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What’s better than a regular coffee table? A coffee table you can plant things in, obviously! Even though this kind of “living furniture” is insanely cool and all, how do you actually care for the plants? In this post, I’ll discuss ten things you can plant in your BloomingTable living furniture and how to care for them.
What is a BloomingTable?
In case you’re wondering what a BloomingTable is, here’s a quick recap, but you can check out my full post on BloomingTables for more details.
A BloomingTable is a functional table that doubles as a planter for your plants. It comes with a waterproof, acrylic tub, a removable glass tabletop held down with UV-resistant suction cups, and a twist-to-open drain valve underneath. So cool, right?
They come as desks, coffee tables, entryway tables, and side tables, each in black and white, and they have plans to add more sizes.
What should I plant in my BloomingTable?
First of all, you can plant anything you want as long as it will fit. The table is no different than a giant pot for your plants. But, I have some ideas to help get you started:
- Succulents and Short Cacti
- Pothos
- Heartleaf Philodendron
- Cuttings
- Air Plants
- English Ivy
- A dainty ground cover such as Pilea depressa
- String of (Hearts, Pearls, Turtles, etc.)
- A Moss Garden
- Microgreens
How do I care for the plants in the BloomingTable?
General Tips
Before I go through each plant I listed above, here are some general care tips:
Because the tub of the table is acrylic and not porous (like a terra cotta pot), it will take longer for the potting mix to dry out. This is the same if you use plastic pots vs. terra cotta.
This simply means you won’t have to water as frequently, less work for you! Before watering, feel the potting mix with your finger first to determine moisture level and whether or not your plants actually need to be watered.
Depending on the plants you choose, you might need to use grow lights in order to give your plants the appropriate amount of light they need.
Grow lights are not as complicated as they sound. Here are a few suggestions I also covered in my original post on BloomingTables.
- Use clip-on grow lights – They look sleek and clip onto the side of the table. The “gooseneck” lights can easily be adjusted. The ones I linked to are the ones I actually use and love.
- Use your favorite tabletop lamp but swap out the regular bulb for a grow light bulb.
What to Plant and How to Care For It
Succulents and Short Cacti
If you’re at all familiar with BloomingTables you know they make great succulent terrariums!
Caring for your succulents and cacti depends on what species you choose, but many of the common houseplant types of succulents and cacti need bright, indirect light. Water them when the potting mix is totally dry, and make sure you’re completely saturating the potting mix.
Pothos
If you’re not into succulents, you can take a totally different approach and fill your table with different kinds of beautiful pothos varieties. The vines will eventually spill out from the sides and look incredible.
Provide your pothos with bright, indirect light, and water when the top inch of the potting mix is dry.
Heartleaf Philodendron
The heartleaf philodendron is still just as beautiful, but a good lower-light alternative to the pothos.
The heartleaf philodendron does best in medium to bright, indirect light, but it will also be OK in low light. Water it when the top inch or two of the potting mix is dry.
Cuttings
I know a lot of my fellow plant people are crazy about propagating their plants (just like me!). Have you ever thought about turning a BloomingTable into a giant propagation box? How cool would that be to just throw whatever cuttings you have in there and watch them grow through the glass?
Care depends on the specific plant, but generally, keep your cuttings in bright to medium, indirect light. Keep the potting mix lightly moist, but not wet, as the roots develop.
Air Plants
If you want to go potting mix-less, try turning your table into an air plant display full of different-color-and-size air plants.
Provide your air plants with bright, indirect light. To water, soak them for about an hour once a week (increasing or decreasing waterings depending on your climate—less in cold weather, more in hot weather). Since the tables have a drain valve, you can even soak them directly in the table if you want!
English Ivy
Ivy is a super easy-growing and pretty plant that makes another great candidate for planting in your table.
Provide your ivy with bright, indirect light and water it when the top inch or two of the potting mix is dry.
Ground Cover
“Ground cover” isn’t one specific plant so I’m suggesting Pilea depressa, but many types of ground cover will work to create a lush, green table display.
Put your Pilea depressa in bright, indirect light. Keep the potting mix moist but not wet, and don’t let it completely dry out.
String of (Hearts, Pearls, Turtles, etc.)
If you want that vining, spilling-out-from-the-sides look but need something a little more low maintenance, “string of” plants are a great option because they have succulent leaves that store water and therefore don’t need to be watered often.
Provide them with bright, indirect light and allow the potting mix to dry out between waterings. When it’s time to water, make sure to soak them thoroughly.
Moss Garden
A moss garden is a fun way to create a miniature landscape in your table. Moss is super easy to care for, too!
Provide the moss with bright, indirect light. Mist the moss regularly so as to keep it lightly moist, but not wet. You don’t want leftover water pooling around it.
Microgreens
Now, this is a houseplant website, so by no means am I a microgreen expert! But I thought this was a cool idea from BloomingTables so I wanted to add it to this list.
Extremely general care guide: Provide your microgreens with bright, indirect light, with a few hours of direct sun. Keep the potting mix moist, but not wet. You don’t want it soggy.
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