As the Senior Editor at Gardening Know How, my job has its share of stress in addition to a few perks, this being the opportunity to try out garden-related gadgets and the like. Recently, I was given the chance to try out the GLO GRO LED étagère floor lamp.

Anyone who really knows me wouldn’t be surprised by the fact that, although an avid gardener for well over twenty years, gardening indoors isn’t exactly my strong point. In fact, it’s something to which I’ve always struggled. How can this be? Well, frankly, age and experience doesn’t necessarily translate into expertise with all things gardening. While I may know how to grow plants in the home, my difficulties often come from the fact that I either “love them too much,” meaning I tend to over water (which I’m working on), or they’re not getting enough light – one of the most important aspects of indoor growing.

Lighting is not the greatest in my home, especially during winter when light is most needed. And because of this, my poor houseplants usually succumb to winter blues. Most of the time I have to limit what I grow inside to plants that don’t require as much light, which doesn’t give me a whole lot of options, so when I found out about this GLO GRO lamp, needless to say I was excited.

First comes a little background info. The floor lamp itself is actually quite nice and decorative, just like the company stated. I love that the black base and white linen shade blend in nicely with my décor. And although it’s rather tall, standing at about 71.5 inches (nearly 6 feet), or I could just be short, the lamp isn’t at all intrusive. Normally when you think of grow lamps, you imagine something award and unattractive but, fortunately, this isn’t the case. It was also relatively easy to put together with straightforward instructions and NO tiny pieces to keep track of or loads of tools (just a Phillips-head screwdriver). The lamp includes an integrated timer that allows you set and forget so the 45W LED grow light can come on and turn off when you need it to.

I will admit that when I turned it on the first time, the LED light seemed intense and I was concerned about it becoming too hot, but that isn’t an issue either. It’s not hot at all, warm enough to keep your plants toasty (and cozy enough for me to work sitting next to) and it’s energy efficient too. The ‘lamp’ over top provides additional light with an adjustable 3-way switch.

So far I’m really happy with the GLO GRO lamp. It’s given me the opportunity to grow something different (at the moment my pitiful looking coleus cuttings that I overwintered) and the added bonus of ambient light just where I can use it most – in my office. I also love the fact that I can change it up whenever I want, like once my coleus perks up enough and the weather is more suitable to set it outside, I can choose to grow a lush tropical plant or even some herbs and veggies. Whatever the plant, it will have plenty of room to grow and plenty of light too. FINALLY!