Let There Be Light: Make Use of Natural Illumination

A quick way to open up any room is by increasing natural lighting. Take down those heavy drapes and replace them with lighter fabrics for increased transparency. Consider installing larger windows or skylights for even more sunshine. If renovation isn’t in your budget, strategically placing mirrors can reflect light back onto itself for more space illusion.

The Open Floor Plan: More Than Just a Trend

Open floor plans have quickly become popular for good reason. By eliminating unnecessary walls, an open floor plan creates one large living space which accommodates various activities, be they cooking, dining or lounging. An open plan allows for easier interaction and movement throughout an open space environment. Furniture or rugs may help subtly delineate different zones within an open plan living area.

Furniture Feng Shui: Arranging for Openness

Furniture placement has the power to dramatically change the flow and feel of any room. For maximum openness in any given space, select multifunctional pieces that combine style with utility without overwhelming your space. Arrange pieces so they facilitate movement within your room as natural pathways do. Consider replacing bulky sofas with sleek low-profile seating solutions while leaving some breathing room between walls and furniture pieces.

Minimalism: Declutter and Simplify

Sometimes less is truly more. A clutter-free environment not only makes a room appear larger but also helps promote mental clarity. Follow minimalist principles by getting rid of unnecessary items while prioritizing important ones. Take advantage of built-in storage solutions to hide items out of sight. Celebrate clean lines and open surfaces, it will amaze you how much more expansive a room feels once it has less clutter.

Vertical Wonder: Make The Most of Height

Think vertical when expanding your home. Take advantage of vertical spaces by making use of tall bookshelves, hanging plants and wall-mounted storage units. High ceilings can be highlighted further with vertical elements drawing attention upward and creating an impression of grandeur. Lofted beds or high shelves also help make an area appear less congested.

The Color Palette: Light and Neutral Colors

Color can play a powerful role in how we perceive space. Light and neutral hues can make rooms appear larger and more welcoming. Whites, soft pastels, and gentle earth tones reflect light better than darker colors for creating the impression of more open areas. If you want something, color pop through accessories like cushions, throws, or artwork.

Mirrors: The Illusion of Infinity

Mirrors are the ultimate tool for creating an illusion of larger spaces. Large mirrors and mirrored furniture reflect light, creating the impression that rooms have grown considerably larger. Strategically place mirrors opposite windows to reflect outdoor views into indoor rooms for an almost limitless feeling. Similarly mirrored backsplash in kitchens or mirrored walls in hallways can help open up tight areas further.

Smart Storage Solutions: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Clutter can wreak havoc in an otherwise spacious home. To combat it, invest in smart storage solutions that keep visual chaos under control. Under-bed storage bins, built-in wardrobes, retractable shelves or furniture doubled up as storage solutions like ottomans with hidden compartments can all help reduce clutter significantly.

Indoor-Outdoor Flow: Extending Your Living Space

Blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces can make your home seem much larger. French and sliding door replacement can open up living space and create an effortless flow from interior to exterior space, opening onto patios, decks, gardens. Use similar flooring materials inside and outside for seamless transition. Outdoor seating areas, fire pits and garden lighting will help make these extended living areas functional and inviting.

Indoor Plants: Bring Nature Inside

Bringing nature indoors through plants is an easy and cost-effective way to add color and texture. When selecting suitable indoor plants for placement around the house, choose those which thrive under indoor conditions such as hanging plants or vertical gardens. Their greenery won’t take up floor space either. Plus, plants also improve air quality making your home feel fresher and more open.

Conclusion

Expanding your home is about more than simply making it appear larger, it should create an inviting, functional, and reflective lifestyle space. By employing natural lighting, open floor planning strategies, smart furniture choices, minimalistic design techniques and adding natural elements such as plants or flowers into the mix, your living area can become an airy sanctuary. Use these creative strategies and watch as it becomes your sanctuary of openness, comfort and style.

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But what if I told you indoor plants are easy to look after & keep alive? More importantly, what if I showed and proved to you that if you looked in the right places, made the right selection of plant and followed the correct method of propagation, you could in fact start and expand your indoor plant collection for free, giving you that indoor beauty & fresh air you always dreamed of?

Read on to find out about a few very inexpensive & free ways in which I obtained some of my most prized indoor plants. The method of propagation in almost all these cases, barring one, was propagation by rooting in water.

