Plants in your house

During and since lockdown houseplants have definitely gained popularity. Maybe during lockdown we wanted to do something other than watch Netflix, or maybe it’s this idea of nurturing something or trying to get the outside in. Whatever the idea plants in your house have become even more popular over the last few years. Some say the millennials have revived the houseplant again or maybe it is social media or maybe both?

Anyway, whatever the reason I’m also a lover of houseplants and agree that there are many benefits to looking after houseplants but that it is also beneficial to any interior design. It makes a space look more inviting and appealing. I always think if your eye cannot see a hint of the colour green in a space, it is unbalanced, unfinished.

We grew up in a house where there were always plants. My mom, who grew up in the Netherlands, was the daughter of a ‘tuinder’ or a horticulturist, so she definitely has green fingers. I remember her often being busy in the garden – planting, harvesting, watering. She is a great source of knowledge when it comes to plants and flowers and they have a very special place in her heart to this day.

 

Houseplants not only help make your interior look beautiful, but also have many benefits including purifying the air. During lockdown I had more time to investigate some houseplants. I bought – online – a few and also grew some (with various rates of success) from plant cuttings and seeds. So, here are three plant species that I really love and think would look great in any house:

Devil’s Ivy – Pothos (Scindapsus aureum)

I remember this one as a child. My mom had it high up on a cupboard or bookshelf. I think there were a few around the house. It is one of the easiest house plants. From my experience it will grow in almost any room where there is enough light (not direct sunlight) and in a room with an average temperature. Also water sparingly.

I bought a very small plant and it has been growing steadily, so I have high hopes that it will have a long trail in the near future. You can also make it a climbing plant that grows along wires or a pole, but I would think cascading from a hanging basket, or from a mantel piece, or on a high shelf will always look fabulous.

There are different varieties with smaller and bigger leaves and also different colour greens. Devil’s Ivy gets its name because of its distinguishing trait that it is almost impossible to kill. Just the kind of houseplant anyone needs.

 

Spider Plant – (Chlorophytum)

I have to say the name is not the most enticing, but I got over that when I realise how giving this plant is. I bought it as a baby plant and it has grown gloriously big. Even getting tiny little star-shaped flowers. Apparently when these flowers fall off tiny plantlets form in their place which will then grow their own roots and in effect make another plant. I found them easy to care for, gave it a lot of water initially which I’m sure helped the growth. In the winter it isn’t necessary to water too much. You don’t want the roots to be constantly wet because then the plant can rot.

 

Again, it will look great anywhere in the house with enough light and a moderate temperature. There are four different types of spider plants (not that I knew that initially) including the Vittatum (like mine in the picture) where the leave has a white middle and then the Variegatum where the leave has white margins. These plants are really very rewarding houseplants.

String of Nickels (Dischidia nummularia)

Also a trailing house plant, this is just a beautiful plant. Unlike the other two I mentioned, this one was a bit harder to figure out. It definitely needs low light and not full light. What happened when the plant got too much light is that the leaves all turned white, almost bleached. I read up and realised they are a type of orchid and need low light. When you know that, it becomes easier to look after them although keep in mind that they are very delicate plants. Keep the plant moist, but again be careful to over-water.

Any trailing houseplant will also look gorgeous in a some kind of hanging pot plant holder as well.

Sometimes, if a plant is not growing or looking as healthy as it should, I move it to another spot in the house. Leaving it there for a while I can see how the temperature and light in a specific room will effect its growth. You’ll soon find out where the plant is ‘happy’, because it will start growing and looking really healthy.

 

 

A mister and a small indoor watering can are handy tools for your houseplants and I use them almost daily. The plant mister I got from Sostrene Grene and the watering can from Ikea. They obviously need to be functional, but these two look pretty as well!

 

The variety of houseplants these days is just vast with all the different succulents and cactus plants in addition to all the other types like monsteras, rubber plants and ferns. So, why not do a little research to see what type of greenery you would like in your space, before you get them.

Happy planting.