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The way in which you furnish and decorate your home is an expression of your own personality. Houseplants can help you to create your chosen image: whether warm and cottagey, bold and clinical, stylish and elegant, or simply provocative. It does not matter where you have a country cottage, city flat or suburban house, you can use plants to complement your chosen decor.
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Living Rooms
The living room is the place where most people grow their plants. It is likely to be warm and light, with plenty of space to display plants creatively. When choosing plants consider colour, texture and shape. |
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The
living room is where you might want to use an especially beautiful
container as a cache-pot, but if you don't have matching decorative
containers for a group arrangement, improvise. Ordinary plastic pots
and saucers have been wrapped in strips of white cotton fabric for
an eye-catching effect. |
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Grouping
plants in a shallow dish keeps them happy and looks good too. |
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KITCHENS Modern kitchens are usually light, bright and relatively spacious. Plants should thrive here, and there are plenty of opportunities to use them. |
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The
vacant space on top of cupboards can be used for low-growing or trailing
plants, but bear in mind that light levels are often low, trailers
may interfere with opening doors and watering can be difficult. |
Codiaeums
usually do well in a kitchen provided you avoid a position exposed
to cold draughts. |
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Make
the most of the tops of cupboards near the window for trailing plants.
As the plants trail and tumble they enter the zone of better light
and most will thrive there. |
The
windowsill is the first place to fill with plants. Here you can grow
those that need good light, but if the room receives direct sun at
the hottest part of the day you will be restricted tot hose that tolerate
the sun's rays intensified by the glass, such as cacti, succulents
and geraniums. |
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If you adore the heady scent of gardenias, try one on you bedside table. When flowering has finished, move it to a lighter position.
Many bromeliads bought in bloom are discarded after flowering, so they can be used on a table well away from the window. This one is Vriesea spendens. The yellow Celosia plumosa is an inexpensive annual which can be used a a short-term houseplant for a few weeks. |
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Halls
and landings present both problems and opportunities. The light is
often poor, space sometimes cramped and cold blasts from the open
front door in winter, all provide unpromising conditions for plants.
But there are still some that will thrive . If you are a houseplant
enthusiast you'll want to make the most of all the growing space available. |
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If you use white
or pale walls to reflect light, some plants will do quite well, even
away from a window. Here a fewrn makes a statement of elegance in
an area that could otherwise look bare. |
Floor-standing
plants for landings must be chosen with care. Although height is useful,
it is important that tthe plant does not cause an obstruction. Try
to position the plant in a corner. |
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Bathrooms Bathrooms are not the paradise for plants that some people think. Although the humidity is often high, there are drawbacks too, so choose your plants with care. Bathroom plants need more regular grooming than those growing elsewhere. Leaf cleaning, in particular should be done at least once a week. It is best to avoid plants with hairy leaves. Opposite left: The ivy is good for low light levels and the fern appreciates frequent spells of high humidity. |
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Suitable Bathroom Plants Large: fatsia japnonica, Monstera deliciosa, Philodendron bipinnatifidum Trailers: Epipremnum aureum, Philodendron scandens, other small-leafed vines Bushy: Aglaonema species, Aspidistra elatior, Chamaedorea elegans Short-term flowering plants: Chrysanthemum, cyclamen, exacum |
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| Philodendron
scandens is a good choice for trailer, will a Peace Lily (spathiphyllum)
always looks great with its glossy green leaves and white sail-like
flowers. Flowering plants like the cyclamen can be brought in as short-term
plants. |
Use
trailers with imagination. Bathrooms usually have small windows, but
by rotating the plants between rooms periodically you can feature
attractive plant displays in all areas of the home. |
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