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  • Victorian Greenhouse Charm: 5 Decorating Essentials

    Victorian Greenhouse Charm: 5 Decorating Essentials

    When you think of a Victorian greenhouse, you probably imagine ornate finials, a small chair tucked in the corner, and glass walls showcasing a sunrise with promise. Roses may grow in beds nearby, and perhaps a cat or two wanders the gardens, waiting to rush inside and nip at the plants.

    A Victorian greenhouse isn’t just a functional structure for controlled growing; it’s a mood that transports you to a simpler time and leisurely lifestyle, inviting you to stop and smell the roses. Originally symbols of luxury and botanical curiosity, these enchanting structures housed exotic plants and created year-round gardens, making them as much about beauty as function.

    Ready to create your Victorian greenhouse escape? Incorporate these essentials to capture that timeless elegance. These five tips will have you searching flea markets and nurseries for charming additions to your retreat.

    5 Must-Haves for Every Victorian Greenhouse

    Lighting

    Whether you run power to your greenhouse or rely on candles, nothing says elegance like a touch of crystal. A vintage crystal chandelier reflects light onto glazed pots and petals, creating a luminous effect under the moonlight. Many people also string twinkle lights for an enchanting glow. If fire risk or power access is a concern, opt for a candelabra with battery-operated candles. However you let light in.  it’s one of the most impactful ways to add Victorian charm to your glass house.

    Chair

    Whether a rocking chair, old wooden stool, or patinaed patio settee, every Victorian greenhouse needs a place to rest to survey your growing plants. An antique piece adds character but avoid putting anything too sentimental or valuable in a greenhouse unless you’re okay with potential damage from moisture.

    Rug

    A printed rug adds personality to your Victorian greenhouse without costing a fortune. You can thrift or shop for an antique Persian wool rug, but affordable waterproof options are also effective for greenhouse chores. Muted hues add Old World style, and round shapes balance a square or rectangular greenhouse frame. A rug adds beauty underfoot and offers a cozy nap spot for furry friends to rest.

    Gardening tools and kitsch

    No greenhouse is complete without gardening tools for planting, watering, or adding charm. Look for brass and copper hangers, soap stone sinks, raised beds, kitschy gardening signs, enamel or galvanized watering cans, old garden tools, and wooden tool caddies to organize your implements.

    kim's greenhouse sign

    Shelves and tables

    Whether attached to the greenhouse or freestanding, shelving is essential for function. Get creative with salvaged dressers or writing tables, and use baskets for twine, gloves, and seed packets—a tiny stained-glass lamp on top casts warm rainbows that invite onlookers in.

    Have fun with seasonal decorations too such as pumpkins for Halloween, Christmas lights, and shade cloths. With plenty of space to tend plants and seedlings, you’ll create a greenhouse where imagination blooms.

    Shop for a Victorian Greenhouse

    Decorating a Victorian greenhouse adds extra fun, but ensuring it is structurally sound and made from quality materials is key to long-term enjoyment of your greenhouse.

    Explore our Janssens line of Victorian greenhouses and contact one of our partners to start your greenhouse journey. Thinking about a custom greenhouse? We can do that, too. Use our greenhouse configurator tool to design a charming, antique-inspired space ready for all your special touches.

  • Why Every Family Needs a Kitchen Compost Pail

    Why Every Family Needs a Kitchen Compost Pail

    Whether you’re new to composting or what some may call a master of the science, a kitchen compost pail is a must-have product for collecting kitchen scraps for your compost pile, where they can begin the next step of decomposition.

    Few gems in gardening can compare to the benefits of compost. The organic material improves your soil and diverts organic waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and methane production, a major contributor to climate change. Composting is good for the planet and is a sustainable way to feed your garden and plants with homegrown goodness, which some call “Black Gold.”

    How can you incorporate composting into your gardening routine, and why is it so important for your garden? Together, we will discover the wonders of compost and how it can improve your growing experience.

    The Ancient Roots of Composting

    Composting is as old as time. Long before we knew the dangers of landfills and their environmental effects, our ancestors were practicing composting. The Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Scottish, and Native American cultures reused organic waste (since the Stone Age). Although they may not have relied on products like a kitchen compost pail to make scrap collection easier, they still took natural resources such as fish, manure, fish waste, and plant materials to fertilize their crops.

    What Is Compost? Nature’s Gift

    When organic materials, such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen waste, break down over time, they become compost. Appropriately layered in a composting pile or a bin, the material slowly turns into a nutrient-rich addition that should be mixed into garden beds and potted plants to help grow healthy plants. While fertilizer adds nutrients to support plant growth, compost provides nutrients and improves soil structure and health.

    The Benefits of Composting

    Composting is a very basic process. You can put yard clippings into a pile and let nature do the rest in its own time. Compost will happen, yet it will happen very, very slowly. However, when you provide a balanced diet for the organisms that do the work of composting, you speed up the entire process. 

    Composting is a great way to deal with kitchen scraps and yard waste. It keeps that material out of the landfill, which is better for everyone. Not only that, it makes fantastic soil. Think of it as a vitamin boost for your garden. 

    Compost also helps the soil hold onto water, so you don’t have to water your plants as often. And it’s like a party for the soil’s helpful little bacteria and fungi. They munch on the organic matter and turn it into this super-rich food that plants love. 

    Why Use a Kitchen Compost Pail?

    Not all kitchen compost pails are created equal. While some gardeners opt for a regular lidded coffee can to store kitchen scraps, a kitchen compost pail with a lid and a filter reduces odors.

    A kitchen compost pail with a one-to-two-gallon capacity is a good size for the average household, making collecting kitchen scraps easy. By the time it is full of kitchen scraps, apple peelings, old lettuce leaves, tea bags, etc., it’s time for it to go into your outdoor compost bin, where it will mature. Too big of a container, and it’s likely to attract fruit flies.

    If you have children, add emptying the compost pail to one of their household chores to help foster sustainability. Being a good steward of the earth means living responsibly and protecting our valuable resources to minimize waste and ensure a healthy planet for future generations. Small steps like utilizing a kitchen compost bin to collect your scraps are just one thing you can do to make a difference.  

    What to Compost

    Compost may be made up of “brown waste,” such as leaves and branches, or “green waste,” such as fruit and vegetable scraps. The ideal mix is 2/3 “browns” and 1/3 “greens”.

    • Vegetables
    • Tea/coffee
    • Nutshells
    • Eggshells
    • Fruit
    • Houseplants
    • Paper napkins

    What Not to Compost

    • Sawdust from treated wood
    • Grease & oil
    • Meat
    • Fish
    • Bones
    • Dairy products
    • Pet droppings
    • Diseased or insect-infested plants
    • Weeds with seeds
    • Ashes

    Embrace the Power of a Kitchen Compost Pail

    Embracing composting in your gardening routine can connect you to ancient practices that promote sustainability and nurture both the plants and the planet. Composting is a tradition that has stood the test of time in gardening. Start composting today and watch your garden flourish! Take a look at our kitchen compost pails and outdoor composters and then shop one of our product retailers.

    Keep this age-old tradition alive, and watch your garden thrive and help the environment.