Where I put my Plants

my living room

I hope you are doing well and enjoyed your weekend. Last week, I didn't post anything new. 

So, today, I want to share some experiences about where I put my plants. Plants need light to grow. However, every plant has a different light need. If you put plants inside your apartment, you must consider the light condition, because the sun doesn't shine through all windows. Some rooms are pretty dark and some are bright. 

Most apartments have south- and north-facing windows or east- and west-facing windows. If you had windows that face south, north, east, as well as west, then you are lucky! You have more possible spots for your plants. 

When I learned for the first time about planting in Germany, of course, it also confused me to learn about locations and light conditions. I experienced in Germany how important both things are for keeping house plants. Choosing the right places for plants is an important thing, so plants can grow healthy and well.
I never noticed this in Indonesia because we never worry about not getting sunlight. The sun shines a lot the whole year. The temperature is perfect for tropical plants, and the humidity is high. How can you not be satisfied with all this? 

Okay, guys! back to Germany again, this time, I will talk more about the south and north windows in my apartment. 

South-facing Window

south window covered by trees

South-facing windows usually get the most sunlight. However, there might be objects on the outside reducing the light that comes in. Unfortunately, my south window gets shade from both buildings and trees, but the sun can still shine into the room. 

It also depends on the season. In summer, the window has less light than in spring due to the trees' leaves. You can see in the picture, how the trees cover my south window. Even though in winter and autumn, trees lose their leaves, in general, there is less sunlight compared to summer and spring. 

The lighting also differs depending on the exact spot. The window sill gets the most direct sunlight, so I put some vegetables on there. It's the best place for plants that bear fruits because they need a lot of light. You can see in the picture below that the red hot chili peppers are very happy there, and they grow like crazy. On the right side of the window, I hung my monstera monkey leaves. The sun can also reach the area in front of the window (bed area). On the bedside table, I placed some plants, as well. 

The left and right walls get less sun. Both are good places for a lot of houseplants. On the left wall, I put some plants, like sansevieria, banana, succulent, aglaonema silver bay, tradescantia spathacea, and mango.

The end of the room gets no direct sunlight. I placed some of my avocados and tradescantia zebrina there.

The room is full of plants. So far, all my plants grow well near the south window. If you had cacti, this area would also be good for them. 

the red hot chili peppers

afternoon sunlight in the south window

North-facing Window

north window

In my apartment, three windows face the north, the ones in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. I put most of my plants in the living room. I also put an extra shelf for the plants near the window, as you can see in the picture. The lighting here is different than at the ones in the south. The further from the window you place your plants, the less light they get. 

Normally, this window gets no direct sunlight. Only in summer, the windows can get some direct sunlight in the early morning until about 9-10 am. 

Some of my vegetables here grow a little slower compared to the vegetables in the south window. While red hot chilis in the south already bear fruits, some in the kitchen are still flowering. 

In the bathroom, I have some succulents, aloe vera, monstera, spider plants, alocasia lauterbachiana, and fern. My bathroom is quite small and has a small window as well, but it provides a lot of moisture. Well, although it's a small window, there is still a decent amount of sunlight during summer. The bathroom is quite dark in autumn or winter. If your bathroom has a big window, that's great because most plants need a lot of moisture and a bright room. 

Because of the lack of space, I keep some of my plants in the hallway. The windows in the staircase of our building also face north. Luckily, the neighbors are very friendly and don't mind. I put some lemons, some red hot chili peppers, ginger, cucumber, and alocasia there. As you can see, the plants grow like crazy and almost reach the top of the window. 

small window in the bathroom

some plants in the kitchen

hallway window

some plants in hallway

Last but not least, I want to talk a little bit about the east- and west-facing windows. They both are ideal places for most plants according to my research. And I agree with it, because both get sunlight, but not too much. Sunlight shines through west-facing windows in the evening when the sun slowly sets, and east-facing windows get morning sun before noon. However, I didn't experience it myself. 

Most windows get at least some amount of light, but south-facing windows get the most. The plants that can deal with low light in my experience are ficus, golden pothos, asparagus setaceus, zz plant, lucky bamboo, sansevieria, some peperomias, and spider plants. Plants that need a lot of moisture are fern and calathea. Mine suffered during the winter and lost their leaves. 

Tips: 

To help the plants get more light, you can hang your plants (for example, using macramee plant hanger as I did) in front of the windows or add a shelf in front of a window. I wrote an article about macramee as well, click here. 

You can also use an LED growing light if you have quite a dark room. An LED can help plants grow even faster. I also have this one. 

I hope this article helps you to get an idea of what the best locations and lighting conditions are for your lovely plants. 

Stay healthy, 

Xoxo, Rita 

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links to products on amazon Germany. If you use the links to navigate to amazon and buy something (even if it is not the item, the link leads to) I will receive a percentage of the purchasing cost. It doesn't cost you any extra but really helps me. So, feel free to use these links for any purchases you might want to make. Thank you, guys!

Here is a list of the items that I have linked to in this article:
DOKOT plant basket (45 x 36cm)
humidifier
5 nature plant pots (terracota)
COMPO fluid fertilizer for green plants 1 Liter
plant potting mat
15 different of plant tools
plant spray bottle
Neemöl kaltgepresst 100ml
perlite
10 x 650g - 90 l coconut coir (Kokosfaser/Kokoserde)
expanded clay
plant granulate
Bio soil ( Pflanzenerde) 40 Liter
Seramis liquid fertilizer
LED
macramee