JUNGLE

dining room with plants before makeover

Step 1: This is the before shot of my dining room. You can see we already have a few plants in that area, but I wanted to create a bigger impact, re: a jungle!

Step 2: I gathered all of my plants together and evaluated them as a whole. Some needed to be re-potted into bigger pots, and I also wanted to add a few more plants to the collection.

houseplants in dining room

Step 3: I have an area of my garage where I store all of my pots and other plant supplies. I wanted to use what I had, so I sorted through all of the pots and pulled out the ones I could use for this project.

Step 4: I visited a local nursery and purchased several plants and more potting soil. I looked for plants that were different leaf shapes and colors than the plants I already had so I could create more interest in the jungle as a whole.

houseplants

Step 5: On a sunny Sunday afternoon I dedicated a few hours to this project. I repotted plants that needed it and washed off dusty plants by putting them under the shower head in the bathroom.

Then, I set about designing my jungle. I wanted to get more plants off the floor, so I moved a table that my husband made in front of the window and set up this plant stand from Gardener’s Supply.

houseplants in dining room

Step 6: I gathered some colorful rocks from a favorite camping spot in Michigan and spread them around the plants in groupings to add another natural element to my jungle.

plant in pot with rocks

Step 7: I made sure all of the plants were watered in with my new copper watering can from Gardeners Supply and then sat back to admire my new houseplant jungle!

man watering houseplants

Here’s the after photo of my houseplant jungle. I really think it’s going to brighten up gray winter days and help me make it through to next spring!

makeover-houseplant

To help us celebrate the indoor gardening season, Gardener’s Supply has generously offered to give away one copper watering can (photo above) to a member of our gardening community! To enter, leave a comment below this post sharing what you do to keep the spirit of gardening going in the winter months.

Gardeners Supply Giveaway

Contest details:

  • The contest is open to residents of the United States only.
  • The winner receives one copper watering can.
  • To enter the contest, leave a comment at the bottom of this post sharing what you do to keep the spirit of gardening going in the winter months.
  • Contest ends at midnight EST on December 4, 2016.
  • One entry per person.

A big thank you to Gardener’s Supply Company for helping me with my houseplant jungle makeover and sponsoring a giveaway! For more information on Gardener’s Supply Company, check out their website.

SHARE IT ON PINTEREST

Comments

  • I look through seed catalogs and try to keep my rosemary alive through the winter.

  • I’m lucky to live in zone 9. Have lots of spinach, lettuce, and garlic going. Also planted some CA poppies and sweet peas and looking forward to blooms in the spring. Also have lots of weeds popping up due to the winter rains to keep me busy.

  • I also winter many plants in my front windows, but the best part of our very long Buffalo winters happens after the new year. I set up a three tiered growing station in my basement and plant all my babies for the upcoming spring. It is where I spend every cold evening, next to the lights, hands in the soil watching the miracle that seeds hold come to life.

  • I keep my gardening books out. Potted plants don’t do too well for me generally, and I worry about my kids playing in the soil. But I have been thinking of bringing some greenery in and have it out of their reach by using the mantel or hanging plants.

  • Heuristic Herbarium

    Lovely! I began collecting tillisandia and succulents almost 3 years ago. I have continued adding to my indoor collection and definitely have an #indoorjungle for sure!

  • I overwinter some plants inside of the house. Also look through catalogs to start planning for spring additions.

  • I am lucky enough to have bought a house, with a blank canvas for outside and decent lighting inside. During the winter I am planning all my new gardens, and looking through catalogues and reading every gardening book I can find. I also have a tree in training to become a bonsai. And a few household plants, hoping to get more.

  • I also bring my plants inside, but I’m not always successful with keeping them healthy & happy over the winter 🙁

  • MaryKay Lawrence

    I’m playing with succulents this year and hoping I can keep them alive over winter in our home. Wish me luck!

  • I start buying more houseplants and get ready to grow my own seedlings. This is a great idea though! Looks great!

