5 Tips for Decorating with Plants

The entire reason that I use plants in my personal home decor is that my husband has a vision; and that vision is that he lives in an actual forest. When we moved in together he talked about wanting an entire room just completely filled with plants. I think if I could figure out how to do it he would really enjoy plants covering the entire ceiling. Now mind you his vision is to live among the plants, not care for the plants – that is left entirely to me. Because I am a perfectionist and must succeed at every task I set out to do I was bereft when I was not an immediate star student of plant mothering. Sadly some of my early guys did not make it despite many late night google searches and herculean efforts to try and revive them. So here I would like to help you avoid some of my pitfalls of plant decor and perhaps fulfill your own visions of living in a forest.

1. Start Small

If you have never been a plant parent my recommendation is to start with one or two plants that are a sure thing – don’t go straight to a giant tree and don’t get thirty two plants on your first trip to the plant shop. (although tempting – DON’T DO IT!)

2. Do your research

BEFORE going to purchase a plant decide the exact plant you are looking for. You want a plant that works with the lighting of your space and the amount of care you are willing to provide. You know yourself – are you a routine person? Do you know you can, without fail check the plants one consistent day each week and water them appropriately? Or are you a person who has less of a routine or travels a lot and can’t necessarily commit to a schedule of care? Answering these questions can help you narrow down the plant you want to start with. Again, I advise against going to the plant shop without a plan because those people will make you think you can’t kill anything…”Oh yes this plant is SO easy” said the woman who sold me my first fiddle leaf fig tree. She went on to say “I drag mine into the shower about once a week and give it a good rinse and honestly it just does so well – really low maintenance. Ok ma’am first of all in all of your sorcery I did not ask the hard hitting questions like “how are you dragging this enormous thing into your shower??? Do you have a team of people??? When it isn’t dragged into your shower is it literally right beside the shower???” Needless to say I get my fiddle home and had to repot him three times and get a special kind of pot no less that would be better for breathability – it was a whole thing. So in short – those plant people are experts – this is their life! Of course it is easy peasy for them~ don’t fall for it! Go in with a plan!

Some recommendations of good starter plants:

Each of these guys is pretty tough to kill. I’m not saying you can’t – you might be that talented – I am saying these will put up with a lot of neglect in every way. None of these three seem to mind how much sun they get, they don’t seem to care about the pot you home them in and they don’t complain too much if you forget to water them here and there. My snake plant is in my office and sometimes I wonder how long its been since I watered him, his soil is crumbly dry and still he soldiers on green as ever!

3. Propagate

This is hands down one of my FAVORITE ways to use plants in decor. So what is propagation? It is taking a cutting off of a parent plant and making a new plant. The fun thing here is once you get more and more plants you can just try out cuttings from whatever you have and see how it does. If you choose to leave your plants in the propagation container they will just live in the water with exposed roots. I suggest changing out the water every one to two weeks but otherwise they are so easy. You can also take the rooted plant and pot it in soil once the root is at least 1-2 inches long.

Try searching propagation vases and you will see all of your options for decorating with these beauties! There are fantastic options for your countertop or tabletop and really interesting ways to hang propagation vases from the wall creating your own living art.

4. Terrariums

Terrariums are a great choice for you to decorate with if you want something super low maintenance that will still make a lively statement in your room. The great thing about a Terrarium is that you can find containers in a variety of designs and styles to match your aesthetic. Pairing two or more together in a grouping of differing styles can create a really unique statement in your room.

Personally I have always had someone build my Terrariums for me (I am lucky enough to have a Terrarium Guy on speed dial) if you don’t have your own Terrarium Guy you can research local garden centers and plant shops, many will have them pre-made and many even offer classes to build your own.

5. Add Height with Trees

If you are looking to create some height and visual interest perhaps in a dull corner of a room trees are the way to go. I already covered my first experience with a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree and it was definitely a journey. I am happy to say 6 years and one house move later this tree is thriving (and huge). Fiddle Leaf Fig does notoriously come up as an ‘easy to care for’ plant. It can be if you are a person who enjoys plant care. This guy wants bright but indirect light (the leaves will burn and get crusty with too much direct sun) and a good slow water minimally once a week (more during hot months).

So I say to you again – if you are looking to accent with trees the result will be lovely but only if you choose the RIGHT tree for your care personality and space. It is also important to select the right pot for your tree both in size, material and drainage capability (I recommend a drain pan underneath to save floors)

A few interesting options to start with:

The Parlor Palm can handle a little neglect living in low and unfiltered light and could go bi-weekly between watering. (this is also considered a pet friendly plant)

The Dumb Cane will grow about 5 feet tall so not overly huge (this is also a good one to try propagating with!) He can also handle a bi-weekly watering schedule but will want bright indirect light.

The Dragon Tree will grow about 6 ft tall wants low bright light or medium indirect light and also can handle the bi-weekly water schedule (and won’t mind if you even forget a few time). This tree does have a vast root system so make sure you choose a large enough plant to accommodate (and you may need to repot as he grows)

Now Go Get Started!

I hope you feel inspired and armed with some information to accent your home with plants. Honestly once you experience the lush greenery brightening your space there is nothing quite like it. Not only that you are doing yourself a favor by improving your health and wellbeing just by having plants in your home (a well documented fact).