Stems Damaged In Thunderstorm

Citronella (Pelargonium Citrosum)

The Citronella plant known by a variety of names including  mosquito plant geranium, citrosa geranium & pelargonium citrosum is a well-loved plant that produces lavender blooms in summer and is essentially prized for its citrusy scent, which is thought to have mosquito-repelling properties. This should not be confused with the Citronella Geranium plant that produces citronella oil – the active ingredient in citronella candles.

Truth be told, I bought my original Citronella plant as part of a 3/$10 deal on summer herbs at my local Lowes. It was a cute little size in a 3” pot with large parsley shaped leaves. Since I bought it for its mosquito repelling properties, I placed it as a centerpiece on a bistro table outdoors on my shaded patio. Sadly, 2 weeks later a big and unexpected summer thunderstorm hit and knocked the plant over. The tallest part of the stem with a few leaves broke off in the tumble. Some secondary stems also came apart from the main plant. I didn’t see anyway I could save these since they were just broken pieces of stems without nodes for propagating opportunities.

Just for the sake of the scent though I put them in a small glass bottle with water to keep them fresh and brought this indoors. After a week or so, the arrangement still looked fresh and by the third week, I started to notice small roots emerge! Such a wonderful, unexpected surprise. By week 4, I had replanted this with the original plant in the same pot but you could easily replant in a new pot & place in a new location too, as a second plant!

In summer Citronella makes an ideal plant both indoors in containers or outdoors in flower beds but need to be dug up and taken inside before the first frost.They need an area with well-drained soil and full sun and are hardy in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 9 through 11.

Floral Centerpiece Decor – Cutting

Purple heart (Tradescantia Pallida ‘Purpurea’)

3 years ago, I was attending a training conferences & at the end of the conference, we played a Q&A game. The prizes were many but one of them included the winner taking home the centerpiece table decoration– a beautiful floral assortment bouquet. A member from my table won one of the rounds and since coming up with the answer was a group activity, she offered to split the prize as well. I came home with a cutting from a robust matured Purple Heart plant.

This evergreen perennial has dark purple foliage that can grow about a foot tall but spreads easily and can grow up to 24 inches wide, so it’s the perfect plant to add a beautiful pop of color to your yard. It’s also an excellent container plant, growing well in hanging baskets on your patio or inside as a houseplant.

I debated rooting my cutting in water or directly in soil. My mother-in-law said the second was hassle free but then again, she admitted she had never done this specifically with a purple heart. So, I went with what the winner & others did with their cuttings – rooted in in water and patiently waited for roots to form. They did and today I have a container full of healthy Purple Hearts. How did I do this? Once rooted, I planted my original cutting in soil, where I let it grow, undisturbed through one whole season. It grew strong but long and leggy. I couldn’t bear the look of it so took a big risk cut off the entire length of the stem down to about a few inches and then redivided this stem into smaller sections, repeated the successful step of rooting in water and then planted these smaller new cuttings spaced out in the container, giving it a wholesome, fuller look as the plants began to grow out through summer.

Not forgetting the person who was generous enough to share her purple heart with me, I recently gifted her a cutting from my established plant since hers sadly did not make it. And so, the circle of kindness comes full circle and it didn’t cost a thing!

On Clearance At Nursery

Pothos (Epipremnum Aureumis)

Anyone who owns a Pothos (and I assume there are quite a few of you, given this is a common, easily available favorite) knows it’s a hassle free, low maintenance but fast growing plant. You can propagate several new plants from just a few cuttings from the original. I started off with a $3 Pothos plant purchased at Walmart 5 years ago, that has now multiplied from cuttings into several new pots. Last I counted I had 4 full bursting containers of Pothos – 2 placed outdoors, 2 indoors. I also have cuttings rooted in water in 2 glass bottles decorating my bathroom that have got many compliments. Maybe you’d like trying this too! All this is in addition to that original mother plant. I grow all of my Pothos plants in containers which are brought indoors in winter.

There are a variety of pothos cultivars that offer diverse colors and patterns on heart-shaped leaves. Although they do not have a bloom they rapidly transform in shape, starting off as  a small cluster of leaves and then bursting into dazzlingly long vines of verdant green that are hardy and nearly indestructible making them suitable for a variety of home décor & design ideas.

