Decorating with Plants – Guest Post from Sand & Sisal
Today, I have another special guest for you. Kim from Sand & Sisal is here to share with us some tips for using plants to decorate and improve our homes.
And the best news is that you don’t need a green thumb to care for many of these. She breaks down each plant’s water and light needs.
If you haven’t been to Kim’s blog, you need to surf on over there right now (get it? Sand & Sisal, Surf?! Ha, ha, I’m so witty. One of my favorite projects she has tackled was renovating her 1949 Bathroom.
Bathroom After
Amazing transformation isn’t it?! Okay, now everyone kick back, and enjoy a guest post from my friend Kim at Sand & Sisal.
Hello everyone! I’m Kim from Sand & Sisal, and I’m so glad to be guest posting for Brittany’s “Fall in Love with Your Home” series today. Brittany and I are southern girls and actually live only a few hours away from each other, but we met through blogging and were Twitter friends. I was thrilled to meet her face to face at the Blissdom 2011 Conference held at Opryland in Nashville, TN.
The Opryland Hotel has 9 acres of lush indoor gardens and even though there was snow outside the tropical foliage and flowers brought a touch of paradise that melted any vacationer’s wintery chill. Below are some pictures I took in their gorgeous Conservatory.
Springtime (thankfully) is approaching fast here in the South, but you can have a taste of spring by bringing a bit of the tropics indoors! One of my favorite plants to have around the house, and had also covered Opryland’s gardens, is the Peace Lily. Its lush green foliage, beautiful white blooms, and low maintenance make the Peace Lily a household favorite.
The Peace Lily requires low light and should be watered to keep soil moist but allow the soil to dry out between watering. The Peace Lily is one of the top 10 plants that clean the air in your home. They are known to reduce formaldehyde and carbon monoxide levels.
Do you have an empty corner that just needs something? I have several! The Majesty Palm, another “clean air plant” is what you need!
Majesty palms thrive on bright light and minimal water but I have found they do quite well in moderate light. I have several that are all on the north side of my home. Water these palms once a week but make sure they are not sitting in water or they will yellow and drop dead quickly.
Need a pop of color? The Flamingo Flower comes in red, pink, white, or lavender. It blooms year round and requires medium light with moist soil. I have found the Flamingo Flower to be an easy plant with a showy blooming performance.
Another plant with bright, bold color is the Croton. Croton’s start out dark green but will develop bold color as they mature and are allowed to have bright light and cooler temperatures. So if your Croton is lacking in color, then move it to a bright window but don’t let it get overheated. It loves to be moist so this one requires watering at least once a week. The Croton is another top “clean air plant”.
Plants not only help clean the oxygen in our homes but add a sense of tranquility and comfort to our indoor spaces. Choose an empty corner or a lonely tabletop and add lush plant, and I promise, you’ll smile, and maybe just breathe a bit better!
Kim
Thank you Kim! I love decorating with plants! They offer such life and texture to my vignettes.
After reading Kim’s post, I’m ready to try my thumb at a bigger species. So, I’m off to the nursery to buy one of those gorgeous majesty palms. I had not idea I could grow one of them in my home.
How about you? Do you have any plants you love to decorate with?
Nice inputs! Thanks for sharing the right plants for home design.
Love this post. I have really been thinking about Plants, especially with Spring right around the corner. My issue is that most of the sunlight that comes into our home is on the back side… the front hardly gets any because the way the sun rises over our home, so I need to find plants that will also do well without any sunlight, or minimal sunlight 🙂 I LOVE that Peace Lily!!
Kasey,
Thanks for your comments. Two plants that do REALLY well in low light are: 1) Your favorite! The peace lily. 2) Philodendron (trailing heart shaped leaves)
I hope that helps. I’m sure there are many more, maybe Kim can help you.
Brittany
I agree with Brittany. When plant shopping always make sure to read what amount of light they need.
How did I miss this post? Kim, as usual, you knocked it out of the park! I love my little orange tree I have in one of my ‘dead’ corners LOL I had a palm tree but after almost 10 years it decided it was done…and that’s it for house plants…I need to hurry up and see the nurseries open up so I can grab some more! I love the ones you featured but do you know if they will survive up here in frigid Maine? 🙂
Kristi- All the plants I featured will survive in Maine as long as you keep it in your home and don’t plant them outside! 🙂
I love decorating with plants. We have a sunroom (that’s an AZ-thing) with a wall of windows on the east side which is just about perfect for all plants. I have everything from Orchids, African Violets, & a Hoya to Christmas Cacti & Poinsettias that are still in full bloom. I also have a garden window in my kitchen that is on the east side of the house. I use this window all the time for vignettes using a single plant & other things. I love all the things that we can grow outside & use to create little niches especially in our backyard. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
CAS
Oh I bet it’s just gorgeous when they are all blooming! I grew up with a sunroom and wish I had one today!