The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Interiors The no-fuss guide to embracing houseplants. By Jessica Doyle
Be a plant pro
Houseplants have never been hotter property. Follow our guide to creating your own indoor jungle. By Jessica Doyle
Long before lockdown, houseplants had emerged as one of the dominant interiors trends of recent years. A desire to reconnect with nature in an increasingly digitalised world, coupled with a greater focus on well-being in general – not to mention the fact that a plant is one of the cheapest ways to add instant impact to a room – resulted in a resurgence of Swiss cheese plants, leafy ferns and succulents in every part of the house. When quarantine became a reality, and gardening the number-one national pastime, their style status only increased: Google searches for houseplants are up more than 300 per cent since March.
For a novice gardener, choosing houseplants – and keeping them alive – can be an intimidating prospect. But as the new breed of ‘plant influencers’ on social media (and their legions of followers) can attest, dipping a toe into the waters of indoor gardening often leads to a lifelong addiction, and one that can only have a positive effect on you.
For inspiration, take a look at the plant-filled London home of Jamie Song on Instagram: his hundreds of specimens decorate almost every surface, including the ceiling.
‘For those who have only justembraced indoor plants, I would recommend Zamioculcas zamiifolia “Raven”, which has stunning black foliage,’ he says. ‘It only requires watering once a month and it can tolerate shade as well. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) is another excellent choice for those just starting their indoor gardens. It comes in many colours and is also low-maintenance and can tolerate some shade.’
Choosing a plant that will make a statement is one way to ensure you’ll look after it. ‘For plant enthusiasts with high ceilings, there is nothing like a hanging plant to make a visual impact,’ says Song. ‘Rainforest cacti such as Rhipsalis are ideal to create that indoor-jungle look. For those with regular ceilings, a small indoor tree such as a Ficus can be the focal point in any room in the house.’
Can live inside or out
Igor Josifovic and Judith de Graaff, aka @urbanjungleblog, have racked up a million followers on Instagram, where they post pictures of plant-filled interiors from around the world. In their new book, Plant Tribe (Abrams, £25), they reveal some of their favourite styling tricks.
CREATE A PLANT GANG Gather your plants in a group, like a family photo: the taller ones at the back, the children in the front. And remember the famous styling trick: uneven numbers work best when displaying several items together.
PLAY WITH HEIGHT A potted plant may look all right on the floor, but if you place it on a stool or a pile of magazines, it acquires height and becomes more impressive. Create a room divider by placing your plants in a stand or a plant box with legs.
HANG PLANTS
This creates a nice dynamic in a room without taking up precious floor space. If your ceiling can’t tolerate the weight, you can hang your plants from a curtain rod in front of a window, or run a metal wire between two walls.
GROUP PLANTS BY TYPE If you love particular types of plants, such as cacti or tropical aroids, gather them together instead of scattering them around the house. Pairing plants with similar care needs makes looking after them easier, too.
MAKE A PLANT SHELFIE A shelf filled with personal trinkets and a variety of plants is fun. Mix plants that grow up with others that grow down, use a plant as a paperweight on a pile of books, add a nice candle or a travel souvenir… The options are endless.