The Joy of Plants Indoors

This pilea plant was given to me about a year ago as a two inch "pup". It is often called a "friendship plant" assumably because of its shareability. 

 Last year I was surprised when I noticed the appearance of macrame wall hangings and plant hangers among the hot new items in home decor! If I had a nickel for every piece of macrame I made in the 70's I might not be rich but I could certainly afford a Starbucks coffee. Never the less, I was inspired to refresh my knowledge of the ancient art and create a wall hanging to give my living room a little update. It turned out great..... but, when I hung it up, I couldn't do it! It was just too retro..... like wearing my long denim skirt made out of old Levis! Some things are just best left in the past. Plants, however are timeless.

Finding Inspiration

When the summer ended and the frost took the last of my outdoor fun. I knew that I would up my indoor plant game. However, when I happened upon a book called The Plant Recipe Book by Baylor Chapman, and another book called Decorating with Plants by the same author, I was hooked!

What caught my attention first was The Plant Recipe Book (that I found at the library) with its examples of putting unlikely companions together to create stunning arrangements. A moisture loving potted begonia or fern, combined with a variety of succulents that thrive in dry conditions??  How can  that be? Easy, according to Baylor Chapman - it's called "staging"! 

The display above features plants, all requiring different watering needs, placed in a container in their original pots. They are nestled in with the help of anything that will hold them in place like bubble wrap stuffed around the pots. Some plants may be given a little height for aesthetic purposes by placing an object like a block of wood, rock or upside down pot underneath. 

When some plants lose their blossoms or begin to look poorly due to light requirements for example, they can simply be removed (pot and all). I love the evolving nature of these arrangements and the opportunity to deconstruct and reassemble.

Here's a little quickie I put together with a few plants I had in separate pots. While they all require similar moisture needs I did add a topdressing of moss and some "foraged" snow in summer seed pods. Which brings me to the next topic that Chapman covers ....  Foraged Pot-Et- Fleur.

Foraged Pot-Et-Fleur

So, "Pot-Et-Fleur" is a Victorian style of flower arranging that puts potted plants and cut flowers together in one container. (Those Victorians were not a stiff as I thought!) The "foraged" part is simply adding branches or materials collected from nature. How fun is that?

Pages from Decorating with Plants

This way of combining cut flowers, branches, potted plants and all kinds of wonderful things to form a simple or grand arrangement is sooooo creative! It inspires me!

Pot-Et-Fleur 

This 2 minute tutorial features a dark burgundy heuchera (one of my favorites) - so lovely!

Decorating With Plants

Now that I am excited to grow more house plants and put together some "pot-et-fleurs" , where do I put them so that they thrive but at the same time do not make my house look like a disorganized jungle! That's where Decorating With Plants comes in. 

Photo from Decorating With Plants

There's nothing cluttered or jungle-like in the photo above. I like that minimalist look! It makes me feel more relaxed and serene. The addition of something alive and growing is not only good for indoor air quality but gives me that Marie Kondo kind of "joy"! ..... and you can never have too much joy!

And so begins my indoor plant adventure!