How to Turn Your Bedroom into a Green Room
If there’s one thing you’ll either have none or too much of at university, it’s houseplants. Over the last few years, it’s become increasingly common to see students acquire one, before going overboard and start living like they’re in an underground bunker with the last greenery on planet Earth. By following our guidance, you can avoid becoming the designated Crazy Plant Person, whilst still adding some healthy green decoration to your room.
1. Plan Those Plants
Even jungles need organisation. You can’t just bung a load of random plants into a room and hope they grow into an aesthetic, well-mannered canopy. Do a little research beforehand, checking how big certain plants can get, what specifically they might need above water and sunlight, and whether they could clash with other plants for space. One thing everyone usually underestimates is pot sizes; as healthy plants grow, so does the space they require to stay fruitful. If you’re not certain, look it up online or consult your local garden centre. They’re the experts after all.
2. Consider the Cost
Plants may seem the cheaper alternative to pets, and for the most part they definitely are, but be careful to note potential expenses. Whilst the basics like sunlight and water are free, the cost of nutrients, soil and new pots can stack up if you’re not careful. Make sure to check if the plants you select need any special products before you invest in them, so you can budget better and not get caught out when the costs start to pile up.
3. The Right Steps
Once you’re costed and you know which plants you want, now comes the long-term maintenance and care all plants need. Keep the blinds open in the middle of the day so they get necessary sunlight, top them up with water and nutrients regularly, and when they’ve grown and start to get too large for their pots, swap them out for bigger ones. Maintenance and perseverance are key in order to have healthy, bountiful plants, so don’t start slacking once you’ve committed to them.
4. Useful Greens
Still uncertain if plants are for you? Let me suggest a few benefits your new green friends can bring to your life. Herbs, such as rosemary and basil, can be grown not only for use in cooking (trust me, roast potatoes aren’t really potatoes without a few sprigs of rosemary) but to fill your room with nice fresh smells. Free aerosol! Similarly, if your landlords are no fun and won’t let you decorate your room’s walls, you can grow a few plants on your shelves so the leaves cover the offending dull surfaces. And if you want to impress your friends (or scare them), go for something weird like a Venus fly trap. You’d be surprised what you can get at Homebase for fairly cheap.
5. Rooting Out Problems
Be careful not to let things grow out of control (I had to, sorry). Prune leaves, take care of any water and soil spills, pick up and dispose of shedding leaves. Above all else, keep them neat and tidy, for your own sake as much as general cleanliness. An unruly plant quickly goes from bringing some colour to making a room look disorganised. It’s a chore sometimes, but it’s worth it to give your room that classic, fresh sense only plants can provide.
6. World Building
If you’re up for a challenge, why not take it a step further and try creating a Terrarium. These are tiny self-sustaining ecosystems, like the one in the glass jar below, that consist of plants, mosses and sometimes tiny insects. In a sealed container, with access to plenty of sunshine, they create a self-sustaining environment, hydrating themselves with the water that cycles through the plants and animals, before evaporating into the air and condensing once more on the glass. These terrariums, if constructed correctly, can be left entirely to their own devices, with only occasional maintenance required.
Plants bring something to a room that no other decoration can. They breathe a real sense of life into your personal space and help bring a bit more personality as well, going by the plants you choose to grow. They’re cheap and mostly self-sufficient. So what are you waiting for? Go an get some now, and make sure to take care of them long-term more importantly.