Neighbor’s Yard Sale

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum)

This is by far one of the favorites from my collection, not only because of its beauty and limited seasonal availability but because of the sentiment surrounding the circumstances by which it found its way to me. An elderly couple in my neighborhood was having a yard sale. When we got to the house, we discovered the couple was actually selling their house to move into a smaller apartment by the end of the month. I looked around at the beautifully landscaped yard and spic and span house. I hoped that the couple didn’t have to move, having spent these many years caring for this home. After making a few purchases, the old lady told me the apartment location they were moving into did not allow plants & would I be interested in taking and looking after her pair of indoor spider plants, each in an almost 16 inch/ 10 gallon set of flower pots. This was an unexpected request and I didn’t know what to do with them, but she spoke so fondly of them, I didn’t have the heart to say no.  So, I hauled them away, plants, planters, plant stands, caring instructions (I made as much metal notes as possible) and all and it was the best decision ever.

Spider plants can tolerate a wide range of conditions, but they prefer moderate to bright indirect light, with temperatures above 50oF and moderate humidity.  You should water them liberally through the summer and mist them occasionally. During winter, cut watering back. Established, container & root bound, spider plants produce baby spider plantlets throughout summer that root easily & quickly in water when detached from the mother plant.

I have propagated several pots of spider plants (I’ve noticed they do better in outdoor hanging baskets in shade)  and given them away as gifts to family, friends, colleagues and school teachers as end of year appreciation gifts.   I am also a Catechist at my 4^th Grade Sunday School at church. Every summer I distribute these baby spider plantlets among my students and help them to root, plant and take home as part of a nurturing activity to teach them human beings are responsible for nature and caring for our Earth. The kids have fun and the lesson is well received. Last year I added a variegated version of the spider plant to my collection and the 2 fit together perfectly.

My Local Gym

Striped Wondering Jew (T. Zebrina)

The term ‘Wandering Jew’ is used for several different plant species within the Tradescantia genus which includes at least 75 different herbaceous perennial species, including the spider wort & Purple Heart plant I mentioned earlier in this blog post.

The Striped Wondering Jew is native to Mexico and gets its name from its zebra-like leaves. Its leaves are paired, creamy white in the middle of each half, and silvery green on the edges. The leaves develop a purple patch on the upper surface and underneath and are asymmetrical at the base. The plant has a trailing habit and looks best grown in hanging baskets, window boxes, containers placed on high shelves.

These plants are not easy to come by. After looking around for a while, I was forced to look to eBay and ordered about 5 cuttings online. The cuttings arrived a few days later and while they were healthy when I first got them, they didn’t root vey well. Having had success with the root-in-water method, I thought this would work for this plant too. But the stalk is so terribly tender it started to rot.

I quicky removed them from water and discovered when I researched online that a Wandering Jew clipping root better in soil. I followed instruction on how to do this and while I had lost half the cuttings from water rot, the 2 that survived seemed to do well in the soil filled starter pots. After a week, I began to see new growth and the leaves took on a healthy look with the required glittery surface. Success!

Not long after, by a stroke of luck, I noticed my local gym had acquired a full basket of trailing Wandering Jew of their own, proudly displayed on the front-customer desk. I shamelessly asked if I could have a clipping or 2 and the staff member on duty said ‘sure, help yourself!’…. music to my ears. Today I too have a pretty red planter bursting with trailing wandering Jew which I proudly display at the entrance of my patio.

Broken stems found in a Grocery Cart

Speedy Jenny OR Baby Bunny Bellies (Tradescantia Chrysophylla)

I must warn you that this is a seasonally grown plant and found around Easter time (March-April) and not very easily available. Like the striped Wandering Jew, this belongs to the Tradescantia  family. It looks a lot like the Wandering Jew with smaller leaves. Where the defining factor of the Wandering Jew is the shiny glittering look of the leaves, what defines the bunny bellies plant is the soft fuzzy surface of its foliage that feels like a rabbit’s belly!

This plant was my most recent conquest and happened literally by accident because I found a couple of broken stalks left behind in a shopping cart, I picked up on one of my grocery runs. I knew I recognized the plant and looked around the garden section for a basket I could buy because here was the evidence it does exist! But I sadly couldn’t find any left. They were all sold out even before they got there. The tragedy!

