Bring life to your bedroom with windowsill plants

As items of beautification, potted plants present great options. Whether it is the front patio, second floor balcony or the flat concrete roof, potted plants tend to transform spaces into havens of tranquillity. However, some people struggle to keep potted plants indoor because of light and space challenges. But what if you could find a potted plant, so small that it wouldn’t encroach on the usable spaces at all? What if your potted plants didn’t need you to leave the curtains open for them to keep alive? Windowsill plants can survive comfortably right between the curtains and the glass pane.

The possibilities
There are house plants so small, they can fit in a pot smaller than a tea-cup. Such plants would fit comfortably on your window sill where they would be able to get the essential sunlight whether you are present or absent. Because they are neither heavy nor bulky, they can easily be carried to the 20th-floor office without a hustle. These tiny plants enable you to have a miniature forest on the window sill, if you so wish, right between the curtain and the glass pane. You would hit two birds with one stone by beautifying your desired spaces and employing air purifiers all at the same time.

Plant Choices
The plants to choose from are many depending on preference and availability. While some of these miniature packages of air filters are loved for the pattern of their leaves, others are preferred for their colour combinations and others for their flowers. Some of these plants are even pursued for their ability to bring good luck. But the overriding factor in choosing plants is their ability to survive.
Sansevieria plant, also called mother-in-law’s plant, also known as snake plant.

These are cactus-like. Their leaves are arranged in beautiful Fibonacci sequence patterns. The tips of some of them have colorful thorns that will maintain that colour if they receive all the light they need. These need minimal watering as they are originally from the desert. They grow so slowly that they won’t outgrow a tea-cup even after five years.

Brumelia plant
This is from the pineapple family. They resemble the pineapple tree. They produce amazing flowers. They require all the light they can get so the glass must not be tinted or they will elongate and lose their colour and their ability to flower.

Jade plant (money plant)
Enid Bichetero, a specialist in tiny potted plants, and proprietor Enid’s Little Treasures in Kampala, says some sections of the Asian community love this plant because they believe it brings good luck. They have dark green, chubby leaves. Some of the species have bright red lines on the leaves, something that makes these particular plants desirable. They are one of the more popular house plants world over.

Begonia
These are wide-leafed plants that come in many different colours and patterns. Some are green and red, others are purple and grey, some are plain green and so on. It is very easy to match begonia with the curtain in the house.

Orchid
Orchids are long-leafed, dark green plants that do well as house plants. While they can grow large, an orchid can fit in small spaces if you so desire. They don’t require direct sunlight for them to grow well. However, Bitchetero says they won’t flower from the inside.

“If you see that they are getting to floweing stage, You must take the orchid outside for it to flower. After the flowering, you can then bring it back inside to beautify your space,” she advises.
What is so interesting about orchids is that the flower blossoms for over four months inside the house, as opposed to only a few weeks outside.

Peperomia
This is one the succulent types. They grow in bunches like sisal, only that for them, they are tiny. They keep water very efficiently so one must make sure that they are not watered often. Only once in two weeks should suffice or they will suffer and die. They are from desert conditions so they hate constant watering.

Lucky bamboo
My personal favorite. That will be my very first house plant for sure. It grows great in plain water and has the ability to look so healthy. Just remember to change the water every week, according to experts. “The oxygen is depleted after about a week, so changing it will keep the plant going,” Bichetero says.

Other choices include cactus, Bromelia (pineapple family), Howarthia, Gasteria. The choices are endless.
As you go shopping for these tiny plants, take care to know their requirements. The internet is a great resource for this kind of thing. But plant experts have the experience to help you with some tips too.
While it is generally perceived that potted plants are not for everyone, mostly because of space and care, it is easy to see why window sill plants can break that pattern.

They are not bulky, they need minimal watering and they get all the light they need from their indoor position without much input. They are perfect for compact town spaces because they not only beautify the spaces, they help in purifying the air.

CARE
While other kinds of indoor plants would need you to leave the curtains open for them to grow, or even moving them to the right location as you leave the house, windowsill plants don’t. They constantly have all the light they will ever need. The only care needed is watering.
According to Enid Bichetero, a specialist in tiny potted plants, some window sill plants grow very slowly and need minimal watering. “Most of these plants only need a few drops of water every two weeks. Some require watering once a week. You are required to apply little water with your fingers.”

Succulents
Some of the best house plants are the succulent type. These are tiny plants with fat leaves. This helps them to store water for long periods of time, meaning that the only constant requirement inside the house for growth is light. Hence the window sill.
Bichetero is quick to add that a plant that requires watering once a week will die if one makes the mistake of watering it daily. On the other hand, taking long to water any plant will cause it to lose vibrancy, while insufficient light will cause it to lose their natural colour.

Light
The best window sill for plants is the one that receives a lot of sunlight. However, there are plants that don’t require direct sun light for them to grow. Bichetero, says plants like orchids and cactus don’t need direct sunlight. “Just natural light.”

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