SEPTEMBER 09, 2019

Renters’ Guide: Indoor Gardening

Indoor greenery has enjoyed a surge in popularity lately, but indoor plants have always had a timeless appeal. With the ability to boost your mood, clean the air, and add a verdant pop of color to any drab corner, plants are multitasking décor heroes. So, once you’ve settled into Cobalt Lofts, use this guide to bring a little green inside—a touch that will make your new Harrison apartment feel like home.

Consider Your Space

Cobalt Lofts’ luxury rentals, located in the booming city of Harrison, New Jersey, are flooded with natural light, which makes them ideal for plant parenthood. But before you go on a nursery shopping spree, take a few days to consider your space. Watch the light move through it over the course of a day, noting where intense, direct sunlight may linger in a window or where soft, filtered light plays through a curtain in the morning. Different plants thrive in different environments, so tempted as you may be, you can’t expect a sun-loving jade tree to flourish in that shady corner or a desert cactus to bloom in a humid bathroom. Once you have some idea of the conditions in your home and where you’d like to see some foliage, you’re ready for step two.

Consider Your Lifestyle

Are you frequently jet-setting for work or hopping on the PATH to go into the city for a few days? Or does your idea of a perfect weekend involve walking to brunch in the Riverbend District and an afternoon curled up with a book at home? Either way, we’re not judging, but your plants might be. The calculation is simple—if you’re gone a lot, choose low-maintenance plants that don’t need to be watered, checked on, or serenaded every day. Hardy succulents, especially those native to dry climates, can go weeks at a time without being watered or doted upon. By drooping its verdant leaves, the timeless pothos plant will let you know it needs to be watered (maybe once every week, depending on the humidity inside your apartment). Plants like these will develop root rot if overwatered, so you’re doing them a favor by leaving them be. Meanwhile, homebodies might want to opt for more delicate plants, like ferns and orchids, which benefit from a light water spritzing every day.

Support a Local Nursery

Lastly, source your plants from a reputable local retailer. Buying from local nurseries offers a threefold advantage over big box stores: wider selection, healthier plants, and expert staff. Stop by Charlie’s Nursery and Garden Center for hand-painted pottery and houseplants grown all year long or stroll through the vibrant greenhouse at Alpine Nursery and Garden Center. Pro-tip: purchase your pot and plant at the greenhouse, ask the staff to pot the plant for you, and avoid the mess and guesswork involved with doing it yourself.

Everything will be nice and green and easy in your Cobalt Lofts abode.