Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Decorating with Plants

I've recently been considering adding some flora up in the hizzie. When I'm entertaining, I like to purchase a small  grouping of flowers (usually white), and arrange them on a silver tray on my ottoman in the living room. If I'm hosting a shower or open house, I'll sometimes get a larger bouquet and place them on my breakfast bar.  I've been given a few potted plants (small bulbs, etc) as gifts, and I tried to have some potted plants live on the deck.  But all in all, I have a problem.

I HAVE A BLACK THUMB.

For my most recent birthday, my parents surprised me and bought me a wine barrel. It's amazing and I've always thought it would look fantastic as a planter. As we're starting to see the clouds roll away and everything is turning green again, I've begun to consider actually making this planter happen.

Simultaneously, I've been considered having some more greenery in the house.  We have fresh plants all around the office and they're so cheerful.  So, why don't I replicate that cheeriness here at home?  Knowing me, if I bought silk plants, the suckers would get dusty and gnarly pretty quickly, so fresh plants are probably my best option.  PLUS, they say elegance and quality to me.

SO, as I'm getting close to moving forward on bringing some greenery back into the home, I need your help. How many of you DO have fresh plants? How often do you water them? Do your floors get yucky underneath? What are the secrets to good flora?

I'm looking to YOU, dear readers, for the best tips for decorating with fresh plants!!!


9 comments:

Pam said...

I love plants in the house. In my experience - the key is to get ones that are really hard to kill. Succulents rarely need water. They're happy when they're dry. Plus you can put several types in one container and it makes a very interesting display. One of my favorites, though, is the vining 'Pothos'. Some people call it philodendron. You basically just plant it and then fagehtaboudit. When it starts drooping really bad, just give it a really good drink and it will be all perky again the next day. You can also take cuttings of it and stick them in a glass of water in the kitchen window sill and they will root. You can then plant them. I have one on top of my armoire in the living room and one growing up a trellis in a pot.

Alrighty then...that's probably waaaay more info than you wanted in a comment! :0) Hope you find something that works for you!

Pam

Jennifer Vanderbeek said...

I envy your wine barrel. I've long thought that a wine barrel, put on wheels for ease of movement, would make an excellent patio herb spiral. But, like you, I have a black thumb--so haven't actually tried this yet.

I did manage to keep a houseplant alive (a dish garden) for about a year but only because it was low-maintenance and kept on the kitchen counter next to the sink where I'd occasionally remember to water it.

Jen said...

A good grief, I stink at keeping plants alive! But I would love to learn. I'm anxiously awaiting others to reply, because I think my house could also use a little bit of green and I really can't stand fake plants.

Lifeofkaylen said...

I have had a black thumb forever, until I moved into my house last year. Most of the plants I was struggling to keep alive are thriving - I think most of it is the sunshine. Even indiret light is good for some-we had nearly no light in our old apartment.
And I read recently (from a gardening blog) that most houseplants are being underwatered and struggle because of that. I try to water mine every 4 days and they seem to like that.

And plants that end up having direct sun like to be rotated-I didn't know that either.

I buy planters that have the little built-in water holder thing at the bottom, so if I overwater, it collects down there. If you have just a few small ones, you could also just cart them into the bathtub twice a week and let them have a lot of water, then just give them a little refill of water during the week.

jennybek said...

There's a plant (I think) called an Air Plant. It's some sort of thing from England. I found it in the Lowes house plant section. It thrives in neglect was the tagline. I have never watered, cared for it and it has tripled in size in the last few years. It is quite small to begin with, though.
But it's one plant you can't kill.

jennybek said...

Oh, and as corny as it sounds, the aqua globe really does help with plants that do need water.

Molly {Eeny Meeny & Moe} said...

I've been thinking about getting some house plants too... but something about them kind of creeps me out. Am I the only one that feels this way? Like bugs might live in them, or the plant my grow out of control and wrap itself around my lamps or something... maybe I'm crazy! :)

Bianca said...

I heard Miracle Grow is like crack cocaine for plants, but my are alive and kickin'.

That's my two cents :)

Becky said...

try planting bulbs in the wine barrel. You can keep them outside and plant them in layers. As long as you water semi regularly you'll have pretty flowers all spring. it might be late to try for this year, but try next year. i saw a today show clip on how to do this with a galvanized metal bucket years ago. maybe drill a couple holes in the bottom for drainage? good luck jj!