A Starter Kit for Plant Newbies
Check out these popular low-maintenance plants, then see where to put them and how to keep them alive
Vanessa Walker
February 20, 2017
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor. I work on beautiful house and garden stories all day and have come to believe the best homes are the ones that people are happy in.
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor. I work on beautiful house and garden stories... More
Right now, indoor plants are going through a major decorating moment and it’s easy to see why: plants are affordable, they provide a much-needed connection to nature in increasingly urbanised lives, and they help clean the air inside our homes. Better yet, they can make us happy too. As the Director of the Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group at the University of Technology, Sydney Dr Fraser Torpy said recently, humans evolved to be around plants and trees. “Studies show our mood is better and we’re more productive when we have plants around us.”
Choose a star attraction …
If you’re searching for a hero plant that can hold its own in an interior, it’s hard to go past a rubber plant (Ficus elastica). It’s a popular, bold, tree-like beast with large, leathery leaves that uncurl as they grow. These dark beauties, whose leaf colours range from dark burgundy to almost black, can grow relatively dense and up to two metres tall. They are cold-tolerant so grow well throughout Australia, and they like part-shade.
Note: A good measure for the proper amount of light for a rubber plant is to keep it in a room where one’s shadow can be seen on the wall behind the plant throughout the day.
How to satisfy your green thumb when you don’t have a garden
If you’re searching for a hero plant that can hold its own in an interior, it’s hard to go past a rubber plant (Ficus elastica). It’s a popular, bold, tree-like beast with large, leathery leaves that uncurl as they grow. These dark beauties, whose leaf colours range from dark burgundy to almost black, can grow relatively dense and up to two metres tall. They are cold-tolerant so grow well throughout Australia, and they like part-shade.
Note: A good measure for the proper amount of light for a rubber plant is to keep it in a room where one’s shadow can be seen on the wall behind the plant throughout the day.
How to satisfy your green thumb when you don’t have a garden
Another singularly beautiful low-maintenance plant is the fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) seen here. It’s tall and textured, with a frilled edge to the leaves that adds interest to any space. It likes bright indirect light so can be placed just next to a large window and the plants are readily available year-round in Australia.
… Or mix and match for interest
A curated combination of trailing and upright plants works wonders without overwhelming. For trailing varieties look to Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ (Dichondra argenta ‘Silver Falls’), with its long cascades of bright silver leaves; for something fun and funky, consider donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum), a denser finger-like succulent that stays alive no matter what. In this Melbourne living room, a Scandi-style interior has been energised with medium-sized pot plants that add interest without stealing the limelight.
Note: The side table’s narrow legs allow the draping greenery to be seen – a good trick for plant-decor newbies.
A curated combination of trailing and upright plants works wonders without overwhelming. For trailing varieties look to Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ (Dichondra argenta ‘Silver Falls’), with its long cascades of bright silver leaves; for something fun and funky, consider donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum), a denser finger-like succulent that stays alive no matter what. In this Melbourne living room, a Scandi-style interior has been energised with medium-sized pot plants that add interest without stealing the limelight.
Note: The side table’s narrow legs allow the draping greenery to be seen – a good trick for plant-decor newbies.
Up the ante by adding more
Large-leaf plants, such as the darling of the ’70s, the fruit salad plant (Monstera deliciosa) as seen in this industrial warehouse, look great teamed with draping species such devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) or lacy plants such as maidenhair ferns (Adiantum).
DIY ideas for potting up houseplants
Large-leaf plants, such as the darling of the ’70s, the fruit salad plant (Monstera deliciosa) as seen in this industrial warehouse, look great teamed with draping species such devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) or lacy plants such as maidenhair ferns (Adiantum).
DIY ideas for potting up houseplants
Or choose a species that spreads
Devil’s ivy is a good choice if you want a more dramatic effect. Long tendrils (up to 2.4 metres) of green heart-shaped leaves grow quickly and can easily be trained to grow over structures to present as a green wall, as in this light-filled study. All devil’s ivy requires to look its best is moderate to bright light (it tolerates low light but you don’t get the variegated yellow and white on the leaves seen here).
