
HOW TO EMBRACE HOME GARDENING AS A TENANT
With so many of us spending more time at home than ever before, the inclination to turn our homes into havens has become stronger than ever. Regardless of whether you own or rent, there is nothing like an abundance of greenery to make your house feel like a home. For tenants in particular, plants are a great way to personalize your property without your efforts going to waste. There is a vast array of solutions available that mean you can lovingly cultivate your very own jungle then pick it up and take it with you when you move on to your next property. All that tender loving care and nurturing need not go to waste, with the right choice of plants and pots.
No matter how big or small, or how dark or cold your rental is, there are lots of options that allow you to get a bit of nature in. Making strategic plant choices can brighten up a space, soften harsh interiors and hide a multitude of sins such as a section of terrible wallpaper, or that dated ‘70s shower screen your landlord refuses to update. As you grow your plant collection, you will learn exactly which plants suit which rooms best and how their unique growth patterns can be best featured in different rooms in your home.
It starts with just one pot
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not already a gardener. For the absolute beginner, start small so you can keep your investment low, while you learn just how green your thumb is – or isn’t. It could be a simple aloe vera plant you see for sale at a market, or a leafy house plant from the local supermarket. Look for a brightly coloured pot and make sure it has a wide saucer underneath to prevent spillage damaging surfaces.
Philodendrons are great starter plants as they require very little care and will grow quickly. In just a few years you will find yourself scrambling up ladders attaching hooks to all manner of walls to curtail its leafy tendrils. Monsteras are also great starter plants, offering a decent starter size at a mid-range price and some oh-so-cool lounge room cred (all the cool kids have one). Fiddle Leaf Figs are in the higher price bracket but great for corner spaces and an excellent answer to the question ‘what can I get you for a housewarming gift?’.
Growing your collection
If your first plant is a success, you can start to add more to your collection. As a tenant you want pots that can be easily moved and plants that can best survive in varying light. If you don’t have a balcony or outdoor space, you won’t have the luxury of giving your plants some outside time, so read the labels and choose ‘low light’ plants. If you have a bright sunny space, you can create your own jungle with a range of hot right now tropical plants that will absolutely flourish if you find the right spot. Make sure you check how high they will grow and what growing conditions they need before you buy. Choosing good pots is also important – they should be big enough to give the plant room to grow but not too big that they can’t be moved around. Start small and upgrade as the plant grows and over time, you’ll have a good selection of pots you can mix and match with new plants as you grow your collection.
If you do have outside options in your home, consider a large pot with a few herbs in it, then if that goes well, add a tomato plant, some chilies, or climbers like snow peas, or a pot of fragrant jasmine. If that seems too ambitious, try hardy plants like geraniums and cacti, or seasonal flowering plants like daffodils or tulips. You can even stick the ends of spring onions, or the root end of a garlic clove into some soil and regrow your own for an endless supply of essential kitchen aromatics.
Positioning is everything
Now that you’re a gardener, you will learn the fine art of positioning. It’s worth paying attention in those early months to how each plant is progressing – if new leaves are appearing every other week and the leaves are glossy and look healthy you may have nailed the perfect spot for your plant. If a plant doesn’t seem to grow from one week to the next, or the leaves hang low and seem dull and lifeless, your plant may need more light, or less light, or more heat, or less heat, or a drier spot, or a damper spot, or an inside spot, or an outside spot – do you get the picture? Some plants will thrive in a warm sunny corner while others will shrivel and die, others will happily grow on a dark damp windowsill, while others, like the trusty heart shaped philodendron, will literally take over your house and try to swallow you whole.
Many new plant owners give up too fast – they think the plant is dying so they give up, when all it might need is to be moved to a better spot. Just like our desire for a particular table in a café, or the perfect spot in partial shade for a picnic and a nap, plants need the right balance to be happy and once they are, they’ll thrive.
Responsible plant parenting
Being a plant parent adds an extra layer of responsibility to your tenancy as plants can also cause damage, if not positioned or cared for properly. Making it feel like yours also means treating it as if it is!
Whether inside or out, your plants should have good drainage and you need to make sure any overflow is being captured in a way that doesn’t stain surfaces they’re sitting on or nearby. Pots that sit in the one spot for a long time can start to stain the surface below so if it’s a fixed part of the property, you need to stay attentive to what’s happening underneath. Move the pot every so often – sit it in the sink for a few hours to give it a good drink - and wipe over the surface where it sat. A simple cloth placemat under the saucer can add an extra layer of protection too. If you’re going to have a large pot inside, with a big plant like a fiddle leaf fig or a monstera, it’s a good idea to place it on a small table, footstool. That way all the weight is taken up by that object and any risk of damage to surfaces below is removed.
Dirt-stained carpet and dark moldy rings on concrete will absolutely become an issue when the departure condition report is completed. Clogged drains from root overgrowth, rust stains on walls from permanent leaks and damage to neighboring properties from your lazy gardening habits will all threaten your chance to get all your bond back.
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