Using Summer Annuals And Perrenials To Decorate Indoors

Grab a few inexpensive summer blooming plants and a unique planter, or bowl and create a stunning summer centerpiece for your indoor spaces. Bring the beauty of summer flowers inside this season.

One of the most wonderful things about summer is the flowers! Annuals and perennials that bring life and color to our outdoor spaces. Have you ever thought that the same flowers you love to plant outside can easily be planted indoors? And they will last longer than cut flowers.

This is such a simple, yet brilliant idea.

Today, I stopped by an Amish greenhouse looking for small orchids to add to the living room. I had seen them on Saturday when we made a stop to get a new tree for our front yard. But today they were sold out. So I picked up three very healthy white geraniums for under $11.00. Cheaper than a couple bunches of grocery store flowers.

I browsed around and found a few more pretty blooming plants to bring home too! Here’s how easy they are to plant and care for…

Finding The Perfect Container For Your Plants

The hardest part for me was choosing something to put my pretty annuals and perennials in. The options were almost endless! A basket or a bowl or an actual planter. I even have a white drink container I often use for summer indoor planting. So I rummaged in my cupboards and down in the basement and pulled out a few containers and got ready to plant.

Because I’m thinking of these annuals as I do cut flowers that will last a while longer, I was not concerned about water drainage.

For the white geraniums, I chose an old pottery container that at one time had a fern in it. Then I chose a sweet white planter for a single white geranium.

Beautiful peach-colored begonias were a lovely match for a hobnail planter, a recent buy!

And my favorite drink and ice container for the pretty white verbena perennials.

How To Plant Annuals Indoors

Summer annuals and perennials can do quite well indoors, at least for a while. I like to think of them as long-lasting cut flowers. As the blooms fade on a plant, I replace it with a new plant. I don’t worry about adding something like stones to the bottom of the containers to help drain the water away from the roots of the plant.

I started by taking the plants out of their plastic containers and arranging them in the container that will be their planter to check the fit. Once I decided how I liked them arranged I took them out of the planter and filled the bottom of the container with potting soil. Then I added the plants back into the planter and fill the container with potting soil.

Then I cleaned up the planters and gave the plants a good drink.

It’s just that easy!

How To Care For Annuals And Perennials Indoors

Taking care of your indoor annuals and perennials is much easier than taking care of cut flowers!

Keep them lightly hydrated by watering them with just enough to keep the soil moist. I poke my index finger gently into the soil just past my first knuckle. If it feels dry, it’s time for a little bit of water.

As the blooms on the plants begin to fade, pinch them off and discard them. This will keep your summer plants looking fresh and attractive.

How Long Will The Plants Look Nice?

How long you will be able to keep planted annuals and perennials indoors will depend on several factors.

If they are properly planted and watered they should last at least a couple weeks if the blooms are healthy. You can keep your indoor plants even longer if you don’t mind them just being foliage.

Do I Throw The Plants Away After The Blooms Are Spent?

I guess you can, but there is a much better thing to do with your annuals and perennials! Plant them outside! If you take them out of their indoor pots before the plant looks unhealthy you can plant them in containers gardens or in the ground and they should thrive.

I’ve had great success with my perennials coming back year after year.

Can I Replant The Indoor Containers?

Absolutely! Keep replanting them all summer! Just think what a pretty addition to your home these plants will be!

Begonias

My mother, who has a green thumb, kept begonias indoors all year round. She carefully tended them and they grew and bloomed for years. Some were huge with dozens of blooms on them.

I’m not quite so patient with plants but I think I’ll see how these stunning begonias work out for me. I just love their color and the rose-like quality of their flowers. And they are sweetly scented.

Tips For Healthy Growing Indoor Begonias

Begonias like lots of indirect sunlight. That means keeping them in a bright spot but out of direct sunlight.

Begonias like evenly moist soil but are susceptible to root rot. Use the index finger test (discussed above) to tell when it is time to water them. If you are thinking about trying your hand at growing indoor begonias you might want to choose a planter with drainage holes or add a layer of pebbles to the bottom of the pot.

Pich off all spent blooms and damaged leaves. And thin-out foliage to promote airflow inside and around the plant. You can also make a watered-down fertilizer tea (20-20-20) and use it once a month to water begonias during their growing season.

Now, grab a few pretty summer flowers and plant them indoors this summer!

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