And, wait for it, NASA’s Clean Air Study rated it as one of the world’s best air-cleaning plants, naming it as highly effective at fighting against toxins such as xylene, benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Devil’s ivy is a good choice if you want a more dramatic effect. Long tendrils (up to 2.4 metres) of green heart-shaped leaves grow quickly and can easily be trained to grow over structures to present as a green wall, as in this light-filled study. All devil’s ivy requires to look its best is moderate to bright light (it tolerates low light but you don’t get the variegated yellow and white on the leaves seen here).
And, wait for it, NASA’s Clean Air Study rated it as one of the world’s best air-cleaning plants, naming it as highly effective at fighting against toxins such as xylene, benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Find the right environment for your plants
Be sure to read the instructions that come with pot plants and follow them closely, particularly with regard to light levels, watering and soil moisture. A living area is a good place to start placing plants if you’re new to tending them, as they generally have a good variety of light levels (so you can move plants around until you find their optimal spots) and a relatively constant temperature.
By contrast, a bathroom can be a tricky place: limited space, fluctuating humidity and temperatures, plus low light can present challenging conditions. But there are plants that thrive in this room. Among them are aloe vera (nicknamed ‘the plant of immortality’ because it’s so hard to kill), bamboo, Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) and the aptly named cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), which can survive low light, infrequent watering and extreme heat.
The key to bathroom happiness is to place plants facing windows, as in this bathroom. But, if your bathroom has nothing like this amount of natural light, read on.
Browse more beautiful bathrooms
Be sure to read the instructions that come with pot plants and follow them closely, particularly with regard to light levels, watering and soil moisture. A living area is a good place to start placing plants if you’re new to tending them, as they generally have a good variety of light levels (so you can move plants around until you find their optimal spots) and a relatively constant temperature.
By contrast, a bathroom can be a tricky place: limited space, fluctuating humidity and temperatures, plus low light can present challenging conditions. But there are plants that thrive in this room. Among them are aloe vera (nicknamed ‘the plant of immortality’ because it’s so hard to kill), bamboo, Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) and the aptly named cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), which can survive low light, infrequent watering and extreme heat.
The key to bathroom happiness is to place plants facing windows, as in this bathroom. But, if your bathroom has nothing like this amount of natural light, read on.
Browse more beautiful bathrooms
Or use technology to help with difficult spots
Don’t despair if you want pot plants in a dark area of your house or an area with no windows: there are options. It’s possible for plants to live under fluorescent lights, as they replicate the natural solar spectrum, providing the kind of light plants need. This is particularly useful when you use plants to brighten up dark bathrooms, or as a way to enliven a ‘dead’ area, such as a hallway.
In this home, a trough filled with two plants and an arrangement of foliage makes a beautiful vignette in an otherwise dead end. With judicious watering, the right light bulb (full spectrum is best) and careful monitoring, it can work.
Don’t despair if you want pot plants in a dark area of your house or an area with no windows: there are options. It’s possible for plants to live under fluorescent lights, as they replicate the natural solar spectrum, providing the kind of light plants need. This is particularly useful when you use plants to brighten up dark bathrooms, or as a way to enliven a ‘dead’ area, such as a hallway.
In this home, a trough filled with two plants and an arrangement of foliage makes a beautiful vignette in an otherwise dead end. With judicious watering, the right light bulb (full spectrum is best) and careful monitoring, it can work.
Don’t forget to protect plants when you’re not home
If you’re going away on holidays, spray a plant protectant such as Yates DroughtShield on the leaves of your house plants; it adds a protective film that reduces water loss by up to 50 per cent. Then place all your plants on a wet towel in the bath or shower; don’t leave them just sitting in water.
Note: Before you go, download an app such as PlantSnap, the Shaazam of plant-identification apps. That way, if you see a species you like you can easily find out its name.
Tell us
What are your favourite plants to have at home? Post photos of your own indoor greenery in the Comments below.
More
Read more lifestyle stories
If you’re going away on holidays, spray a plant protectant such as Yates DroughtShield on the leaves of your house plants; it adds a protective film that reduces water loss by up to 50 per cent. Then place all your plants on a wet towel in the bath or shower; don’t leave them just sitting in water.
Note: Before you go, download an app such as PlantSnap, the Shaazam of plant-identification apps. That way, if you see a species you like you can easily find out its name.
Tell us
What are your favourite plants to have at home? Post photos of your own indoor greenery in the Comments below.
More
Read more lifestyle stories
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Just start small (&economical)...second hand pots, succulent offcuts (collected while walking the dog), a little potting mix and water when they look thirsty!