  • I keep color going with African violets in with my houseplants in the winter. This year I brought in pots of parsley, mint, and basil to continue some fresh edibles. Thanks for the new blog encouragement!

  • Josephine Domino

    Hello,
    I have my 5 foot Hybiscus tree inside for the winter. The southern windows in dining room are large and plant looks great.

  • After Christmas, we drag our Christmas tree out to the deck and prop it in a corner. We fill a couple of nearby bird feeders and watch the winter songbirds move in. Throughout the winter, during the day, we are treated to watching the frenetic energy and flashes of color as the birds dash from the feeders to the cover of the tree – all right outside our patio door.

  • Love it! I inherited my Dad’s love of potted plants, as well as his love of veggie gardening, and as a result have a literal pile that I haul inside every year. I wish I could attach a picture! These include a amaryllis I’ve had for 12+ years, several geraniums, a few lantana, Christmas cacti, a Myers Lemon, a Plumeria from our honeymoon, a few Begonias, African Violeta which live inside all the time, and more.

  • What awesome ideas! I have a spare bedroom that has been a sort of dumping ground for stuff. I am going to clear out a lot of it and put many of our plants in there.: )

  • Karen Wimmler

    I just try to keep green plants green! I’m lucky to have a large south facing window!

  • Peggy Williams

    I, too, look through seed catalogs. I also divided some of my houseplants and multiplied the few by many. My kitchen table is home to four houseplants, the upstairs bathroom is home to two plants, the downstairs bathroom is home to one, the living room is home to two more and the upstairs bedroom is home to the last one. Then our basement is home to six more. I also have three of my herbs inside. Last year I went to a nursery and brought home four foxgloves they were going to throw out and they now have a home is my flower bed. Even have an African Violet in my kitchen window. Pretty purple blooms all the time!

  • We love garending in the winter!! We grow organic herbs in house to add flavor to our meals!

  • This year I built a low tunnel over a row in my garden and planted cool season veggies. My amaryllis is up growing strong. I always start my tomatoes and peppers in February.

  • loraine laforte

    pray a lot and hope for an early spring!!

  • I do the exact same in my dining room. Only it happened by accident. While preparing for vacation, I moved all of my house plants to the dining room so that my 18 yr. old son wouldn’t miss any while watering.
    After vacation, I chose to keep them all together because I liked to jungle feel.

  • Ginny DuPont

    I just moved to a new house this year and had a great gardening season outdoors. Now I am overwintering some of my favorite potted plants indoors, and will try to bring some of my herbs into my big south facing kitchen window as well. Your indoor jungle is giving me ideas…

  • I have big windows like you and fill them with plants. I bring herbs in from outside too!

  • We just planted some herb seeds with our kids and brought in our outdoor plants, making a jungle by our kitchen table and another in our bedroom.

  • In late summer I started a Loy of cuttings. Now that they’re all going I sprinkle them among my other house plants to add more variety & color.

  • I spend my winter propagating my succulents so come spring I have a huge crop of mini succulents to gift or pot on fun arrangements

  • This idea is great, and it seems like it would make watering easier! I just started growing sprouts indoors, and I love throwing them into salads and on sandwiches. I have a mushroom block that I grow shiitake with too. I have a few indoor house plants that keep me going, but I think this year I will try forcing bulbs!

  • I read lots of library books about gardening, let my chickens do their winter composting, and page through many seed catalogues.

  • I have groupings of houseplants in just about every room of the house. They help me get through the winter and provide inspiration for my watercolor paintings.

  • I grow herbs and indoor edibles (greens, green onions, etc) and along about Feb I get to start planting my seeds for spring. In between times I drool over the seed catalogues!

  • I go out whenever the rain lets up, to imagine what to plant next, and weed, and sometimes to plant! I also look forward to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in February, where I usually attend multiple days in order to see the whole thing and attend as many of the talks and seminars as possible.

  • Cynthia France

    I put my potted geraniums near a southern exposure window. They bloom all winter!!!

