Decorate and refurnish
Bring joy and colour into your home all year round – with plants
Houseplants are a fun hobby all year long, regardless of whether you live in the countryside or in an apartment building. Find the best light for your plants on your windowsills and balcony and check the calendar for tips on timing your plant activities according to the seasons.
In the spring, the plants wake up to the new season
- As the sun starts to shine in February and March, houseplants love a thorough care session; change the soil and repot any plants that have overgrown their old pot. You can also rinse your plants in the shower. Weekly fertilisation should begin in April.
- In March, you still have time to sow tomato seeds for your balcony, for example.
- If you plan to have plants on the balcony in the summer and the pots still have some leftover soil from last year, add a little fertiliser in the old soil to improve the quality of the growing medium.
- Seedlings of the first summer flowers, such as daffodils and pansies, are sold as early as April.
Summer is a time of abundance
- If you have a balcony, you can gradually start taking your houseplants and seedlings outside for some fresh air. Start by keeping the plants outside in a sheltered place for about 30–60 minutes on warm days to get them used to the outdoors.
- The seeds of summer flowers can be sown outside in a pot in May. A meadow of flowers planted in a pot on a balcony is one of the biggest trends right now.
- Edible plants grown on a balcony should be watered, fertilised and thinned so that they have enough space to grow and produce crops. Care for your flowering plants by removing dead flowers, watering and adding fertiliser.
- Enjoy watching your herbs, vegetables and flowers grow.
Autumn harvest
- The growing season is almost over and any outdoor plants should be brought in as the weather gets cooler.
- Check the plants for pests. Keeping your plants outdoors increases the risk of unwanted visitors.
- If your houseplant had a growth spurt during its time outdoors, repot it in a larger pot.
- Harvest the last of your balcony crops. Freeze or dry the final branches of your herbs and remove the root vegetables from the planters.
- Tidy up the planters for next spring. Wipe down the walls of the balcony and wash your empty pots for the winter.
- Plant winter-hardy plants, such as heather or coniferous plants, to liven up your balcony in the winter months.
Slow, steady winter
- During the dark months of the year, plants go dormant and only need fertilisation about once a month.
- In addition to fertiliser, we recommend adding some seaweed, which acts like a vitamin to your hibernating plants.
- Move your plants to a place with lots of light for the winter or use plant lights. An ordinary LED light with a colour temperature in the cold daylight range, in other words about 5,000 K, is a good option.