What Is The 'Cardening' Trend And How Can You Use It To Spruce Up Your Vehicle?
While there are plenty of ways to spruce up your car's interior, be it through wheel or car seat covers, rearview pendants, car air fresheners, or dash decorations, but have you ever considered adding a touch of greenery?
Houseplants are a common and effective way to add some life to your home interior, but one gardening trend aims to get plants out of your home or garden and into your car. The 'cardening' trend, as it's referred to, has people planting mini gardens inside their cars made of real, living plants, succulents, and cacti. There is no one right way to grow in your car, some folks like to keep it basic by adding plants to their cupholders, while others are planting whole ecosystems in their dashboards. If you have a killer green thumb and a car that you don't mind getting a little dirty, the cardening trend could be a great challenge for you to tackle.
Consider the needs of your plants
Plants generally need three things to survive — water, sunlight, and air. These can surprisingly be achieved inside your car if you choose your plants carefully. Your first consideration needs to be your climate. If you live somewhere warm year-round, then a permanent 'carden' may not be out of the question. However, if you live somewhere that experiences cold winters, you may want to opt for plants that can be removed.
Keep in mind where your car is most often parked, too. If you park out in the open, odds are your car gets a lot of sunlight. In this case, you'll want plants that can handle full and direct sun for most of the day, as well as the heat created by those unfiltered sun rays. Garages, on the other hand, may not be suitable places for keeping plants in your car. You also need to consider the water needs of any plants you choose. There are plenty of high-heat, sun-loving plants, but some of them have very demanding water and moisture needs. In a car, with stagnant air and trapped heat, this moisture could quickly grow into mold or mildew. The best option for sun-tolerant, low-moisture plants are succulents and cacti.
Setting up your carden
Once you get your succulents and cacti picked out, it's time to decide how you want to arrange them. The simplest way is to just pop them in your cup holders still in their nursery pots. This way, they're removable when need be, but still decorative. Try to avoid overly sharp cacti, though, so you don't prick yourself while driving.
Another, more permanent option, is making a small succulent garden right in your dashboard. In the divot of your dash, you could add rocks and sand and shallowly plant smaller succulents and cacti. There are a few potential problems with this, though. For a start, it's messy — expect to find sand and rocks all over your car for months to come. Additionally, you'll have to water the garden, which could cause potential damage to your car down the line.
If you want the look of a 'carden' without the commitment or mess, consider adding faux plants in the same way you would add real ones. Just make sure they're made of heat-resistant plastic so they don't melt in the hot sun, or move them to shadier areas when needed. You could even go as simple as adding a mirror charm that looks like a succulent, like this set from Amazon.