Fashionable ways to bring the outside in
Well-curated plant theatres are the perfect indoor antidote to shorter days and cold nights, says Jessica Doyle
As the last leaves fall from the trees, now is the time of year that plants come into their own indoors. The summer months might be the period when we think of “bringing the outside in”, but it’s over the winter, with its shorter days and less greenery to enjoy outside, that we really need more natural life inside.
Plants may not be all that effective in cleaning the air indoors – new analysis this week revealed that it requires more than 1,000 per square metre to outweigh the benefits of merely opening a window – but they are valuable for their uplifting aesthetic effect. So why not bring some of your outdoor plants in for the colder months and create an indoor display to help beat the winter gloom?
Gardener Arthur Parkinson (@arthurparkinson_ on Instagram) lifts salvias and tender bedding plants such as plectranthus and brings them in for the winter. “I trim them both in terms of their top (foliage) and bottom (root) growth so that I can fit them into pots that go on cool windowsills,” he says. “The key thing is to pick through them often, removing spoiled leaves, and put them outside on sunny winter afternoons to ensure they are not harbouring aphids or sciarid fly.”
Plant theatres – decorative, tiered stands, usually in metal or wood – are used in the garden as a way to display and protect groups of potted plants, and they can work just as well for dramatic effect indoors, whether you’re bringing pots in from the garden or arranging house plants.
Thanks to the current vogue for greenery, plant styling has become a hot topic on Instagram. Jamie Song has well over 200,000 followers tuning into his account, @jamies_ jungle, to see how he displays the hundreds of plants at his converted warehouse home in south-east London, for which the term “plant theatre” could have been invented. “From a décor standpoint, indoor plants can be an affordable choice to fill your living space,” he says. “Visual interest can be created at different levels of your home by hanging plants from the ceiling, making floor installations and using stands at various heights. My hanging plants create the jungle effect that I love; I feel like I’m creating a look which mimics nature.”
Song advises placing plants away from heat sources (unless they are cacti or succulents, which can handle it), and close to windows. “In winter, the hours of natural light are so short, so all plants need to be ideally placed close to the windows for maximum exposure,” he says. “You almost never have to worry about a house plant getting too much sun during the UK winters. Less light equals less water, too: I water leafy plants every three weeks in winter, as opposed to every week or every other week in summer, and I don’t water my cacti at all.”
Here are some other points to consider for maximum decorative effect…
Invest in a plant stand
In a room that is short on floor space, or where you want to give plants a bit of height so that they get as much natural light as possible, try a tall, slim plant stand – a modern take on the rustic outdoor plant theatre. Cox & Cox has a threetier circular stand and a contemporary-style trough planter, both in an on-trend matt black finish. Both could be filled with vases of flowers and books if you put your plants back outside in the spring.
Create vignettes
When arranging pots on plant stands, shelves or mantelpieces, remember the interior stylists’ rule that grouping things in odd numbers makes for a better visual effect. Three plants of varying heights will look more interesting than two of the same height. Mix up your pots, too – if you’re displaying plants on the floor, consider putting a couple in large pots and one in a planter on a stand.
Use the walls
Wall-mounted planters help to free up floor space and are fairly easy to find, in white ceramic or metal finishes (Made.com has several inexpensive versions of the latter). Horticus (horticusliving.com) sells easily assembled living-wall kits that will make an artwork of your plants, consisting of metal frames into which hexagonal terracotta pots can be slotted. Creating an “edible wall” of potted herbs and salad leaves is a good option – the pots can be easily removed, so you can change your display, or repot the herbs and move them outside in the spring.
Don’t forget the ceiling
Suspending plants from the ceiling isn’t that hard to do, but, as with wall-mounting, it does require commitment – you’ll need to install hooks that are strong and sturdy enough to hold heavy pots. For a more statement-making effect, try sourcing a length of industrial-style metal piping (readily available on ebay) to attach to the ceiling, and hang a collection of planters from it at different heights.
Think of the backdrop
A plain white wall might seem the obvious choice, but a deeper colour will produce a warmer, more dramatic effect. A rich, inky shade, such as Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball (farrowball.com) looks spectacular when teamed with greenery, and will also highlight the colours of metallic, terracotta or painted ceramic planters. Hanging plants in front of a large mirror will also heighten the effect.
Mix it up
Moving plants around from place to place might not be a good idea, but there are other ways to change
your display and keep things interesting. “Once I’ve found a good spot for a particular plant where it thrives, it stays there, but I do change my plant displays regularly,” says Jamie Song. “But it’s more about changing the cachepots and plant stands, mostly for aesthetic reasons. The cachepots are like frames to a painting and the plants are the works of art.”