Create a Miniature Polynesian Garden in Your Home
If you like the look of an exotic garden but do not have a lot of space to make one, a smaller scale Polynesian garden can be the perfect addition to your living room or dining room. For this project you will need one 12″ to 14″ round planter at least seven inches deep. There are a number of different plants you can use for this purpose and they are be easy to grow. Some of the orchid varieties can be mixed together in the same pot, especially if they have the same growing and care needs. A brief list of orchids you can choose to plant are:
Anota Violacea Orchid. This pretty variety has small lavender and white flowers that blooms twice a year, in the spring and winter. This orchid grows the best between medium to warm temperatures with filtered light and moist soil.
Chysis Laevis Orchid. This orchid has yellow flowers blooms during the spring and summer seasons. Like the anota violacea orchid, this plant grows the best in medium temperatures with filtered light and moist soil.
Doritis Orchid. A native of east Asia, this plant grows in spike shapes and varies in color, from yellow to pink and purple. This orchid prefers medium temperatures, filtered light and moist soil.
Laelia Orchid. This variety has flowers that resemble small stars and comes in yellow, red, purple, or maroon colors. Laelia prefers medium to warm temperatures with full light, especially during the long summer months. Keep watered before they bloom than after the flowers blossom, water infrequently afterwards.
Miltonia Orchid. A native of South America, this orchid is sometimes called a pansy orchid due to flower’s resemblance to a pansy’s “face.” This orchid grows well with filtered light to partial shade and moist soil. The miltonia orchid does not require a lot of watering during the winter months.
Oncidium Orchid. This yellow orchid likes to hang over the edge of a pot, as does its roots. This plant grows well in full sunlight, from cool to medium temperatures, and prefers moist soil.
Other flowers you can use in your plant holder:
Anthuriums. These come in a variety of species, so look for smaller plants for your pot. Most anthuriums prefer to grow at slightly warmer than room temperatures. They like well drained soil that is kept moist.
African violets. If you decide to plant these, you can mix them, as these flowers come in a variety of colors: pink, white, yellow, and purple. Since African violets require a special potting soil, it is best not to mix them with orchids. Always water these plants at the base, not getting the leaves wet.
Place a layer of pebbles at the bottom of the pot for drainage. Then add the potting soil for your orchids or African violets or other flowers you want to include. Once you have decided which flowers to include in your little garden, mark off a small area in your pot where you want to place your tiki statue, to give it an authentic Polynesian look. Plan on using any small one ranging from 6″ to 11″, depending on the height of the flowers in your pot. You will want the tiki to be visible and not hidden by the foliage.
Image Credit: Sam Howzit, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