Luckily the broken off stalk was quite long. So, like I did for my Purple Heart stem, I was able to divide it into multiple smaller cuttings. I repeated the same propagation process by rooting in soil that I had followed for my striped Wandering Jew and it seemed to work even better for this plant since the stem was not too tender & I could really stick it into the soil. I noticed new growth in a couple of days. Once established, I quickly placed it outdoors with better access to sunlight than my sunny kitchen window and it really took off. Each time the stem got too leggy I cut it back and re-rooted these clippings in soil so that a few months later, I now have quite a full trailing basket of little bunny bellies. A true Easter Miracle that taught me that nature is beautiful and resilient if looked after in the right way with love and care!

Ending Thoughts

So, there you have it –6 different ways you could obtain indoor plants & grow and expand your houseplant collection inexpensively, virtually free of cost! Exchanging cuttings with friends, and finding plants in natures are another inexpensive & smart ways to build your collection. But irrespective of the cost, Indoor houseplants are easy to care for and I hope this will encourage you to take the dive and start your own collection soon! If you have other ideas or suggestions on how to inexpensively obtain house plants, please comment on this post, I’d love to hear them.

The post Inexpensive Ways To Start & Expand Your Indoor Plant Collection For Free! appeared first on InstantELLA.

Indoor: Hanging or Potted

These are the 15 easiest indoor houseplants (that won’t die on you)

If you’re afraid of what the weather could release on your plants in wide open spaces, take it slow and start with a plant that is perfectly content to remain within the controlled environment of your home or within easy reach on your porch step.

Ornamental

3 Benefits of Bringing Plants into Your Home

• Orchid – these stunning blossoms are surprisingly low maintenance with several varieties and colors to choose from.

• Succulent – likely the hardiest plant you can get, these majestic little guys are especially great indoor companions that won’t shed on your side table.

• Aloe – if you’re looking for something useful but not necessarily edible, aloe plants are a must. You can easily use them to treat burns and rashes or add some moisture to your hair and skin.

• Asparagus Fern – growing these indoors will require some humidity, but keep them well watered and you’ll have a happy, berry-filled fern.

Edible

5 Veggies You Can Grow Indoors!

• Cherry Tomatoes – these are easy to grow if you’ve never done your own tomatoes before. They’re small enough for a hanging basket as well.

• Herbs – a few sprigs of rosemary, sage, mint, and/or oregano will look great on your windowsill and taste great in your cooking

• Peppers – whatever variety you choose, soak the seeds first and keep them moist as they grow. You’ll also want to keep your pepper tray in a warm location.

Outdoor

If half the reason you want a garden is to spend more time with your feet in the dirt and the sun warming your back, there are some beauties you can take on that will fill your garden near to bursting with minimal. An important part of your outdoor garden will be weed control, so be sure to prepare your soil well and give it some extra attention.

Invest in your favorite perennials (flowers that will rebloom each year), but you might want to take on an annual seed or two as well.

Ornamental

The 15 Best Annual Flowers You Need to Plant In Your Yard

• Phlox – these are small but gorgeous and will grow best as cuttings or transplants rather than from seeds. A similar but no less delightful flower is the pansy, which grows as a biennial or annual depending on its care.

• Sunflowers – you’ll want these in a place with plenty of sunlight that’s also sheltered from the wind.

• Cosmos – these delicate-looking annuals are planted by scattering the seeds, just be sure the frosts are over before you do.

• Poppies – these are perfect to start planning when it’s a bit cooler and wetter, which might explain their prominence in the United Kingdom.

Edible

21 Best Crops for Your Edible Garden

• Lettuce and Salad Greens – start with something basic that you can add to any meal, plus it’s easy to harvest.

• Radishes – if you like radishes, these do well when planted early and it’s too cold for other plants and can thrive in less-than-perfect soil.

• Cucumbers – give these plenty of sun, water, and space, and you’ll have so many cucumbers that you’ll be giving them away.

• Raspberries – these are perennial and one of the easiest berries to grow. You won’t have any berries the first year, but every year following you’ll have brambles ready to keep producing.

Before setting your heart on any of these darlings, check to see which types grow well in your area, how much space they’ll end up taking, and if you should make any special preparations for specific plants. Once that’s in place, you’ll take on the title of a gardener with ease.

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