The Plant DOCTOR

PLANT GURU HILTON CARTER TELLS CLARE MORRISROE that LOCKDOWN IS THE PERFECT TIME TO CREATE YOUR OWN URBAN INDOOR JUNGLE AND BRING HEALING NATURE TO YOUR HOME...

TO THOSE of us now confined at home – many with no gardens or outside spaces to enjoy – Hilton Carter’s apartment is a breath of fresh air. The plant expert, author and stylist has turned his one-bedroom Baltimore loft into an incredible indoor woodland, which offers all the benefits of being outside without ever having to open his front door.

And while we’re all spending so much more time at home, Hilton believes caring for plants is also good for mental wellbeing. ‘When you are stuck inside, bringing the outside in means you can still connect with nature,’ says Hilton, 40, who shares his urban American apartment with wife Fiona, dog Charlie and their cat Zoe.

‘Getting in tune with nature is a buffer to escape all the craziness of what’s going on right now,’ he adds. ‘Tending to your plants and seeing new life developing gives hope. And our potted pets actually earn their keep by working to help purify the air we breathe. Snake plants, spider plants and aloe vera are best for this. Having plants isn’t a fashion, it’s a movement. People, particularly in urban areas short on green spaces, have an actual physical and mental need for nature in their lives and their homes.’

Turn the page to read Hilton’s tips and look round his own remarkable home, where he has more than 200 plants and is nurturing over 60 cuttings.

CUTTINGS EDGE

Living walls are expensive to install, but as I’d already been propagating plants in test tubes, I designed wooden holders to hang them on the wall in the hallway to create my own living wall. I call them cradles because they hold all the plant babies. We have more than 60 cuttings now, and when visitors come over, they can leave with a cutting from the wall and pop it into dirt when they get home. Propagating is not only incredibly satisfying, it’s also a cheap way to increase your plant family and great for gifts. If any of my friends have a birthday or a house warming, they pretty much know they are getting a plant from me. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

A LOT’S IN A NAME

Frank the giant fiddle fig was my first plant, and he is king of my jungle. It’s like having kids, you shouldn’t have a favourite but you do! I bought him six years ago because I needed privacy to cover a window but didn’t want to block out light with a blind. It was only when Frank started to fail that I learned how to care for him. When you name a plant, you form a connection. It’s hard to toss out a plant if it has a name. You don’t want to see it suffer, you want to save it.

CARE PLAN

Having plants is like looking after a pet, they need water, food and attention. Be honest about what kind of plant parent you’re likely to be, and how much spare time you have to spend caring for your plants. Start with one. It takes me three to four hours a week to water, feed and dust all my plants. Plants that need watering every three days, I keep together. Then I keep all the plants that need watering every seven days in another area. Ditto the plants that need watering every two weeks. Set reminders on your phone so you don’t forget.

■ Wild Interiors by Hilton Carter, published by CICO Books, £16.99, Instagram @hiltoncarter. Check out his new podcast, Journeys In Greenery With Hilton Carter

PHOTO: CICO BOOKS

POTS OF STYLE Use a wide range of foliage. The trick is to find unique pots that reflect your style and personality to express who you are.

PARADISE FOUND A plant throne is the ultimate thing to have in your home. You might not have a garden, but this is a place you can be immersed in nature – it’s your own tropical jungle environment. Make sure you have a comfortable armchair and layer your plants all around it. Group larger plants behind the chair, then tier down by size so you are cocooned in plants. Mix up your foliage with palms, birds of paradise and tropical plants, and also mix colours, shape and texture. It is not only a sanctuary but a work of art, giving your home a real wow factor.

BEDDING PLANTS We have large, ten-foot, doubleaspect windows in our bedroom, so we have more plants in here than any other room. We wanted a plant to hang over the bed, so Fiona made a hammock from macramé. AIR HEAD I find interesting homes for my air plants, like this carved wooden head I found in a flea market in LA. SOCIABLE CLIMBERS If you are tight on space, get trailing plants to climb up the walls. Because I rent, I use staples and turn them into hooks. You can also get magnetic hooks for hanging pots which are super-strong and can hold up to 100 pounds, so you don’t have to put holes in your walls.