Last year we talked about winterising, overwintering pots, and even made a wintering checklist. But what if you want to keep plants in the winter to eat, yet live in a city with very little in the way of space? Urban Farmer offers up some great tips, such as planting on the north side, using a burlap screen, and proper watering technique. Nikki Jabbour has a fancy, spacious setup that anyone in their right mind would covet.

But you? As an urbanite, you’re often lucky to have a small patch to call a porch, let alone space for two cold-weather ready huts to house a delicious assortment of veggies. You’re lucky if you don’t fight yourself choosing which herbs to grow in the window baskets this year.

Don’t despair. We savvy urbanites have options. 

For the inside space, there is inspiration aplenty to be found in home décor magazines, Pinterest, and your own creative ways. Don’t be discouraged by the barrage of succulents in airy rooms with pristine surroundings. Instead, think about how you can work in some of the inspiration that moves you into your own surroundings.

For example, the slide show above shows standard plants in great design ideas. That evergreen in a topiary shape? See and smell the rosemary you’ll plant instead. The hanging plants would make an interesting variant in the topsy turvy baskets used to grow hanging tomato and pepper varieties.

Getting creative is part of the fun, especially when you’ve got to play with the rules of light inside your abode.

But what if you are strictly an out of doors gardener?

Well, there your options are limited by what your landlords allow or what the homeowner’s association is willing to work with. There are so many inspirational ideas to draw from, so that will be another post. However, start dreaming now in this bitter cold of winter to plot and plan your landscape for early spring.

Your turn. 

What inspires you? What is your favourite décor trick? And what will you be trying this year?