Man is fickle - in summer we want winter, butin winter summer. In this article, we will teach you how to indulge your desires and take care of a winter garden. The winter garden gained popularity in the 19th century, where magnificent noble estates were conducive to creating an exotic tropical island. However, even today, you can create a winter garden not only in a country house, but also in an apartment - modern climate control equipment and help a lot with this. Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve such splendor in an apartment, as in a specially designed extension to a cottage, but the opportunity to please yourself with an elegant phytocomposition always remains. Location First of all, you need to decide on the location. The ideal option for an apartment would be a bay window or attic facing southeast or southwest. This location will allow you to combine the maximum number of plants with different light needs and will provide good lighting in winter. If the garden is planned to be used all year round, it is worth considering devices to protect against excess sunlight and the greenhouse effect - heat-reflecting films on glass, curtains or blinds.
Plant selection:Air humidity Ornamental foliage plants are traditionally chosen for a winter garden, that is, plants valued for the shape and aesthetics of their leaves. The choice of plants should be determined not only by the aesthetics of the latter, but also by their climatic preferences. Thus, the optimal air humidity for most plants is 60-80 percent. In relation to air humidity, plants are divided into xerophytes, content with a dry climate (30-50%), mesophytes, preferring medium humidity (50-70%) and hygrophytes, capable of living only in conditions of high humidity (70-100%). Such humidity can be achieved in winter with central heating only by using humidifiers. If you are not ready to maintain high humidity in your apartment, necessary for the life of tropical inhabitants, you should pay attention to less moisture-loving plants, such as ficus, spathiphyllum, jasmine, scindapsus, succulents. If you live in a humid climate or are ready to purchase a humidifier, you should pay attention to dracaenas, ferns, fittonias, and marantas, which can bring an exotic touch to your garden.
Plant selection:Illumination If, according to its name, the winter garden is planned to be organized only for the winter season, the southern side would be the ideal option. For a year-round garden, the eastern or southeastern side is more suitable. Light-loving plants include bananas, palms, citruses, murraya. However, it is not always possible to place a winter garden in an ideal corner - shade-loving plants such as monstera, chlorophytums, agave, ferns are suitable for the northern side. For convenience, we have prepared such a table. Plants most often used in the creation of winter gardens are highlighted in bold.
The boundaries between classes of plants are oftenare vague, so you should not perceive this table as an absolute instruction for the layout. Combination of elements As a rule, a winter garden is created within the framework of a single concept, be it antique, gothic or modern. An indispensable attribute of a winter garden is its functional component - a winter garden implies the presence of a recreational area that allows you to relax among the riot of greenery. For a large garden, it is recommended to divide it into recreational and decorative zones. The decorative zone contains plant compositions and interior items (vases, fountains), while the recreational zone includes benches, chairs or tables. Plants, like furniture, should match the style of the interior and furniture. For example, to create a garden in the Renaissance style, plants such as golden-black philodendron, indoor bananas, and bicolor caladium are suitable, while in the Gothic style - asparagus, hibiscus, and cypress.
Furniture should be chosen from natural materialsmaterials that are slightly susceptible to rotting - bamboo, thermally modified wood, stone. It is appropriate to lay the floor, because most of the plants will be located in large decorative tubs or pots that can scratch the floor. In addition, porcelain stoneware and stone are not sensitive to high air humidity, which inevitably accompanies the accumulation of plants. Do not forget about the tiered plants - in an apartment for a "voluminous" winter garden, it is unlikely that there will be much space, so its forced "sprawl" along one of the walls will have to be compensated for by competently lining up the plants by height.
Winter Garden: Plant Selection and Care
