(by 7 people)
How to create an Indoor Flower Garden
When I immigrated from The Netherlands to Canada I realized I would probably not be able to enjoy fresh flowers as I was used to. The first time I bought a decent bunch of flowers online for my wife, I was shocked. In Holland I would pay for the same flowers (of better quality) 1/10 of the price.
My wifes aunt has a fantastic garden, with amazing tulips hostas and other flowers. She spent much time preparing for spring and summer in her greenhouse. I live in a very small town with an attached Cree reserve somewhere in the North of Saskatchewan. Creating a garden outside is not an option, since the ground consists of Precambrian rock. Also, there are too many wild dogs which would love to eat my flowers as their daily healthy intake.
Thus, In order to enjoy flowers I had to come up with another plan. Since I have many years of experience in forcing flower bulbs I started to make plans for an Indoor Flower bulb garden.
The steps to create an Indoor Flower Bulb Garden
- Learn how to force flowers into blooming, first!
- Find a suitable place in your home.
- What materials do you need?
- How to create beautiful arrangements.
- Taking care of your Indoor Garden.
Step 1: Learn how to Force Flower Bulbs to bloom
Visit this lens if you do not how to force flower blubs
I have created a separate Lens on forcing flower bulbs to bloom.-
Indoor Flower Bulb Forcing techniques
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Thank you for visiting my Lens on Flower Bulbs. My name is Chris and I immigrated from The Netherlands to Canada. I live in an isolated remote part of Canada, with lots of Moose, Bears and trees... But...... no flowers the way I like. I used to spent...
Step 2: Find a suitable place in your home
People create outside and inside gardens for themselves and other ones to enjoy. Therefore, it is best to find a spot in your house where the garden will be enjoyed by you, your family and your visiting friends. There are a few important factors to consider.
- There has to be enough natural light. Direct sunlight is not recommended, since this accelerates the blooming. Make sure your flowers get at least 6 hours of natural light.
- There is going to be extra weight on the supporting floor. Make sure the floor in your room is strong enough.
- Some flowers are poison to animals and small children. If you have small children or pets, make sure they cannot reach your flowers, or choose non-poison flowers.
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Step 3: Choose your materials
My first Indoor Flower Garden was created in a dark cement bucket, with a diameter of 50 centimeter. These days, I buy Japanese or Chinese unglazed ceramic pots, made for big Bonsais. These com in all kids of different shapes; I prefer the square ones.If you want a bigger indoor garden, you also create a wooden crate. In this case, you have to seal the inside with special pond foil, otherwise the wood might start rotting on your house floor.
You also need top quality indoor planting soil and something to increase soil porosity and aeration. You can use Schultz Perlite to do this. Or try finding red lava soil. Mix two parts soil with 1 part Perlite or Lava.
Last, you need Good quality flower bulbs.
Step 4: how to create beautiful arrangements
Follow the amounts below to create beautiful arrangements:- Daphodills: 5 bulbs per group, 6 inch apart.
- Tulips: 5 bulbs per group, 6 inch apart.
- Crocus: 9 bulbs per group, 2 inch apart.
- Snowdrops: 9 bulbs per group, 2 inch apart.
- Hyacinths: 2 bulbs per group, 6 inch apart.
If you would like to mix different bulbs, remember to plant smaller bulbs at the front, and bigger bulbs towards the back. It all depends on the size of your Indoor Flower Garden, of course.
Last, a friend of mine drops marbles on the soil mix and plants where the marbles had left a dent. This creates a "wild" arrangement. Remember to keep enough distance between each bulb!
Recommended reading material
The Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies
Amazon Price: $32.97 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom: 576 annuals, perennials, and bulbs in full color (Potting-Bench Reference Books)
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Gardener's Iris Book
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/26/2008)
Step 5: Taking care of your Indoor Flower Garden
Water bi-daily. Use a sprayer to wet the soil. Remember, the Perlite or Lava retains moisture. I suggest using water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer once every 2 weeks.As soon as your flower starts to dry up, remove it from the plant. Leave the green leaves on the bulb.
When all the flowers are taken off, remove the bulbs from the soil mix and discard them. Forced Flower bulbs almost never bloom a second time, since it takes a lot of energy.
Loosen the soil and use the same mix to plant new bulbs. After 2 grows, refresh soil for at least 50%.
Blog Posts on Flower Bulbs
Share your thoughts and Ideas
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UMT
Good piece, the step by step procedure is a really useful bit. Posted March 17, 2008 |
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flowergardener
Very good lens! Welcome to the Flowers, Flowers, and more Flowers Group! Posted November 28, 2007 |
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breetax
I love flower bulbs. It is hard to find good ones. I have an indoor herb garden. Posted November 26, 2007 |
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dr.chris
Hi, I would like to hear your experiences with indoor gardens. Share! Posted November 24, 2007 |
