Who says it’s one plant per pot? Creative combos can spice up any room
I take off collecting houseplantsin 1979 , right about the time I found James Underwood Crockett ’s houseplant ledger , Crockett ’s Indoor Garden , at a garage sale for 50 cents . I was a college kid living in my first meagerly flat with a few cuttings of philodendron , pothos , and grape ivy , taken from my mom ’s breakfast corner , live on a windowsill . Crockett ’s book became my works Holy Writ , as I got started on houseplants and modernize my love for plants in worldwide .
As my works collection grew , however , I see there was n’t enough indoor tangible estate to oblige them all , and I started layering multiple plants together in one pot . Because of this layering , I agnize that many houseplant , often from tropical line of descent , in reality thrive when planted together because of the additional humidity that is get . I also get to learn each plant life ’s ethnical needs and what plants cohabitate best together .
Making houseplant combinations is like creating a still - life painting — only they are not still . They originate — something to view when choose plants . I am able to use my creative power and pair texture , semblance , and sizing — all while possess the plant take up less square footage in the room . This allows me to have more plants , which delights the collector in me . Easy - care houseplants heighten a room ’s decor . And after act upon several hours a 24-hour interval , come home to a welcoming green infinite can be essential to keeping you connected to nature .
Clean air is just a houseplant away
One of the healthy matter you could do for your home is fill it with houseplants . They not only sum life story to a way but also take out something you do n’t desire : toxic gasses . But not all indoor plants are created adequate . A study , conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America , fink some houseplants as more efficient than others at removing toxin . Check out a few of the top - rated clean - air plants boast in these jazz group .
Even houseplants need adequate luminousness . Consider matter like the direction that the sun comes into your nursing home , what sort of overhang your house has , and the shade from trees or buildings . All of these things — as well as blinds , ultraviolet windowpane protection , and deciduous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( which furnish more Light Within in fall and winter)—can transfer your lighting billet . To get the right amount of light , however , you first have to understand the three basic character of houseplant inflammation needs :
Know your indoor plants’ lighting needs
• Low - light plantswill do well in a magnetic north - look window as they do not require any direct sun . Plants can also be identify in the interior of a elbow room with restrained light from eastern , westerly , or southern exposures .
• Medium- or hopeful indirect – Christ Within plantslike an east- or a west - facing windowpane or should be placed at least 2 invertebrate foot away from a south - look windowpane . A western exposure require to provide collateral twinkle through the morning and other afternoon ; if it receives more intense luminosity and becomes hotter in the good afternoon , post the plant farther into the room .
• mellow - light plantsshould be place in a south - face window that provides the brightest light conditions for the foresighted time each Clarence Shepard Day Jr. or in an unobstructed Rebecca West - facing window that catch up to four to six hours of direct light in the good afternoon . check that to check folio for sunscald , and rotate pots for even plant growth .
A little chartreuse adds a lot of life
This Gallic terra - cotta throne was a pleasure to satisfy with classic houseplants that have been kicked up a notch . Two updated versions of reliable philodendrons not only are easy to care for but also offer a bright backdrop of color , which highlights the prayer plant and the dracaena .
Using the galvanized fleur - de - lis pot treillage as financial support , ‘ Golden Erubescens ’ philodendron creates a spring of prosperous light ; it modernise red stem turn and petioles for an extra layer of interest group .
With the current hysteria for yellow green - foliaged works , ‘ Aureum ’ philodendron delivers a tawdry show than a traditional trailing philodendron .
The chartreuse brings out the bright greenish midvein of ‘ Marisela ’ prayer plant and the spots on the leaves of ‘ Florida Beauty ’ dracaena . Stabilizing all that action - pack foliage is a glossy , exquisitely - leaved ‘ Austral Gem ’ asplenium fern , afford the eye a place to rest for a moment .
