Townhouses & Apartment Dwellers Need Plant Love Too: How To Green It Up

We’re worried about our townies and their lack of plant companionship. When’s the last time you guys saw something green other than the apple symbol on the back of your iPhone.

Studies show that biophilic design improves mood, reduces stress, increases productivity, and soaks up nasty pollutants from our furnishings – it’s proven that you need some green in your life.

That’s Where We Step Up

‘Greenery is us’ at PIAB. We love plants and making them part of everyone’s lifestyle is what we’re about.  Did you know that just one plant in an average room cleans the air by 25%? 

And the good news for townhouse/apartment dwellers is that you don’t need a garden or green fingers to become a plant parent. All you need is a bit of light, a pot, and a lovely new babe to fill it.

Here’s how to fill your small space with healthy greens.

Plant Up The Balcony

It's small so think vertical. You have a ceiling space, walls, and rails to work with as well as some limited floor area.

That’s loads!

A balcony can host an oasis of health-giving gorgeousness so make sure you have a comfy chair to soak up the atmos in.

Put some deep planters around the floor space that’ll hold taller plants. You’ll need a good 50cms of depth to grow plants that’ll block out nosey neighbours, screen traffic noise, and create a windbreak.

Large planters don’t have to be expensive items, 100% recycled plastic storage tubs with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage work just as well as dollar-lined terracotta ones.

Next up, grab some hooks and attach our hanging pots to the balcony ceiling – now you’re talking. We love macramé and the brussels 100% recycled plastic hanging pots that look modern and cool on a balcony.

And don’t forget those balcony rails, they’re tricky so we’re stocking Elho pots that easily clip onto rails without first learning complicated DIY skills. They’re 100% recycled plastic too – we’ve gotta look after the planet.

Once your planters are in place the trick is to choose the right plants for your space.

Gotta Sunny Balcony?

Pop bougainvillea or jasmine in deep pots and put them against the walls and rails. These ladies will grow meters high and block out nosey neighbours. Use them to wrap your balcony in lushness and when they flower the scent is a knockout.  If you prefer greenery try grasses, box, or bamboo.

Don’t stop now…

Hang succulents from the roof area or the balcony rails. Our desert dreams pack is chocka with tough succulents you can forget to water for weeks. You’ve got cordylines that’ll soak up the heat and Erigeron too – who doesn’t love the no-hassle tumbling seaside daisy. 

Gotta Shady Balcony?

Shady conditions suit lots of plants, Pop rhapsis excelsa in large pots, hang ferns or devil’s ivy from the ceiling and put spathiphyllums in Elho pots – Spath platinum mist is a queen among shady balcony plants.

Watering On The Balcony

Balcony containers need more water than garden plants even though they’re outside. Rain won’t reach the pots, but drying breezes do so water them regularly when the potting mix is dry down to an inch.

Bringing Plants Into Your Home

So that’s your balcony sorted but there’s still a whole apartment to green up so don’t kick your heels back.

Firstly, you need to figure out the light levels of each room. This step is important because it’ll dictate which plants will thrive and this can change in each room. If you try to grow a sun lover in a low light level room for example it’ll sulk and go leggy.

If you watch our video it’ll show you how to discover what kind of light you have.  Then comes the fun part – choosing your new plant mates.

Low light rooms love leafy tropical plants like Zanzibar gem, stripy ctenanthe, syngoniums, and ferns. There are so many to choose from – have a browse through the shadier side of life.

Brighter rooms love succulents, ivy, philodendrons, and pretty much everything else we sell. Try the Air-purifying pack, or the totally mad Corkscrew Rush and some Echeveria.

So many links, so little time. 

Townies Deserve Plant Love Too

We think everyone should benefit from plants no matter where they live so we offer free shipping to most states and our tube stock plants are lots cheaper than fully grown ones.

There’s no reason why apartments can’t contain green goodness - there is always a plant to suit. With a bit of planning your townhouse or apartment can be transformed into a jungle you’d expect to see on a nature program.

As always, drop us a line if you’re stuck and we’ll sort you out whether you’re a plant-loving countryphile or a bone fide townie looking to reduce some hellish stress levels.