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houseplants

HOME DECOR, HOME STYLING

3 Tips for Turning Houseplants into Decor Statements

3-tips-for-turning-houseplants-into-decor-statements

Keeping houseplants is a great hobby – but there’s a difference between a hobby and a decor statement. A weird assortment of greenery in even more assorted pots isn’t going to cut it – even if the plants themselves are really quite pretty. If you hope to combine arty decor with indoor gardening, here are the tips you need to make your plants into indoor features that will be noticed!

Indoor Kitchen Gardens With Flair

Food gardening and urban farming are enormously trendy right now, and there’s a special something about being able to pick fresh herbs, berries, and greens right in your kitchen and fresh for the pot.

There are some truly awesome and innovative high-tech indoor planters out there. They’re good-looking and they even look after the plants themselves! That’s great if you have a busy lifestyle and don’t have much time to care for your indoor kitchen garden. There are even planters that you can hang on walls like pictures! Just remember that most edibles like good light, so choose a site near a bright window or use grow lights.

Choose the Right Plants and Pots for Visual Effect

Think of plants in interior decor much as you would sculptures or paintings. One big, truly striking one will look way better than a ton of little ones dotted around all over the place. Sure, that one plant is going to cost more, but you can go big and beautiful! 

Choose plants with a strong sculptural effect. A stately potted palm can change the entire atmosphere of a room. Or, you can go for beautifully groomed Yuccas or Dragon Trees for an up-to-the-minute look. Round off your indoor gardening choices with stylish containers. Plain-Jane plastic pots are out. Choose attractive ceramics, terracotta, or brass.

What to Do About Drainage Water

Back in the day, drainage water presented a huge problem for indoor gardeners. Traditionally, you’d have a pot with a drainage saucer. The alternative was no drainage at all. For the former idea, you had to empty the excess water from the saucers before it turned into a stinking mess. In the latter case, watering became a fine art with root rot as a real danger to your success. 

Nowadays, you can get beautiful hydroponic systems that recirculate water or semi-hydroponic containers that store it in a reservoir beneath the plant. I’d suggest the first of these for kitchen gardens and smaller houseplants, while the semi-hydroponic pots will work well for the big, showy house plants we talked about earlier. Most of them come with a nifty little watering indicator that tells you just when you need a top-up. It’s low tech, but it works!

Indoor Houseplants Make You Feel Good: Try It!

If the idea of having an indoor oasis doesn’t excite you, the psychological benefits might! Research into our natural affinity for plants concludes that they reduce stress, make us more productive, and can even help to keep us in healthier physical condition. And, let’s face it, you’re going to feel awesome about adding a sprig or two of fresh, homegrown herbs to your cookery even if that’s all you grow!

SHOP FAUX PLANT OPTIONS…

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HOME DECOR, HOME STYLING, TRENDS

All About the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

fiddle-leaf-fig-tree

Have you noticed these Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees? They are everywhere! check out Instagram, Pinterest, Design magazines and home decor TV shows – this tree is trending!

So What is a Fiddle Leaf Fig?

This tree is known as a flowering tree in a tropical rain forest setting – but they have since been adopted as an indoor houseplant and that version doesn’t produce fruit (figs). As a house plant, these beauties do best in temperate climates. It’s called a ‘fiddle leaf’ because of it’s broad leaves that are shaped like a lyre or a fiddle.

How to care for your Fiddle Leaf fig tree?

Like all plants this variety needs watering but only water it once the soil is dry.  How often it needs water depends on the climate and surroundings. So keep checking your soil and water when dry.  The fiddle leaf fig needs light but not direct sunlight. Their broad leaves can get very dusty so yes, dust your plant with a soft cloth to keep it clean!

Why are fiddle leaf fig trees so popular right now?

There doesn’t seem to be a real reason for why this plant has grown in popularity recently.  These plants have been around for a long time but they are really emerging in home decor lately. Like other home decor trends we see these in flowers and plants, too.  I remember when Gerber Daisies were all the rage! This plant has a great sculptural presence, the green is very vibrant and it works well with the neutral, minimal and Scandinavian styles that are really popular right now.  It adds a great texture and visual elements and adds a wonderful contrast with the lighter tone walls e are seeing a lot of right now.

How and where to decorate with the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree?

This plant is a great space filler for a corner that needs a little something.  The beautiful shade of green and the oversized leaves add a visual interest to any room.  These look great in living rooms and bedrooms.  Try using a beautiful pot or contain to keep your fiddle leaf fig tree, these woven baskets look great but so do clean looking clay pots.  It dresses it up a bit more than plastic pot you find in the garden store.

