How to Make an Apartment-Friendly Garden

Apartments have a huge number of benefits. They offer space, maintenance, and amenities all in one place that you may not find anywhere else. At 82 Flats at the Crossing, you can find an apartment for rent in Indianapolis that offers luxury living and amenities that include a resort-style pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, business center, dry cleaning dropoff, and more. But one thing you may find yourself missing is a garden. However, you don’t have to miss out entirely. There are ways to make a garden that will function with low maintenance and minimal mess in an apartment setting. 

#1: Know Your Space

Confront the obvious first: plants need light. This can seem tricky when you live in an apartment, especially in a more urban setting, but there are plenty of solutions. The optimal choice is natural light. This can be achieved on an outdoor patio or balcony, but it can also be taken care of by a window or even a grow light. No matter what solution you choose, you’ll need to know how much sunlight the plants will have. You’ll have to observe to see approximately how much time the sun is present each day and choose plants that can thrive with that amount of sunlight. Here are some common parameters to help you discern what kind of plants to choose: 

• 6-8 hours of sunlight=full sun
• 4-6 hours of sunlight=partial sun
• 2-3 hours of sunlight=partial shade
• <1 hour of sunlight=shade

#2: Choose Containers

After you know how much sunlight your plants will have and their location, you’ll want to pick containers that fit that space naturally. If you have an outdoor space, then window boxes are an excellent choice. They can fit easily on railings or a windowsill. Baskets can be used for plants you may want to keep indoors or that need more room to remain upright. If you are growing indoors, then you may try something fun but easy to fill like a rolling cart with shelves. To minimize mess no matter where you grow, you’ll want to consider using things like a drip tray so that water doesn’t cause any damage, and always adjust your plants in an area that’s easy to clean such as outside with a dropcloth or in a sink. 



#3: Pick Plants

You have the place and the pots, so it’s time for the plants! Remember, whatever you choose has to not only match your light source but also match the size of containers you can easily fit in your space. If you have pets, you’ll also want to double-check that your choices are pet-safe. Here are some popular choices that can thrive in an apartment:

• Full sun

Bromeliads are low-maintenance and mature into colorful tropical plants

The string of bananas is a funky fun plant with eccentrically shaped greenery

• Partial sun

Silver sprinkles plants have charming tiny leaves and fit well in small containers

Lipstick plants have fun flowers in a tubular shape, but be sure to avoid direct sunlight 

• Partial shade

Heart-leaf philodendrons have lovely, draping vines of two-toned leaves that cascade, so plan for that 

Christmas cacti are great because they thrive on humidity you can supply with a spritz of water and prefer shadier conditions

• Shade

Zebra plants can handle very low levels of light and require minimal watering

Kalanchoe plants are an excellent choice because you can get a great splash of color even without a lot of sunlight and interesting greenery, too

#4: Maintain Your Garden

Your garden will only survive with proper care. Here are a few quick tips to help you foster that green thumb: 

• Create a watering schedule to match your plants’ needs
• Create a rotation schedule to rotate your plants’ position in relation to the sun so they don’t become lopsided
• Refresh your plants’ pots with potting soil to avoid heavy, compacted soil and pests
• Watch for wilting or discoloration as signs of over-watering or under-watering
• Prune any dead growth to make room for new, fresh sprouts

#5: Edit or Expand

Any garden will have some plants that thrive and some that struggle. It’s okay if a plant fails or even if a plant gets out of control. When you notice there are some issues to address, feel free to let a plant go if it’s not thriving in your environment or strategically prune or split plants that have become unwieldy. You may also notice that the balance of your garden is thrown off by too much greenery and not enough color, so you may want to introduce some more variety and take your garden to the next level. You may even want to add some edible plants like hearty herbs, peppers, or even tomatoes. 

Are you looking for a new apartment that is the perfect place to grow your garden? Come to visit us at 82 Flats at the Crossing. Our Indianapolis apartments on 82nd Street have everything you need. We offer 1 and 2-bedroom floor plans that all include an outdoor deck space ideal for fostering some plants. See for yourself and call to schedule a tour today: 855-566-1097