DIY Indoor Container or Dish Garden

To make a potted container or dish garden, I lined my container in a plastic trash bag to protect it from water and used packing paper I had from a shipping box to elevate the pots. You can use any kind of container, basket, tureen or bowl for your indoor garden. I found my container at HomeGoods last fall.

I picked an assortment of small potted plants. . .fern, mini roses, ivy and kalanchoe. The mini roses were $2.99 each at The Fresh Market and the kalanchoe was $5.99 at the grocery store. I can always find affordable small fern and ivy plants at Lowe’s or Walmart in the indoor garden area, for just a couple of dollars each.

Water your plants thoroughly before you begin, allowing them to drain, and then place your pots inside your container to see how they will fit. I like to remove my plants from their plastic pots and place them in plastic grocery bags, allowing more room in my container to work and fill with plants. Placing each plant in its own bag also allows for quick and easy removal if you need to replace a plant later.

After you have everything arranged, add Spanish or preserved sheet moss to cover and conceal your pots, filling in the gaps and to add the finishing touch to your dish/container garden.

I used a green preserved Spanish moss I had leftover from my Blooming Easter Basket.

I had a little space left in the center and decided the container could use another pop of color so I cut some hydrangeas from the garden, inserting them in floral tubes. Floral water tubes or picks can be found on the floral aisle of the craft store, in a package of 10 -12 for around $3.00.

You can change out the flowers in the floral tubes from time to time or in the case of the hydrangeas that are at the drying stage, they can stay as they dry and still look nice.

I added a pair of bird finials I found at World Market several years ago as a container accent, tucking them in among the plants and moss.

Place your container or dish garden where it receives indirect light. Make sure your soil stays moist to the touch, taking care not to over water and remove any brown foliage or spent blooms. You can enjoy your indoor container for a couple of months or longer, changing out the pots as needed or desired.

This is the kind of gardening you can do no matter what the season to enjoy indoors and it makes a great gift for someone in the hospital, a birthday or for Mother's Day. Happy Indoor Gardening!