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Healthy House Plants: A Complete Guide to Gardening Indoors

Learn to care for houseplants in this course from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, covering different species, how to optimise growing environments, and houseplant health.

Duration

4 weeks

Weekly study

3 hours

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How it works

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Discover how to make any room beautiful with these indoor gardening tips

House plants can help make any indoor space more beautiful. Growing and taking care of house plants can also offer mood-boosting benefits.

This course from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine will provide you with tips and advice on how to grow plants indoors. You’ll learn how to make the most of space, repeat outdoor growing triumphs inside, and travel the world through exploring exotic plants.

Indoor gardening tips for every type of houseplant

This indoor gardening course covers different types of house plants and their differing needs. These might include cacti, orchids, palms, bulbs, and more.

You’ll learn what sorts of indoor plants can thrive in different environments maximising available light and space. You’ll discover how to care for house plants, including watering and nutrition, and how to look out for pests and disease.

Explore the origins of house plants to improve the quality and health of your plants

As well as learning how to care for your indoor plants, you’ll explore from where different house plants originate. This will help you understand how to care for them, by building a healthy, familiar environment. You’ll also learn about the history of house plants, and the role they’ve played in society.

Finally, you’ll explore the all-important question of what to do when you go on holiday – and how to give your house plants one, too.

Week 1
What will you grow?
- Why grow plants indoors?
  Let's kick off with a discussion of your previous experience of indoor gardening. Then, we'll look at the many reasons for growing house plants and the benefits they bring.
- Ornamental house plants
  Next up: what makes a good house plant? Plus, we identify good plants for beginners and the different types available. We finish by looking at house plant lifecycles and the importance of botanical names.
- Growing plants for food
  Did you know you can grow some edible crops indoors? We reveal those indoor plants that provide a feast for the table, as well as the eye.
- Creativity with house plants
  To get the most from your house plants, it's important to show them off to their full advantage. Find out how to get creative, in this final activity of Week 1.
Week 2
Growing conditions and the indoor environment
- Origins of common house plants and their natural habitats
  Understanding where plants come from is key to growing them well. We discuss the origins of many commonly grown house plants and offer guidance on what to look for when buying them.
- The pros and cons of the indoor environment
  Let's look at the various factors that drive plant growth (or lack of it): light, temperature, moisture and humidity. Then, we'll consider how to adapt indoor conditions to meet these requirements.
- Different rooms of the house / Growing environments
  In this activity, we take a tour of the various rooms in a house and discuss which plants will thrive there.
- Evaluating the growing conditions within a room
  Positioning plants within a room can determine whether or not they thrive. We set out the key points to consider, before reviewing what you've learned in Week 2.
Week 3
Caring for your house plants
- Choosing suitable containers for house plants
  We kick off Week 3 by considering the indoor growing environment and its limitations. Next, we run through the various types of pot and container, as well as decorative pot covers.
- Compost for house plants
  To really thrive, house plants need the correct compost. What are your options? We explain all, then consider more sustainable alternatives to peat.
- Watering methods and suitability for different plants
  Correct watering technique is absolutely key to plant health. After running through water uptake in plants, we demonstrate the best watering methods through the seasons. Plus, we reveal gadgets that can help you water wisely.
- Maintenance and ongoing plant care
  In this final activity of Week 3, we identify the nutrients that your indoor plants need. We'll also show you how to repot your plants and how to give them a 'summer holiday'.
Week 4
Making more plants and problem solving
- Filling your home with more plants
  We begin the final week of the course by outlining the benefits of propagating your own indoor plants. Then, we look at plants that propagate themselves and round up by covering division and offsets.
- Methods of raising new plants
  There are various ways to generate new plants. In this activity, we cover seed sowing and taking cuttings from both stems and leaves.
- What to do when things go wrong
  Even the most experienced gardeners encounter problems. Share any issues you've encountered, before finding how to identify problems and how to solve them. We'll finish this activity with a look at common pests and fungi.
- What have you learned?
  We're near the end of the course. Tell us what you've been inspired to grow and review what you've learned over the last four weeks.