Guest post by Mel Warrener
Something different today! This is a guest post from a friend of mine who is thinking about starting up her own blog. Plants can be a great addition to your space and are good Feng Shui. Plants make me so happy. I need to go plant shopping. Enjoy!
When I first read plants grow “Fresh Air” and remove indoor air pollutants I was hooked.
Since then, in every new house or renovated room before moving in I am planning/thinking of which plant and how many plants will work in my new space.
Plants energise a space and I feel plants bring a sense of life and soul indoors. Plants add colour, texture and are a cheap way to decorate a new space too.
To help you select a plant & style your new indoor space you will find a few tips below to hopefully inspire you to “Grow fresh Air” indoors.
Plant Gangs
Knowing a type of Plant Gang to suit a space inside is important. Grouping plants to their needs can assist in providing the right care for each plant. I have listed a few gangs that will help in choosing the right plant with the scientific name first then the common name.
Easy Care Plants – Low water requirements
- Sansevieria trifaciata – Mother in Laws tongue, Snake Plant
- Peperomia obtusifolia – Baby rubber plant
- Ficus elastica – Rubber Plant.
- Zamioculcus zamiifolia – ZZ Plant
- Dracaena marginata – Dragon Tree
Darker Room – Plants that can cope with lower light.
- Spathiphyllum wallisii – Peace Lily
- Aspidistra eliator – Cast Iron Plant
- Asplenium ridus – Birds Nest Fern
- Philodendron scandens – Heart Leaf Philodendron
- Fatsia japonica – Japanese aralia
Best plants to grow Fresh Air
- Sansevieria trifaciata – Mother in Laws tongue, Snake Plant – works hard at nighttoo. I like this one in my bedroom.
- Epipremnum aureum – Pothos, Devils Ivy – great at increasing air quality.
- Ficus elastica – Rubber Plant – Emits high oxygen content.
- Hedera helix – English Ivy – a good one at removing airborne mould.
- Spathiphyllum wallisii – Peace Lily – the bigger the leaf the better – produces abeautiful white flower.
When buying a plant look for the healthiest plants that are not showing any distress. Avoid plants with yellowing or dead leaves or bare and tired looking stems. Look for plants with new growth, new buds and not pot bound. Spend time choosing your investment.
Styling with Plants
Odd numbers work – I like to use the ‘Rule of Three’ though using five, seven, nine or more works.
By placing an odd number of plants on a shelf or in a corner of a room on the floor is very pleasing on the eye.
Pots: You cannot go wrong with the green leaf of a plant matched with neutrals colours like white, black or my favourite a concrete grey pot. I also love going for the softer pastel’s colours like pale pink & apricot. Two toned earthy pot colours like cream, emerald greens, terracotta also look great inside. Try not to match with too many different colours as they might clash. Placing decorative pebbles or stones on top of soil will give your plant that extra wow factor and assist in keeping the soil from drying out too frequently.
When selecting heights of a plant gang vision a triangle. With the tallest plant out the back then middle-sized plant to the left and then you could place a trailing or smaller to the right.
Plant Care
- First to pot up a plant I use a mix of good quality of potting mix, peat moss and perlite.
- Adding horticultural charcoal will assist in drainage should your plant or location need it.
- Fertilize your plant regularly as per instructions to what product you use, I like to use an indoor liquid fertilizer. Slow-release pellets are a good alternative with most needing to be reapplied every 3- 6months.
- Watering: Feel the top of soil before you water and if it is wet don’t water and if its dry water your plant. Get to know your plant water needs. This will depend on the location and how dry your indoor space is or how high the humidity is. If you can pick up your plant, place it in the shower and give it a good water from above this will remove any dust and clean the leaves. Make sure the plant has drained well before placing it back to where it lives.
- Bugs: Use a horticulture oil as per instructions to keep them at bay plus this will keep the leaves nice and shiny as well.
Please share or leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Wow, there’s so much great info packed into this article! I’ve had a plant (or a few) for most of my life but have rarely put any thought into it. Now I’ll be thinking about the best plants for each location, groupings, and even how to deal with those pesky bugs instead of tossing the plant altogether!
You can tell your friend she is definitely ready to become a blogger!
Hi Janet – I totally agree with you and feel like I need a few more plants in my life. I had never heard of Plant Gangs before so that was new to me but it is definitely something to think about. Thanks again for everything!
I love plants- indoors and out! My husband cares for our indoor plants and does a beautiful job keeping them happy and alive. We have them in most rooms of our home, and they bring positive energy to our spaces. Some we’ve had for decades, and others don’t seem to last as long.
What great information your friend shared. I agree with Janet that she’s blogger-ready!
P.S. Kim- It was so great seeing you at the VO meet-up last week!
Hi Linda, It was so great seeing you too. I feel like we have a lot of similarities. I agree about the plants and I think they make a place feel homey. I can’t wait to share all of the positive comments with my friend. Thank you
I’m a huge plant person. I have them all over my house. My challenge is that I have trees all around my house, and therefore get very little light (inside or out!).
I tend to rotate my plants to try to give them whatever sun I can muster, especially in the winter. Behind my couch in the family room is my “nursery” where I keep plants that need sun or that I’m rooting up.
If I ever move, I’m going to shoot for a house with more sun coming in.
Good tip about feeling the soil. I overwatered one once so much that it just rotted. Live and learn!
Hi Seana, I have always loved plants as well and I think they add a beautiful natural element to our spaces. Yes, I sure would like more sun coming in. My front window is nice for morning sun so that is where my plants do best. Thanks for commenting!
I am a huge plant person, too! Indoor and out. I purchased a mother in laws tongue in my living room, and it does great next to my foyer. Thanks for suggesting some other options.
So Awesome Sabrina, I have not even heard of most of those plants so it is all new to me. Thanks for your comment.
I’m also a huge plant person, indoor and outdoor. I love this blog as it’s short but full with lots of information that are enough for a new plant person.
And I also think your friend is ready to start blogging.
Hi Janet, Thank you for commenting. Yes, I think so too. She is totally inspired by all of the comments.
I’ve never heard the expression “plant gang,” but as long as they aren’t digging themselves out of their pots to steal cars, it’s all good! I’ve certainly heard of how plants improve indoor air. However, I’m not a plant person, and I’ve never heard of any of these except Peace Lily and rubber plant, so all of this was new to me. Fascinating! (In the past, I’ve managed to keep an unkillable aloe alive, but I think I’d need to concentrate to focus on the gang that doesn’t require light, as there’s almost no natural light in my home. Now, to figure out how to even get these plants!
Kim, thank you for having Mel “plant” her knowledge here! 😉
LOL Julie you are so funny! Thanks for a good laugh. I know, I have never heard of “plant gangs” either. What a funny term.