Indoor Garden Ideas: 11 Creative Ways to Transform Small Indoor Spaces

An indoor garden in Brooklyn, NY.
Plant enthusiasts who live in urban areas face the challenge of limited space. (Image: Shannon West via Shutterstock)

Plant enthusiasts who live in urban areas face the challenge of limited space. You probably think that you need a backyard to have a flourishing garden. However, the space in your apartment may be enough if you get creative and develop space-saving ideas for an indoor garden.

You don’t have to be an avid plant lover to have a few plants in your home. Studies have shown that incorporating some greenery into your living space has some benefits beyond the oomph. They may help alleviate stress, improve your mood, and boost creativity.

11 of the best indoor garden ideas for small apartments

1. Vertical indoor gardens

If your floor space is limited, vertical indoor gardens are a godsend. They can transform empty walls of your home into a verdant space. You can customize your garden with creative ideas and plants. Some innovative vertical garden apparatuses include the pegboard garden, hanging baskets, DIY vertical pallet gardens, and wall planters.

However, ensure you get plants suitable for vertical growth, such as ferns, pothos, or hanging vine plants.

2. Kitchen herb garden

A dedicated herb garden brings fresh herbs into your kitchen. Use pots or containers near a sunny window to grow herbs like cilantro, rosemary, basil, mint, and thyme. These herbs give you fresh ingredients for culinary exploits and aromatic scents to engage your senses and uplift your mood.

herb-garden
A dedicated herb garden brings fresh herbs into your kitchen. Use pots or containers near a sunny window to grow herbs like cilantro, rosemary, basil, mint, and thyme. (Image: via Shutterstock)

3. Single plant indoor garden

A single tree or plant can enhance your house’s natural appeal. Some perfect plants include monstera deliciosa, asparagus ferns, Chinese money plants, lucky bamboo, and ficus trees.

4. Trellises for indoor climbing plants

Most people consider trellises outdoor apparatuses, but you can incorporate them into your indoor space. They will help you utilize your wall and ceiling space, and you can customize the trellis’ shape and size to fit your room and artistic tastes. The best plants for your trellis include passion flowers, English ivy, golden pothos, philodendrons, string of hearts, and more.

5. Hanging or floating shelf indoor garden

Hanging shelf gardens may be the perfect way to utilize your ceiling space and inject some greenery into your home. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a hanging shelf, and you can take inspiration from hanging Japanese Kokedama moss or trailing vines on your window.

6. Hardy plants for novice gardeners

Beginners or people with little time to care for plants can go for hardy indoor plants like succulents. These plants are easy to grow, require little water, and can grow in places with little sunshine. Other hardy plants include the snake plant, aloe vera, pencil cactus, Chinese evergreen, and jade.

7. Balcony and window boxes

Balconies are great places to try your gardening tricks and experiments. If you also have enough space on your window sills, you can utilize window boxes to grow veggies and herbs such as dill, chives, rosemary, thyme, basil, and sage, as well as flowers like petunias and geraniums.

8. Utilize indoor hydroponics

Modern technology allows us to grow plants without soil—how exciting! Hydroponic gardens save space and give your plants optimal nutrients and growth conditions. A straightforward system can be fitted on your countertops or window sill.

Lettuce growing through styrofoam on top of an indoor hydroponics unit.
Hydroponic gardens save space and give your plants optimal nutrients and growth conditions. (Image: Po.Kanyaluck via Shutterstock)

9. Indoor greenhouse

An indoor greenhouse is the perfect installation for people who want plants that need specific conditions. Some of the best creative ideas for indoor greenhouses include old aquariums, glass cabinets from IKEA, and huge mason jars.

10. Terrariums

Besides a greenhouse, you could have an indoor terrarium and create a self-sustaining ecosystem within glass mason jars. You can make the terrariums the centerpiece of your room or hang them to create an amazing and unique beauty in your home. 

Experts recommend fiberglass terrariums because glass is fragile and may break. You can get creative with your terrarium and have anything from desert-themed succulent terrariums to lush, mossy ecosystems. 

11. Utility cart indoor garden

You can create a mobile garden in your home using a rolling utility cart. This allows you to move your plants to get optimum sunlight exposure or change your decor as you see fit. You can even place different plants on cart shelves with long-growing plants on top.

Giving your home a dash of greenery

Indoor gardens have various benefits, such as improving well-being, enhancing air quality, and providing a new hobby. You can incorporate nature into your tiny apartment by utilizing vertical gardens, terrariums, indoor tree oases, kitchen herb gardens, and hanging gardens. This is your opportunity to get creative and embrace the transformative power of indoor gardens.

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  • Nathan Machoka

    Nathan is a writer specializing in history, sustainable living, personal growth, nature, and science. To him, information is liberating, and it can help us bridge the gap between cultures and boost empathy. When not writing, he’s reading, catching a favorite show, or weightlifting. An admitted soccer lover, he feeds his addiction by watching Arsenal FC games on weekends.

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