Where can you purchase a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree?

You might be fortunate enough to have access to these lovely plants in a local nursery or home garden shop but we have also found some online options where they can be shipped directly to your home.

This is a great option from Amazon – it measures 3 – 3.5′ high and yes, it’s real!

 

Another great affordable option from Wayfair – a favourite home decor shopping destination – because they really do have everything!

This option is another economical choice, you have height options – and you can select your planter style too!

 

What do you think of this tropical and trending houseplant?

 

SHOP PLANTS FOR THE HOME…

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Guest Bloggers, OUR FAVOURITES

The 5 Best Houseplants to Grow Indoors

5-best-houseplants-grow-indoors

We are so thrilled to welcome our Guest Blogger – Marnie Bennett!

Houseplants are a great way to improve the look of any room in your home. They add a bit of nature to your indoor space and can make a room feel warm and inviting. There are also health benefits to incorporating plants into your house; they can remove toxins from the air and help protect you against allergens. If you’re a recent first-time home buyer or live in a condo in a busy Ottawa neighbourhood, you may not have the time or adequate space to grow an entire outdoor garden.

In this case, houseplants are a nice alternative. They allow you to satisfy your green thumb and still explore the benefits of home gardening without demanding all of your free time. These five plants are ideal for smaller spaces like apartments and condos where natural sunlight is often limited. They are hardy and difficult to kill which is perfect if you don’t have the time to care for a large outdoor garden or if you are new to home gardening and aren’t quite sure where to start.

  1. ZZ plant-

     

    The ZZ plant is a great choice if your new Ottawa condo doesn’t get a lot of sunlight. It can thrive in indirect light and only needs to be watered three times a month. It grows slowly so you don’t have to worry about it claiming a space for its own. It doesn’t attract pests which is a concern for a lot of first-time home buyers; after finally establishing yourself as a homeowner, the last thing you want is for pests to move in with you! The ZZ plant is stylish and exotic looking with beautiful glossy green leaves that will brighten up any room in your house.

  2. Snake Plant –

    The snake plant, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, is a very popular plant for those who have the tendency to unwillingly neglect their indoor plants. These plants are extremely tolerant and forgiving. Snake plants do best in the sun, but they can also survive quite well in the shade. They need to be watered every two weeks and prefer under-watering to over-watering. Many people choose this plant for its sculptural appearance and long, green leaves. As an added bonus, the snake plant converts CO2 at night so it’s the ideal plant for a bedroom. It has other health benefits as well such as removing toxins like formaldehyde and benzene from the air.

  3. Pothos –

    Many first-time homebuyers who quickly realize they have a less-than-green thumb opt for the pothos plant, also known as Devil’s Ivy. It is easy to care for and adds a warm, welcoming touch to any room. It is also adept at purifying the air from harmful toxins. It can thrive in low light and does well with a weekly watering. Pothos plants are ideal for hanging because they are a trailing vine that can grow up to six feet indoors. However, you can prune it to your desired length and shape if you prefer a smaller, more robust-looking plant. It adds a beautiful touch of lush greenery to your home and can be a great accent piece to your new Ottawa condo or house.

  4. Lucky Bamboo –

    According to Feng Shui advocates, a lucky bamboo plant has the power to bring peace, strength, and luck into a home (a great combination for first-time home buyers!). It’s an inexpensive plant and very easy to care for. It prefers low light or shade and you simply have to change the water once every two weeks for it to survive. If you notice the leaves losing their vibrant green colour, it may be getting too much sunlight. It adds a modern look to your house and an element of architectural design. With all of these benefits plus the power to remove negative energy from your home, the lucky bamboo plant is the perfect choice to explore your interest in home gardening.

  5. Peace Lily –

    If you want some flowers mixed in with your foliage, consider adding a peace lily plant to your home. This plant has long, dark leaves and elegant white flowers. Its compact size is a perfect fit for small spaces and it doesn’t require too much sun. If its leaves turn yellow, it’s best to move it farther away from the window. It also doesn’t need to be watered frequently and it will tell you when it needs re-hydration by bending its leaves downward. With its ability to purify the air, the peace lily plant is another great option for improving indoor air quality.

    With all of these great options, there’s no reason why you can’t cultivate a home garden in your new house. Even if you don’t have the space, time, or expertise to grow an outdoor garden, you can enjoy all of the benefits of adding greenery to your home with some hardy indoor plants.

    Have fun experimenting and enjoy your new indoor garden!

    Read more of Marnie’s blog here

SHOP PLANTS, POTS AND PLANTERS….

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