  • I bring in houseplants and always get a few amaryllis bulbs to brighten up the winter months

  • Sally Mathews

    This year in addition to bringing my houseplants back indoors and into my basement at home, I snuck several plants onto the windowsills at my workplace. The cayenne pepper plant has helped me bond with other pepper-heads here at work, and I hope the plants are improving the atmosphere and air quality for all of us!

  • I turn my LED stoplight on when the sunsets….and my jungle lights up and lives until another day. This year i brought in parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..and lavender and a few others. Truly the light glowing in what would otherwise be one of the darkest corners after the sunsets lifts my spirits.

  • Haley Sharpe

    I’m just starting on my gardening journey so this year for Christmas I asked for plants 🙂

    • Haley – Congratulations! You’re the winner of the giveaway! I’ll email you offline about claiming your prize.

  • I just added a shelf under a window for plants and am slowly adding to my plant collection; I recently bought an African violet because they remind me of my Mom… she used to grow many beautiful violets.

  • I have plants all through my home. And I start new ones from cuttings every winter. So much fun to do and I get more plants!

  • I buy a couple new plants for my classroom – plants that might interest my inner-city at-risk high school students. Last year I added a pineapple plant 🙂

  • Peggie Russo-Millard

    I am regrowing Romaine Lettuce plants in my kitchen window. I have 7 plants so far and plan on regrowing Carrot plants too.

  • I have a “plant jungle” in front of my dinning room window which receives southern sun exposure. I also have a large palm & a small Meyer lemon tree in another south facing window that remind me of FL!

  • Good Morning … I bring my succulents inside for the winter .. they live among the houseplants already inside … As I get closers to spring I start my seeds inside … since we live in the Desert I can usually plant in February or early March

  • I plan out my garden all winter and collect seed catalogs like a crazy woman.

  • I’m still getting used to our new to us (1930’s) house with more northern exposure than southern – not many choices as to where to place them.

    So I baby them – regular watering, wipe dust off leaves, talk to them, etc. Basil is happy by my kitchen sink, Xmas cactus getting ready to bloom.

    I also have a new little unheated greenhouse in the backyard and am experimenting as to what will/won’t survive this winter.

    Everything’s different this year in my gardens and I’m enjoying the transitions.

  • Luckily, we live south enough that we can garden year-round. It’s early December and my summer flowers are still blooming. I’ve just planted poppy and bluebell seeds.

  • Gilda Gonzalez

    I started a herb garden, in the kitchen ,near the window. Especially clantro,thyme,and rosemary are near me when I am cooking.

  • La Quinta blackmon

    I love house plants they give you life. I would love to win the water pot

  • I continue to grow food indoor during the winter. I grow basil, rosemary, kale, lettuce, and wheat berry sprouts (for my chickens’ delight!) While the snow blows outside, I am busy growing food indoors, and, in a couple months, I will be starting seedlings and sweet potato shoots for my summer garden.

  • What a great way to pass the winter months and watch your creations grow. A o exciting!! Thanks

  • I have a decorative metal shelving piece that lives outside during the warmer months, but comes into my mud room to greet visitors with the greenery growing in pots, and to keep those plants alive during the cold, windy, winter months.

  • Julie Swanson

    for the first time…I tried bringing in some of my herbs. The parsley I ended making into pesto pretty quickly ( which was delicious!) The thyme is doing so so…the rosemary and mint seem pretty happy to be here 🙂

  • I haven’t gotten to garden much in the past year (moving) but I want to do more! I’ve brought my potted plants inside on my window seat, and I’m perusing online for spring ideas!

    • Sarah- Yes, having fun reading books and looking around online is part of the fun of winter. I hope you get your garden up and going next season!

  • Since hearing Megan in person, I am so inspired to do what I can without a ton of expenses and still be successful at gardening.

  • […] Create an Indoor Jungle – The Creative Vegetable Gardener […]

Leave a Comment

[email protected]
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
© 2024 Creativevegetablegardener.com. All Rights Reserved. | Design by Rebecca Pollock + Development by Brandi Bernoskie