Moving into a new rental property? Even though there isn’t the freedom to make significant changes, you can still make it feel like home.
Check out these canny ways to turn a house into a home with indoor plants. The quickest way to breathe life into a house is with indoor plants, which go with you when you leave.
Making plants a central part of your décor can be as simple as putting pots of colourful flowers (begonias, kalanchoe, orchids) on the coffee table, kitchen counters and windowsills. Use green foliage plants like palms, Ficus, or philodendrons to make a statement, or fill an empty corner (while you save for a couch).
Plants dress up a room, whether it’s the living room, bathroom, kitchen or bedrooms. Plants are living décor that add colour, warmth, and texture. They can act as fillers or features. They purify the air and improve indoor humidity, especially in winter. Their greatest asset is that they can be moved around to create a fresh look whenever you need it. Here are some decorating tips:
Play with numbers
For an informal casual look group plants in odd numbers of three or five. For a symmetrical formal effect use even numbers.
Mix and match
Combining plants of differing heights and width, and with interesting leaf shapes, creates a natural look. For instance, a large-leaved Fiddle-leaf fig provides height and stature, softened with feathery ferns and a lush green Spathiphyllum, to provide a tropical effect.
Use colourful leaves
Foliage plants are becoming more and more colourful. They are attention grabbers. You can use plants with complementary colours together or a single contrasting colour to enhance a collection of green leaved plants.
Decorative pots
Depending on your décor style, use pots with similar colours and textures for a harmonious effect or go eclectic with a variety of pots, baskets and other containers.
Location, location, location
Indoor plants vary in terms of their requirements for light, warmth and humidity. Generally dark leaved plants can tolerate lower light than those with variegated, light green or coloured leaves, that do best with bright light. Flowering indoor plants also need better light, even filtered sun.
When placing plants in a room, it is important to meet their requirements if they are to thrive. This also applies when grouping plants. Some do best with more humidity, while others prefer a dryer environment.
Plants for sunny rooms and windowsills
Rooms with east-facing windows that receive morning sun or north-facing windows that receive more sun in winter and less in summer are generally suitable for plants that like bright light (filtered sun) or bright indirect light.
Plants that like bright light can be placed in front of, or near a window, but not too close in winter because of overnight cold.
Try these: The range of indoor plants that like these conditions include kalanchoe, anthurium, fiddle leaf fig, sansevieria, string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) chrysanthemums, pot roses, curcuma, calla lilies, indoor palms (Areca, bamboo, ponytail) hibiscus, gardenia, jasmine, and succulents.
Plants for moderate light
Indoor plants that like moderate light can take some morning sun from east-facing windows or be placed in north-facing rooms where the light is still bright, but away from direct morning sun or filtered sun. For instance, on a desk, bookcase, table-top, coffee table, dressing room table or bedside table.
Try these: Plants that like these conditions include phalaenopsis, leafy foliage plants like delicious monster, palms, alocasia, philodendrons, Ficus varieties, ferns, peace lily, ZZ plant, golden pothos, birds nest fern, calathea, and peperomia..
Plants for low light
Rooms with south-facing windows generally qualify as low light rooms. These may be bathrooms, bedrooms, studies, or even kitchens. This could include hallways or entrances. Quite a number of plants that grow with medium light, can cope with low light, like the peace lily, sansevieria, ZZ plant, peperomia, anthurium, and pothos, especially if placed in front of a window.
Try these: Aspidistra, ZZ plant, peace lily, bromeliad, peperomia, pothos, staghorn fern, maidenhair fern, anthurium, birds nest fern, delicious monster.
For more information visit www.lvgplant.co.za
TEXT: Alice Coetzee.
