There is probably no one who does not like plants, and everyone wants a touch of green at home. For city dwellers especially, a strip of balcony and a rooftop are often all there is, but even that little space can be decorated beautifully with plants.

Plants keep indoor air clean and raise the amount of oxygen. They also help keep a home cool and even protect it from insects.

With everyone spending their days at home during the pandemic, you can put the time to use by decorating the small balcony in front of your home with flowers and indoor plants in old mugs, bottles and jars.

Discarded plastic bottles and glass jars and bottles can be painted and made usable. You can even wash clay yoghurt pots well and plant in them. Here is how to start.

• First gather old plastic bottles and containers in one place. Wash the glass jars, plastic bottles and tin cans thoroughly, then paint them with a brush.
• Prepare soil mixed with fertiliser, or buy good soil from a nursery.
• Buy plants from a nursery or plant shop, or online. Chilli, tomato, mint, pumpkin seeds and Malabar spinach grow easily from cuttings or seeds.
• Plant some in soil and hang them from the grille. You can also cut plastic bottles, grow plants in them and hang those up. Climbers such as jasmine, bougainvillea or madhabilata can be trained on the grille.
• You can place stones and small figurines neatly at the base of some plants; they look lovely among the greenery.
• If you have old cloth, cut it into triangles and hang it attractively in the garden.
• An old or broken chair can be painted and reshaped, and small plants and figurines placed on it.
• An old tin trunk can also be painted and transformed, with plants or books placed on top.
• Make room for seating even in a small balcony: two cane stools, or a spread of grass carpet.
• Fairy lights on the balcony, lit in the evening, will add greatly to its beauty. Small lanterns can be hung among the lights too.
• Build a habit of regular care: remove rotten leaves, give fertiliser and water, and loosen the soil yourself. Then the plants will not die easily.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.