Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Getty Images

Here’s how to style your indoor plants

Sara FitzpatrickEastern Reporter

THE only limit to how many plants you should have in your home is how many you have time to care for, according to Claire Greenhill from Stackwood, Fremantle.

“My home is full of plants but I will always have space for just one more,” she said.

Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto
PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Are you obsessed with houseplants too? Claire shares her tips below for successful indoor plant styling guaranteed to make your visitors green with envy.

What is the first consideration when styling indoor plants?

Choose plants that will grow well in your space: think about light. Some need bright light and a little direct sun to be happy while others with survive in lower light.

Light is food for plants, so if you have a room with no windows or very low light it is not suitable for growing anything unless you supplement them with a grow light.

I like to think about a plant’s position in a house in terms of which window they belong to best. Fiddle leaf figs for example need a lot of light while ZZ plants can have lower light.

ZZ plant
Camera IconZZ plant Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto

How should you group plants together?

Choose plants with similar light requirements but different foliage colour, form, texture and height.

I like to put tallest plants at the back of the group down to the smallest at the front.

Groups with odd numbers seem right to me: three or five, but really there aren’t any rules.

Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto

If in doubt, have a play with the layout and see what appeals to you.

Where do people go wrong with indoor plants?

Not enough light: most indoor plants will be happy if they can see the sky but not the sun from their position.

Even plants that will survive in low light will be much happier in well-lit positions.

Keep in mind also that direct intense afternoon sun will burn the foliage of many indoor plants.

Over or under watering: watering schedules should never be used.

Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The size and type of plant, changing room temperatures and light conditions inside your home, the size and type of pot and the type of potting medium all play a role in when your plant needs water.

Feeling the soil is the best way to see if your plant needs a drink. For most (excluding some ferns), the soil should be dry down to your middle knuckle before you water it.