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Having g wn up as the daughter of the head ranger at the Kruger National Park, it’s no surprise that Kerryn-Lee Maggs is a passionate nature lover and that her 83m2 two-bedroom apartment in Linden is home to almost 80 plants.
Both her parents had an affection for greenery; Kerryn’s dad is also a botanist and as a young girl, she was always at his heels, trying her best to repeat and remember the Latin plant names he’d mention in conversation.
“Our garden was always so lush and there were plants wherever you looked in our home,” Kerryn recalls. So it was only natural that when she moved into her Linden apartment in early 2018 – a rental that she couldn’t really make her own – she decided to use plants to decorate her space.
“My plant collection began as a solution to fill empty space while I was still buying furniture, but as it grew and the plants flourished, I felt a sense of pride and purpose,” Kerryn says.
As is the case with many of us, she found it wasn’t always easy to keep them alive. “Plenty of plants have come and gone but with that came a need to do the best with what I have and to make sure I understand all the plant dynamics when I introduce new ones,” she says.
Kerryn and a few experts share their tips for successfully caring for indoor plants:
A green theme
In the living area, Kerryn paired plants with a variety of different textures and in varying heights with three large framed botanical prints, tying the nature theme together. The dark parquet floor and wooden furniture provide a beautiful backdrop for these pops of green. She always keeps fresh flowers, such as the red ranunculus in the vase on the dining table, to add colour and has put plants in strategic places throughout her home where they are reflected in mirrors for a “two-for-one effect”. “Before buying plants, analyse your space,” suggests Melissa Lawrence of interior creative agency Studio Melissa Louise. “Consider the various heights at which you can place them in a room. Incorporate different levels with a combination of large potted plants on the floor, pot plant stands midway and long draping plants on shelves and walls, or hanging from ceilings.”
Keeping them alive
Joy Phala, landscape designer and owner of Organic Kitchen Gardens, says indoor plants may fail to thrive as a result of impulse buying coupled with a lack of knowledge about the requirements of individual plants, including factors such as light, water, nutrition, air and humidity.
“It’s important to remember that they are not just there for aesthetics but that they need care, much like a pet,” says Joy. “Before getting a new pet, we educate ourselves on how to care for that animal and a similar philosophy should be applied to plants. This is especially important when it comes to indoor plants as they are, in fact, outdoor plants that we train to live indoors.”
JJ van Rensburg of Garden World in Johannesburg adds that air conditioning also plays a major role in the survival of indoor plants: “Most plants won’t thrive when exposed to harsh air conditioning, fluctuating temperatures or constant wind.”
And he agrees with Joy: “The number one factor when choosing a plant is to determine how much light it needs; consider how many hours of sunlight a spot in your home gets before buying a sun-loving plant, for example.” >>
Fake it till you make it!
“Artificial plants, such as the large faux palm leaves in Kerryn’s main bedroom (below), are a great way to brighten up dark corners where some real indoor plants might struggle to thrive,” says Melissa. “Dust them regularly to keep them shiny and looking ‘real’.”
Faux plants are effective when positioned in hard-to-reach places because not only do they appear real until you touch them, but they also don’t require watering.
[ BUYING TIPS]
• Have a plan when buying plants: identify the sunny and darker areas in your home and work out which plants you can put where before making any purchases. • Buy a single plant for an area in your home that you’d like to decorate with greenery and get used to nurturing it in that environment before buying a whole lot. • When buying an indoor plant, take note of the botanical name – this will make it easy to find the plant online where you can learn more about its care requirements. • Stick the information that comes with the plant at the bottom of the pot in case it gets lost. • Don’t throw away pieces of plants that have broken off. Stick them in a pot in some soil, water accordingly and they might just begin to grow. Don’t be afraid to experiment. >>
From clinical to tropical
“Changing up the bathroom was my top priority – it’s the first room you see when you walk into the apartment and it was very bland and clinical with all white tiles and no personality,” Kerryn says. She used plants and just a few new accessories for an affordable and immediate update. The shower curtain fits with the botanical theme and adds a trendy touch to this once dated bathroom.
[ WATERING AND CARE] • Decide on specific watering and feeding days – the more plants you have, the more complicated it becomes to remember what you watered when! • To determine whether a pot plant needs water, push your index finger into the soil – if about a third of your finger feels dry, it’s time to water. Immerse the entire pot in water for even moisture distribution; air bubbles will begin to form as the water occupies the air pockets in the soil. When it stops bubbling, the potting mix is well watered. Allow it to drain well. It’s important to read the watering instructions for individual plants but, generally, water well and wait for the top layer of soil to dry between watering. • Dust the leaves of plants regularly to prevent a dust build-up which may attract pests.