What is a House Jungle?
We are bombarded everyday by photos of lush gardens and interiors with a large amount of plants everywhere. For those of us that have limited space indoors, or even no outdoor space, it doesn’t mean that you are limited in what you can grow. With some creativity, you can create a lush feel in your own apartment with a variety of plants – your own little houseplant jungle. A large collection of indoor plants can lower your blood pressure, clean your indoor air and allow you to garden year-round! Just remember that in order to be successful, you must choose plants for the light that you have available. Not the other way around! Don’t force a plant to grow in conditions that it doesn’t like.
How to Make an Indoor Jungle House
Making a jungle indoors is easier than you may think. After you choose plants that are suited to your light levels, here are some steps you can take to start your jungle:
Group plants together. Choose various shapes, sizes, heights, and foliage type in order to add interest and variety. You can group various plants on the floor, and also on window sills and shelves.
Choose at least one large and dramatic floor plant. Having different heights adds a lot of interest and will help mimic a jungle feel in your home. Floor plants are very effective in corners or in awkward spots such as behind a couch.
Take advantage of vertical space. If you have limited floor space, maximize your indoor space with hanging plants on your ceilings.
House Jungle Plants
Here are some ideas for wonderful plants to choose from for a jungle-like feel:
Hanging plants
For those wanting to add vertical appeal, try:
Swiss cheese vine (Monstera adansonii)
Hoya plants
Pothos or devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum)
Philodendron
String of hearts
Large, dramatic floor plants
Here are some great choices for larger, more dramatic floor plants:
Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)
Ficus – such as fiddle leaf fig or rubber plant
Low light
If you are looking for plants that can tolerate a lot of neglect and lower light, you can’t go wrong with these:
Snake plant, mother in law’s tongue (Sansevieria)
ZZ plant
Cast-iron plant
Lucky bamboo
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)
Small plants
If you are short on space, consider the following smaller plants that can easily fit on a narrow windowsill:
Peperomia
Pilea
Begonias
Fittonia
Phalaenopsis orchids
Stunning or unusual foliage
For stunning and unusual foliage, you can’t beat:
Calathea
Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
Dieffenbachia
Bromeliads, such as Guzmania, Aechmea, and Neoregelia
The possibilities are endless, so use your imagination to create your own lush indoor jungle!
