Inspiration so even plain houseplants can stand out.
Gardener recognizes roots of obsession in books that celebrate houseplants
Houseplants were my first gardening love, much to the dismay of my freshman dorm roommate decades ago. The affair began as a plantbuying habit, to be honest, because every small specimen at a nearby nursery seemed like a discovery. By the end of the first semester, that cramped room was all about the greenery, including terrariums, ferns and my absolute favorite — the delicate Ceropegia woodii, or string of hearts, which dangled from a pot in a macramé hanger I made myself.
My husband’s biggest fear about my renewed interest in growing things indoors is that I will unearth the macramé thing somewhere and haul it out.
He really needn’t worry, but just for the record: A big picture in the recently published “Wonder Plants 2: Your Urban Jungle Interior” includes a couple of Instagram-worthy macramé hangers above a veritable forest of palms and ferns on the balcony of a hip American designer in Zapopan, Mexico.
Long live the ’70s — and millennials’ deft adaptations of a wave that began in about, oh, the 18th century, when Western plant explorers began dragging exotic specimens home from Asia, Africa and the Americas that could not survive life in Europe outdoors. The ‘urban jungle’ trend really flourished during the Victorian era, when plant collecting got so out of hand the ‘it’ room became a glass conservatory.
Global inspiration
Now, in a follow-up to their first “Wonder Plants” book, European authors and bloggers Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner provide inspiration from homes and apartments across the world where even the most mundane specimen plants look chic. They have an eye for plants as interior design statements serving a range of styles, from Asian-minimalist to grand French to romantic boho; including cool abodes where a small, potted fig tree can look
genius on a rustic table and riotously green environments with laborintensive plant walls.
Schampaert and Baehner prefer plants that have developed some character by adapting to their surroundings, even to the point of growing lopsided. “If you want a distinctive plant with its own shape, you need patience,” they write.
I’m a compulsive potturner, always encouraging stems to develop evenly, but I like the concept of letting nature do its thing. If plants are happy, they grow and change; that’s what it’s all about, after all.
“How to Window Box,” ($14.95, Clarkson Potter, 2018) a smaller, more task-oriented book, offers 16 themed designs for rectangular, indoor containers.
Its authors, Southern California bloggers Chantal Aida Gordon and Ryan Benoit (The Horticult), wisely recommend plants with similar growing requirements — grouping ferns, jungle plants, succulents and so on. That’s critical to success when plants share a pot.
A few of their ideas are destined to be short-lived; the “Flower Stand” box of spring-blooming bulbs would finish its show in a couple of weeks. But designs called “Tiny Island,” “Sunny Succulents,” “Detox Box,” “Danglers, “Rain Forest” “Jungle Box and “Woodlands” could provide many months of interest.
No such thing as boring plants
Most surprising, with both books, is the embrace of plants that I years ago abandoned as
— among them rubber plants, philodendron, dieffenbachia, asparagus fern, ivies and varieties of sansevieria, or mother-in-law’s tongue.
But those stalwarts are popular for good reasons: They are relatively forgiving. They cleanse air. They can be sculptural, bringing organic life to a room subtly or dramatically, on a budget.
Oh, and the touchyfeely thing: All plants, somewhat like pets, ground us to a world beyond the one inside our busy, stressed-out heads, by requiring a bit of ten- der tending. So — unless you need a constant challenge — why not just achieve that with the plants that are likely to cause the least aggravation?
While some houseplants are more carefree than others, all respond to occasional attention and need proper conditions to survive. Here are a few basics.
Light: Consider your home’s available, natural light first, and choose the houseplants best suited to it. Many thrive in indirect but bright light. The farther away from windows they are placed, the less light they receive.
Moderate the intensity of super-sunny rooms with window coverings. With floor-to-ceiling windows, you can probably go full-bore urban jungle.
Pots: Choose pots that are about 2 inches wider than the size of the nursery pot, to encourage plant growth, and be prepared to up-size next year. Pots with drainage holes and saucers are best. While colorful glazed pots are fun, my plants never thrive in them. Roots seem to breathe better in clay pots.
Plastic saucers aren’t as pretty as clay or ceramic, but they’re kinder to wood floors and furniture because they don’t sweat. Another option: Elevate saucers with pot feet or casters. If you must use a pot with no hole, leave the plant in a plastic nursery pot that can be lifted out, watered and drained.
From a design perspective, anything goes these days, although pots with some patina have more soul. Find them for a song at garage sales and thrift shops.
Moisture: It’s better to underwater than overwater. Saturated roots invite damaging insects and disease. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
Unlike potted plants on a hot outdoor patio or balcony, no indoor plants should need a daily dousing. Humidity-loving specimens may appreciate occasional misting from a spray bottle, but that can get messy if you don’t have a sharp aim.
Air: Be mindful of air conditioning, heating and fans. Many plants are sensitive to drafts and temperature changes.
Nutrition: If you select a quality potting soil with a timed-release fertilizer, you shouldn’t need to feed a plant again for several months. Then, no more than once a month during the plant’s growing season, add a balanced, organic liquid feed when watering; or periodically add timed-release pellets. Don’t overfeed; that stresses roots.
Troubleshooting: Houseplants raised in greenhouses with perfect growing conditions may stress at first when you bring them home; some initial leaf drop is normal. Use snips to prune off brown or yellowed leaves (signs of improper light and watering) and to shape plants as they grow.
In my experience, all indoor plants perk up with a hit of rainwater now and again. I leave a large watering can outside to capture rain for that reason. Houseplants may be domesticated, but they’re still wild things at heart.
And nurturing them encourages the wild thing innate in all of us — macramé and all.