We need more plants, how do we do it?

[maikeru]

Mmm, we need more plants, but how do we do it?

 

Better use of space, resources, water, management, and concepts of what's acceptable (or edible) and what's not. I cover this in a garden setting in my latest blog post:

 

Gardening like the Wild - Science Forums

 

Where I am trying to create what's known as a "forest garden":

 

Forest gardening - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

One of the goals is to get more edible, useful greenery in the same space as a traditional garden. A similar "forest" or agroforestry concept can be applied to other areas or spaces, IMO, and it can be done with other things like herb, flower, or native plant gardens. Another thing that I am trying to do with certain plants is to create or force them to stack--that is, to take up vertical space or make better use of 3D space rather than letting them be simply 2D or horizontal. I think plants which are very flat or low-growing may not make efficient use of space in most gardens. They're not that much different from lawn grass. In nature, many such plants actually inhabit the forest floor, small nooks and crannies, shady areas, or climb or grow on top of other plants, which justifies their mode of existence. Plants which I think work well are vines, peas and beans, strawberries, etc. I've run across some specialty pots for growing strawberries that use many small pots or openings at different levels or other interesting ideas such as from this hydroponics grower:

 

TenGreenThumbs Blog Archive Strawberry Tree

TenGreenThumbs Blog Archive Vertical Container Gardening

 

Also, if you're doing something like a garden pond or water garden, please keep in mind that little green things, like algae, pond scum, and duckweed, do their share to keeping water clean and purifying the air, so long as they don't become invasive or out of control with respect to other plants in the garden. :friday:

 

Edited: Want to recommend that if you like English ivy, like I do, keep them inside and in pots. Can be a very invasive plant, but it won't get outside if it spends its life in a house or a windowsill. In fact, do this with any plant you suspect may outgrow, outcompete, or spread wildly and prolifically out of place. Don't let little things like English ivies run wild in the wild.

[vanamoinen1]

To Ganoderma: nice list of windowsill plants, which I'll add to:

 

Orchids, esp. Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilums--these things are like cactuses, frankly--the more you ignore them, the better they grow. The Phals. are fine in relatively low light situations like in offices etc. As to the Paphs, there are species/hybrids for almost every lighting situation. Water them when you remember to and they produce blooms that last for months. Cattleya- and Oncidium-alliance plants are also great picks, although they're so common, I don't focus on them (I like unusual plants as a rule).

 

If you have a cool greenroom or conservatory/greenhouse, Camellias make GREAT plants that can be brought into the while they're in full bloom so that you can enjoy them--back to the greenhouse or outdoor patio when they've finished.

 

Brugmansias are also a good pick where you have lots of light--a single blossom fills the room with a very sweet fragrance. Out in Calif, they're grown as outdoor plants and easily become medium-sized trees, but I grow mine in large pots and trim them to keep them about 8' tall.

 

Pitcher plants to control gnats--fungus gnats are a pain.

 

Hope that gives you some ideas.

[lemit]

I just discovered this thread. Ganoderma, I assume you're still wanting suggestions for indoor plants, not the kind of plants I grow on my farm?

 

I'd recommend Norfolk Island pines, miniature roses, and the kind of mix you can get at any grocery store. Also, I'd recommend cherry tomatoes and a miniature herb garden of, say, chives, parsley, and sweet basil.

 

And don't be afraid of annuals. If you have an outside window box, petunias provide the best bang for the buck, I think. Of course, I grew up in the equivalent of the Nineteenth Century, so my frame of reference is kind of narrow.

 

I did spend a few summers in the Willamette Valley. My impression of it was that pretty much anything would grow there. We mere mortals maybe shouldn't take advise from that area, any more than from the Gobi desert (or parts of eastern Oregon).

 

For that matter, a Canadian apartment dweller maybe shouldn't take advise from a Colorado suburbanite who has a farm in Missouri.

 

Even if I did grow up with a Nineteenth Century orientation, I also grew up in an inquisitive, competitive family, so I tried to grow lots of things. I'd encourage you to do the same thing. Learn from your failures, not from us. Your own discovery, your own invention will be much better than what you can learn by reading what we write.

 

--lemit

[Ganoderma]

great ideas folks.

 

Brugmansias are also a good pick where you have lots of light--a single blossom fills the room with a very sweet fragrance. Out in Calif, they're grown as outdoor plants and easily become medium-sized trees, but I grow mine in large pots and trim them to keep them about 8' tall.

 

i was hesitant about mentioning those as an indoor. i know people do grow them with good success indoors in winter and put them out in spring (even in canada), and some species/hybrids can even take mild snow. but their toxicity and safety concern in an indoor setting worries me. their flowers are so good and sweet smelling, i would expect a little kid to get curious and try eating it. maybe just me, but they seem far to attractive to little ones, and pretty poisonous.

 

lemit, you grew pines and roses indoors? can you elaborate?

[Michaelangelica]

Sweet!: Plant Some Trees, Grow A Chair - Geekologie

The Growing Chair is a clear plastic frame in which you grow trees to form a seat shape so that, in your old age, you can sit around drinking moonshine and reminiscing on the days when you had to use power tools to make a chair (or were Amish). Personally, I love the idea BECAUSE I AM ONE WITH GAIA. And by one with Gaia I mean a nudist. Except I wear jean shorts.

 

Hit the jump for another picture.

 

The Nature Manifesto

 

Having evolved from nature, we have gradually differentiated ourselves from it. Modern society has come to build itself on the perception that nature and man are separated. This differentiation has come to inhibit us and our way of creating. We have now reached the point when the way forward is going back.

 

We have to accept that we and everything we create are part of nature.

This mindset is essential for evolution as a whole. When applying this to our way of thinking we will liberate ourselves from stagnated conventions.

 

To move further we need to incorporate the living matter that surrounds us. Let us use the complexity of living nature and include it in our creations. These creations will then redefine the way we reconstruct nature. Only then will we truly move forward.

 

It is time for man and nature to reunite.

 

- Michel Bussien

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/05/27/natural-tree-chair/

 

 

This is interesting plant friendly design

Within the property line is a 2-tier car/garden lift which lowers the car to the basement level, hiding it from view, while creating a private garden space at street level. When raised, the car returns to street level and the garden connects to the 2nd floor master bath/spa area. The third floor contains 2 guest bedrooms & with a third private courtyard space containing access to the cedar roof deck. A long three story skylight over the stairs flood each level of the home with natural light and connect them to the sky above. Folding Nana-Walls are deployed at the edges of each interior/exterior space to create a seamless bond between them.

Grid House by Moto Design Shop Yanko Design

 

Liight (wide spectrum), indoors is important for greening interiors

NASA is growing Australian Native Plants under an LED a ray on the International Space Station..

Is there any way of getting the plans of it and what combination of LED light spectrum LED lights they used to simulate sunlight?

[Michaelangelica]

More awareness?

EG

 

In Australia farmers can plants thousand of plants a day using a tractor and a 'direct seedling' tractor attachment. I have not seen how this is done, but I have seen the results-- a bushy green windbreak of mixed local shrubs and trees. You do need people who collect a LOT of seed as not everything germinates. Here, that involves people who are good shots, shooting the branches with seeds off tall gums.

 

This organisation gets people involved, and is a good model to use maybe, in other places?

 

http://www.landcareonline.com.au