1.‘Austral Gem ’ asplenium fern(Asplenium‘Austral Gem ’ )
2.‘Florida Beauty ’ dracaena(Dracaena surculosa‘Florida Beauty ’ )
3.‘Marisela ’ entreaty plant(Maranta leuconeura‘Marisela ’ )
4.‘Golden Erubescens ’ philodendron(Philodendron erubescens‘Golden Erubescens ’ )
5.‘Aureum ’ philodendron•••(Philodendron scandens‘Aureum ’ )
light term : burnished , indirect light
Lush greenery takes you to the tropics
This hand-crafted terra - cotta pot inspired a plant life combination that look like it could be found on a windswept beachfront after a storm . The plants are the more - exciting first cousin of essay - and - on-key stalwart of the indoor garden .
These plants can survive being watered once a week — with one exception : the Boston fern . When I have a plant that necessitate more water than the residuum in a jazz group , I care to put a few grime polymers straight off under it to keep that division of soil consistently moist .
1.‘Tweed ’ anthurium(Anthurium‘Tweed ’ )
2.‘China Star ’ form - atomic number 26 plant(Aspidistra fungilliformis‘China Star ’ )
3.‘Jade ribbon ’ plaster cast - iron plant(Aspidistra caespitosa‘Jade Ribbons ’ )
4.‘Bonnie ’ spider plant(Chlorophytum comosum‘Bonnie ’ )
5.‘Ellen Danica ’ oak tree leaf ivy(Cissus rhombifolia‘Ellen Danica ’ )
6.‘Camouflage ’ mute cane(Dieffenbachia‘Camouflage ’ )
7.‘Rita ’s Gold ’ Boston Fern(Nephrolepis exaltata‘Rita ’s Gold ’ )
Lighting conditions : Average , collateral luminousness
Spice it up with a crazy combo
This combining delivers pattern with a puncher — like a softheaded uncle at a hymeneals wearing mismatched plaid , stripes , and polka dots who somehow manages to draw out off the whole looking at with panache .
The old - fashioned Tradescantia acts as the workhorse , covering ground beneath the begonia , creep fig , and fern . The blue tones found in many of the leaves complement the burgundy underside of three of the plants . The plants ’ multiple colour and patterns might be too much in a jazz band , but the soft texture of the feathery blue fern and the midnight blue devil glazed Mary Jane create a frame for all that foliage dramatic event .
1.‘Mandianum ’ Bear ’s paw fern(Polypodium aureum‘Mandianum ’ )
2.‘Brazilian Lady ’ Begonia(Begonia‘Brazilian Lady ’ )
3.‘Fireworks ’ rex begonia(Begonia‘Fireworks ’ )
4.Variegated creeping fig(Ficus pumila‘Variegata ’ )
5.Tradescantia(Tradescantia zebrina‘Tricolor ’ )
Blue-toned plants make a splash
This bathroom with western exposure provides unlimited industrial plant choice with its bright , collateral , late - day Dominicus that filters into the room . A seaside - prompt interior decoration , in shade of creamy taupe and aquamarine , set the stage for soft , blue - tone up industrial plant . ‘ Silver Satin ’ pothos lazily climbs up an aged - fuzz pot treillage , while pilea spills like tumbling water over the bound of a beige - washed pinstripe pot . The compounding not only elegantly complements the interior decoration but also console the soul of the house proprietor because it provides beauty but needs piddling care .
1.‘Silver Satin ’ pothos(Epipremnum aureum‘Silver Satin ’ )
2.Pilea(Pilea glauca )
source
The following mail - society plant sellers propose the wide-eyed selection of the houseplants featured :
• Asiatica baby’s room , Lewisberry , Pa. ; 717 - 938 - 8677 ; www.asiaticanursery.com
• Glasshouse Works , Stewart , Ohio ; 740 - 662 - 2142 ; www.glasshouseworks.com
• Logee ’s Tropical Plants , Danielson , Conn. ; 888 - 330 - 8038 ; www.logees.com
Julia Hofley ’s houseplants partake in her rest home in Bloomfield Hills , Michigan .
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