How to Landscape Interior Potted Plants in a Self-Contained System

A sunroom is an opportunity to build a self-contained garden for indoor and delicate plants. Arranging the flower pots into a pleasing composition of flowers, foliage and small trees provides hours of gardening pleasure for the homeowner. In addition, controlling the sunroom environment allows the gardener to grow plants in cold or hot climates where they could not survive outdoors. By adding a rug, a table and a comfortable chair, the indoor garden becomes a quiet space for reading, sipping coffee or meditation.

Measuring tape
Graph paper
Highlighter marker set
Thermometer
Automotive drip pans
Mulch or gravel

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the sunroom carefully. Draw the dimensions on the graph paper using one square per foot. Note all windows, doors, electrical outlets and water sources. Incorporate a 36-inch-wide walkway between the plants and a sitting area if possible.
- 2
  Note the location of the sunlight inside the sunroom at 9 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. using the highlighter pens. Also note the average temperature on the inside and outside of the sunroom.
- 3
  Prepare the sunroom by arranging automotive drip pans around the perimeter of the room to catch excess water and protect the floor.
- 4
  Place the flower pots on the drip pans, arranging the largest plants in the back, against the wall of the house. Place bricks or cement blocks under the pots to raise the plants if necessary.
- 5
  Arrange the plants in groups. For example, a grouping of three potted palm trees behind a large orchid placed on top of an upside-down and matching flower pot is an eye-catching composition in a small space.
- 6
  Layer the plants with the tallest in the back and graduating down to the smallest in front. For example, place an orange tree in a sunny location in the back, mid-size flowers such as geraniums or carnations in the middle, and small flower pots filled with annuals or bulbs in front, along the walkway.
- 7
  Provide shade for delicate plants by arranging larger plants in front of the windows, if necessary, accommodating the movement of the sun. Sheer or lightweight curtains also provide filtered light if the sunroom is too bright or hot for shade-loving plants.
- 8
  Pour a 1-inch layer of mulch or gravel in the drip pans. Adding a little water to the drip pans provides extra humidity for the garden.
- 9
  Provide air circulation with a floor or window fan. Add additional light and heat in the winter with full-spectrum grow lights and a small electric heater.
- 10
  Add decorative elements to the sunroom, such as a hall runner rug laid in the walkway, a bistro set in a corner, twinkle lights around the windows and a tabletop fountain.

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