Gardening Garden Design Garden Projects Mix Houseplants and Spring Bulbs in an Easy-to-Make Dish Garden Make this gorgeous tabletop garden display and enjoy the lush arrangement during the winter months before transferring the bulbs into your garden come spring! By Kate Carter Frederick Kate Carter Frederick For 30 years, Kate Carter Frederick has served as an on-staff editor for the Better Homes and Gardens special interest magazines as well as a freelance editor, project manager, writer, producer, and garden/plant stylist for the magazines, books, brand licensing, and custom publishing groups of Meredith Corp. Her work for hundreds of magazines, books, and websites spans the realms of gardening, outdoor living, DIY, food, crafts, decorating, remodeling, building, and holiday celebrations. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 25, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Project Overview Working Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Skill Level: Kid-friendly Think of an indoor dish garden as an opportunity to grow a group of plants in a single shallow container that’s ideal for a tabletop or windowsill. Starting with small houseplants and a container you have on hand makes this a budget-friendly project. Tuck a few prechilled—forced, sprouted, and ready-to-grow—spring-flowering bulbs into the mix for unexpected pops of color. Full of life and young plants, this potted garden is designed to provide extended pleasure. After a couple of years, the colorful houseplants will be ready to grow on as singles in individual pots or grouped in a larger planter. Prechilled bulbs, widely available from mail-order nurseries and local garden centers in late winter and early spring, readily move outdoors and into the garden after their blooms fade. Toss a handful of fertilizer into their planting holes, and they’ll likely flower again the following spring. We chose white-variegated plants for a unified grouping. All thrive in the medium light of an east- or west-facing window. When shopping for houseplants, read plant labels and group your selections according to the level of light where they will be placed. Plants receive low light when placed near a north or northeast window, high or bright light in a south or southwest window. Choose plants with similar needs for water, too. We chose Dieffenbachia ‘Camille’, silver pothos, Hedera helix ‘Mini Adam’, Pilea mollis ‘Moon Valley’, and Fittonia ‘Mini White’ as our houseplants. Muscari, Dutch iris. and crocus were our bulbs of choice. We used a roomy metal tray as a decorative cachepot and fitted it with a pot liner that allows drainage. Letting plant roots stand in water encourages them to rot, so pour off any excess water that may collect in a cachepot. What You'll Need Equipment / Tools 1 Awl Materials 1 12-inch clear plastic pot liner 1 12x3-inch shallow pot or tray 1 4-5 small houseplants 1 Pre-chilled bulbs 1 Potting mix 1 Bark pieces and preserved moss 1 Cork saucer Instructions Place Liner in Pot Use an awl to poke a few small holes through the pot liner to promote drainage. Place liner in pot. Remove the houseplants and bulbs from their nursery pots. Arrange Houseplants Arrange the houseplants in the planter. Place the tallest at the back or off to one side. Place the shortest and trailing plants at the front of the container, with growing room in between them. Add Bulbs Tuck the bulbs among the plants. Place them wherever you feel they fit best. This completes an arrangement that highlights each plant. Related: How to Grow Bulbs in Containers Add Potting Mix and Moss Fill in between the plantings with potting mix. Cover bare soil with bits of bark and preserved moss. This adds texture and interest to the arrangement. Set Container on Cork Saucer Protect the surface beneath your dish garden from potential moisture damage. You can do this by setting the container on a cork saucer. Place on any surface for a touch of nature indoors. Related: How to Plant a Tabletop Succulent Dish Garden