The Clever Plant Setup That Makes The Most Of Tight Spaces

It can be disappointing if you love having house plants but don't have enough space to keep more than one or two. If your shelves are holding other items and your windowsills are too shallow to host potted plants, you might feel like you are out of ways to take your plant displays to new heights. Before you cancel your trip to the nursery and give up your dreams of having a home drenched in greenery, you need to know about a clever plant display hack that might be the answer to your space issue. Mounting shelves above your windows and placing your potted plants on top can help maximize your plant display capacity while also drawing attention upward in the room, making it appear larger by accentuating the vertical. All you need for this hack is a shelf of your choice, mounting hardware, power tools, and an array of beautiful potted plants.

This idea is super easy to implement. When you've finished installing your above-the-window shelf, just arrange your plants and that's it. Of course, because you are dealing with living organisms that need regular care, there are more things to consider before starting this project than what shelves to get and where to install them. You will need to choose plants that can tolerate the amount of light they receive (or don't) from above a window. You also need to plan for how you intend to care for them since they will be in an out-of-the-way place.

Since your shelf will be holding potted plants, which can be heavy (especially after watering), it's important to mount a sturdy shelf and be sure to attach it at the wall studs. Find the studs (these are typically located on both sides of a window), measure, and mark where on the studs you want to place your shelf brackets. If you don't have curtain rods already placed, you may want to consider leaving room underneath the shelf for a future set. Once you've mounted your shelf and arranged your plants, all you need to do is make sure you've got a watering can and a step stool nearby. Also remember to avoid common mistakes when placing plants on shelves: Remember to dust them and rotate them so the whole plant receives sun exposure away from the wall.

Unless your window shelf is in a room where there are other sources of direct sunlight reaching your plants, it's important to carefully choose which plants you display. Some of the best low light plants, like spider plants, parlor palms, and philodendrons are good to consider. If you have already purchased plants with greater sunlight needs than a window shelf provides, rotating them with other plants that are in direct sunlight may work. Using reflective surfaces and grow lights are other ways to ensure proper light exposure. If this simple trick tickles your fancy, we've got 11 other perfect plant shelf ideas for windows.