Indoor Container Garden DIY

Follow these easy steps to create and care for a beautiful indoor planter!

I love nothing more than a good indoor plant! Houseplants are versatile, relatively inexpensive, and easy to care for. They bring so much joy and life to my home, and I try to have a few in every room. I love finding new ways to display my indoor plants, and an indoor container garden is a great way to highlight fresh greenery. I am a hoarder—I mean collector—of containers from ceramic to brass, and I am always on the hunt for more. For this project, I chose a turquoise planter that was a Tuesday Morning find; they always have great deals on garden décor and furniture. Okay, let’s get to planting!  

Gather Your Supplies

First, find a great container with plenty of drainage (good drainage can mean life or death for your plants!) that will accent both your plants and home. Garden centers, home décor stores, and department stores are all great places to look, as well as online. 

Choose a selection of indoor plants. Here, I used fatsia and pothos and maidenhair, rabbit’s foot, and autumn ferns. You want a larger plant, like the fatsia, a brighter plant, like the bright green pothos, and a softer plant like the ferns to soften the edges. All of these plants are super-simple to care for and easy to find. 

I like combining a textural element that helps the container pop with a little extra character. For this one, I chose sponge mushrooms. These are a brighter shade of green and have such a fun texture. Finally, you’ll need a five-gallon bucket half-full of water and a few medium-size ziplock baggies. (For all materials and plants needed to make this container garden, click on my Amazon store here.)

How to Plant Your Container

Before you start planting your gorgeous plants, make sure they get a very good drink of water. I accomplish this by dunking the whole plastic pot and root ball into a bucket of water. You want to submerge the pot completely (you will hear the water start to bubble). This bubbling is all the air escaping the pot as water soaks every part of the roots. Once the bubbling stops, let your plant drain over the bucket for a minute, and then it’s good to go! To remove the plant from the pot, give the pot a “hug,” or a good squeeze. This will loosen the dirt inside and help the plant to slide out easily. Repeat this process with each plant before you begin to plant your container. If you are using maidenhair ferns, remember that they are a little higher maintenance and need more water than other plants. Instead of overwatering everything else, I place the dirt and root ball in a ziplock bag before planting, which helps to keep in the moisture. (I plant it like this, plastic bag and all.) 

When you’re ready to start your container, always start with your biggest plant. For this one, that will be the fatsia. Fatsia has gorgeous dark and glossy leaves—it’s quite a showstopper! My container philosophy is to plant in a triangle, so the fatsia will go in the back of the pot. Then, I’ll anchor with smaller plants and add the pothos and rabbit’s foot. (Tip: If you go with a lighter pothos, it helps bring a pop of color to your container.) Finally, use the maidenhair and autumn ferns to fill in the gaps and soften the edges of the pot. Add some texture, like the sponge mushrooms, and voilà—an easy and beautiful container garden! 

Container Care

This indoor garden is incredibly easy to care for; just place in an area of your home that receives six to eight hours of indirect sunlight a day. The whole pot can be watered about once a week, and the best way to do so is to dump two large handfuls of ice cubes right onto the dirt. Another way to water is to place the whole container in the shower, water well, and leave overnight to drain. To see if your plants need a drink, use the “finger test.” Simply push your finger right into the root ball; if the soil and roots are dry, water it! If not, wait a couple more days to water. For a more extensive indoor plant care summary, check out my blog post titled “Easy Houseplant Care.” 

I cannot wait to see your container gardens! Tag or message me on Facebook or Instagram, and follow me on both to get more gardening ideas daily! Happy planting!