You don't need to travel to the tropics to overcome the doldrums of winter, simply capture the year-round beauty and vibrancy of the region with an ethnically inspired indoor container garden.
Ethnic gardens feature flora and artifacts from specific cultures. When artfully arranged, they are an easy, quick and affordable way to bring color and fragrance into your home.
Think of your ethnic garden as a miniature, portable landscape that can bring drama and excitement to your spaces. Not to mention what they can do to uplift one's soul.
For a dazzling, exotic display, use flowering plants, such as African violets or a bromeliad. The unusual foilage and spectacular flower spike of a bromeliad provide a burst of color and sculpture to your flora display. Mix in the variegated leaves of a zebra plant (aphelandra squarrosa) and the spikes of a dracaena (dracaena fragrans) for height and balance.
When designing your container garden, it's important to personalize it with decorative accent pieces. Showcase your gardens with artifacts and collectibles, or whimsical items, such as butterflies, dragonflies or sun catchers, which add movement and playfulness.
Be creative as well, when selecting a container to house your garden. An uncommon vessel, such as a wire basket, a wooden African box, outdoor urn or an oversized acrylic salad bowl, only adds to your garden's shape and line.
For simplicity, carefully arrange individually potted plants into your container, so it has balance, contrast, texture and height.
Conceal the pots with polished rocks or a colorful array of dried beans -- red beans, black-eyed peas and pintos work well -- from the kitchen.
