Family-Friendly Indoor Garden Projects

When winter hits, it's only natural to spend more time inside. But that doesn't mean you have to stop growing what you love—indoor garden projects are an excellent way to keep your green thumb active during the colder months, while providing a little amusement for you and your family, too. To kick off your new favorite growing season, we've picked 3 types of garden projects for you to choose from.

Aromatherapy Garden: Breathe in, breathe out, and relax among the stress-reducing scents of lavender, lemon verbena, and jasmine.

Kids' Discovery Garden: The surprising nature of tickle me plant, lamb's ears, and a Venus flytrap will never grow old when it comes to blowing the minds of little kids.

Cheerful Color Garden: You'll feel like a perfect 10 even if the temperature outside is -5° if you hang around the brilliant blooms of African violets, begonias, and lipstick plants.

Aromatherapy Garden

Anyone with a nose for fragrance will love the soothing scents of an aromatherapy garden. Bonus point: These botanicals can also double as ingredients for herbal tea, scented sachets, and a steamy, aromatic bath.

What You'll Need

• Direct natural light (or grow lamp) and a steady temperature of 65-75°F (these plants don't enjoy a draft, so mind any window gaps)
• Lavender, lemon verbena, and jasmine plants
• 7-inch pots (3) with drainage holes
• Well-draining Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix
• Nutrient-rich Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food
• Small trellis

Plant Your Aromatherapy Garden

1. Get the tranquil vibes started by placing newspapers or an old sheet on your work surface for easy clean up.

2. Add Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix to the bottom third of your containers to start them off in a lightweight soil.

3. Place each plant in a separate pot, so that the top of the root ball is about 1 inch below the rim of the pot.

4. Cover up the plant roots with more potting mix and gently snug them into place.

5. Give vining jasmine something to climb, like a small trellis.

6. Water well now to settle the plant, then follow up with weekly H2O—or less often, if the soil is still wet (check the top inch to know).

7. Place your aromatherapy garden in a spot with direct natural light (add a grow lamp if needed) and in an area that's easy to access so you can whiff away.

8. A month after planting, begin using Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food each week (follow label directions) to add back nutrients that may have flushed out when watering.

9. Prune lavender and lemon verbena regularly so they keep producing new leaves and more scents. Jasmine doesn't need any contact to release its sweet floral aroma to the air, but you can prune for size.

Kids' Discovery Garden

A kids' discovery garden can pique curiosity about the natural world at an early age. Plus, it will keep their spirits up during the long winter months, because what's more enticing than touchy-feely plants called tickle me and lamb's ears, or more exciting than watching an active Venus flytrap?

What You'll Need

• Bright, indirect natural light (or a grow lamp)
• Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina), tickle me plant (Mimosa pudica), Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
• 7-inch pots (3) with drainage holes
• Nutrient-rich Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix
• Nourishing Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food
• Small bugs (optional)

Plant Your Discovery Garden

1. Kids can get messy (it's part of the fun!). Place newspapers or an old sheet on your work surface for easy clean up.

2. Add Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix to the bottom third of your pots to start them off in a nutrient-rich soil.

3. Place each plant in a separate pot, so that the top of the root ball is about 1 inch below the rim of the pot.

4. Cover up the plant roots with more potting mix and show the little ones how to press down gently, firming them into place.

5. Water each of the plants now to settle them to their new homes. Then, keep the soil moist (but not soggy!) for tickle me and the Venus flytrap, and let lamb's ears dry down in between drinks.

6. Place the discovery garden in bright, indirect light, in a place where kids can reach!

7. A month after planting, begin using Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food each week (follow label directions) to keep tactile plants strong—remember, they'll have a lot of little hands on them!

8. Feed small bugs to the Venus flytrap (it's all in the name).

9. Remove the blooms on the lamb's ears to focus the energy on its fuzzy foliage, and prune back tickle me's fern-like leaves if it starts to look leggy.

10. Get your camera ready! Curious kids are going to love caring for this giggle-inducing indoor garden.

Cheerful Color Garden

If the short, dark days of winter tend to bring you or your loved ones down, plant a cheerful color garden to recall brighter times. African violets, begonias, and lipstick plant are each low on maintenance and high on hues—in other words, the perfect combo for spreading joy in an area of the house you often find yourself in (like your home office, wink wink).

What You'll Need

• Bright, indirect natural light (or grow lamp)
• African violets, begonias, and lipstick plant
• 7-inch pots (3) with drainage holes, or 2 plus a 10-inch hanging basket (optional)
• Lightweight Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix
• Nourishing Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food

Plant Your Cheerful Color Garden

1. Place newspapers or an old sheet on your work surface. An easy cleanup will make this project even more delightful.

2. Add Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix to the bottom third of your pots. This lightweight formula will let their roots grow freely.

3. Place each plant in a separate pot, so that the top of the root ball is about 1 inch below the rim of the pot. Consider putting cascading lipstick plant in a hanging basket or perch the pot on a bookshelf or stool to show off its vines.

4. Cover up the plant roots with more potting mix and nestle them into place.

5. These plants thrive on moderation. Water weekly with a longneck can, never letting them sit in wet soil (root rot is a total buzzkill).

6. Place your cheerful color garden in bright, indirect light (save bold rays of vitamin D for your own happiness).

7. A month after planting, begin using Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food each week (follow label directions) to replenish vital nutrients.

8. Lightly prune your lipstick plant to keep it looking primped and polished (and producing more of its signature flowers).

9. Kick back to let them do their thing: Lifting you up with their perky petals!

These are just a few of the plants that make a welcome addition to your home during the winter months. Get as creative as you like! After all, the upside to life indoors is, there's plenty of time for these projects listed here—and more. So, settle in and start growing!