Arranging plants to emphasize decor can be easy if you keep a few basics in mind, says plantscaper Mary Gauden:
- Match your plants and containers to your overall room size.
- Use color and texture to create visual balance and depth.
- Be aware of your background--whether wallpaper or a painted surface--and incorporate that in your design.
She shares these room-specific tips:
In the kitchen:
- If the kitchen receives good light, use plants up high, to soften cabinet tops.
- Choose plants and flowers whose blooms will pick up the colors of kitchen wallpaper.
- For a practical and beautiful accent, grow a pot of culinary herbs on the kitchen counter.
In the family room and great room:
- Consider using plants to create a sense of privacy in one area.
- Group together plants of varying height, texture and color. Again, use plants to bring out the coloring and style of furnishings, pictures and frames in the room.
- Create interest by elevating dramatic plants such as Boston ferns on wooden pedestals.
- Foliage plants such as ivies and peace lilies add warmth to rooms that have wood panelling.
In the bathroom:
- Use plants that thrive in high-humidity conditions, such as bromeliads, ferns and begonias.
- Add splashes of colors for your guests throughout the year with flowering bulbs in winter or spring and a potful of mums in fall.
Tip: Invert terra-cotta pots of different sizes and use them as pedestals or plant stands to create varying heights in your indoor landscape.
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