All you need to pot a plant

These photos were, again, taken at night. A big thank you to my friend who stayed & took them for me while I occupied myself with the plants.

Here're the items I used for re-potting:
Organic compost, my hand shovel & pair of scissors, Japanese loose tea bags, medium-sized kitchen bag, the plant I intend to re-pot and my new container from Ikea.

Trimming the kitchen bag. 

Ripping the tea bag and laying it flat.

First, I trim the bag so it fits nicely in the container. Then, I poke a few holes at the base of the bag and use it to line the container. Then I prepare to line the base with the tea bag that I've ripped open. I use it as a base, primarily to minimize the loss of soil while ensuring that excess water can drain easily.

This is what the base of the bag should look like after it's lined with the tea bag. 

I start filling the bag with soil once the prep-work is done. I usually use a mix of potting soil, compost and the mixed soil I get from nurseries. You might want to research the type of soil your plant favours. My orchids tend to have little to no soil - I use just charcoal because orchid roots are sensitive to the amount of water they sit in. Too much and they start rotting.

Filling the bag with soil. 

This time, I am re-potting the false heather I bought from Ikea. The plants you get from nurseries, supermarkets and Ikea usually come in unattractive plastic pots. Some people choose to keep the plants in those pots and place them in more decorative ceramic pots. I usually re-pot mine, primarily so they have a bigger space to grow and also because I like having more than one type of plant in each pot.

Placing the heather to the left of the pot.

I've trimmed some branches off my lemon-balm and in the picture, you'll notice that I've cleared off most of the leaves, leaving just some at the top and a nearly bare stem. These stems are then inserted into the soil. Once they're where I want them to be, I place them in the sunniest spot of the house and wait for those lemon balm to take root and the false heather to adapt to its new home.

Newly potted greens

If you're adventurous and would like to try growing a plant from seed, just be sure to follow the instructions given at the back of the pack. Seed packets are sold in all supermarkets that have a plant section and of course, in the nurseries. They usually feature a picture of the plant in bloom or with fruit and clear instructions on care for the plant.

A periwinkle seed packet. 

The seeds come in a sealed packet. 

Here I have a sample of periwinkle seeds. The outer package is usually paper while the seeds are contained in a sealed bag within. If you have a bag of seeds but don't intend to plant all of them at once, make sure you seal the inner bag again. Otherwise, you'll find it hard for your leftover seeds to germinate when you eventually decide to plant them.

Gardening can be as easy or as tedious as you want it to be. If you're an amateur like me, there's no harm in starting out simple!