Earthy Interiors

This past Monday, April 22 was Earth Day. Though we’re a bit tardy to the party, we still wanted to celebrate by sharing some ideas for how nature can enhance more than your backyard. We love using everything from pinecones to seashells in our home décor, but house plants are an easy way to bring a little earthiness back into the home.

Choosing the Perfect Plant

Photo: designsponge.com

The right house plant can soften the right angles of rooms and add a sculptural element to the décor, and many do so with minimal care and attention. But it’s important to make note of a few things before heading to the garden store to pick one out. Pay attention to where you’d like to put them, then consider the quality and duration of light in those spaces, as well as how much water and attention it will require. If you have pets or small children, make sure to ask about toxicity risks as well.

The Perfect Plants

Photo: marthastewart.com

The options are truly endless, but we love philodendrons, which thrive in living spaces with full or partial sun and super-aerated soil (three parts soil mix to one part mulch), excellent drainage, and weekly watering. Bromeliads are multipurpose and make great substitutes for cut flowers on a dining room table. Spider plants have a lot presence as well, and tolerate a variety of temperatures and lights.

Potting the Perfect Plant

Photo: designsponge.com

Photo: designsponge.com

There are probably more options for potting your indoor plants than there are actual plants. Simple ceramic bowls that top the potting soil with moss are an especially easy and earthy way to display your favorites.  But everything from large mugs to unused copper pots  and vintage product cans can make a statement. 

Caring for the Perfect Plant

Photo: marthastewart.com

Every plant requires a slightly different regimen of cleaning, watering, trimming, and fertilizing. Get the full instructions from your local garden store, or try a simple Google search. Keep the tools and solutions you need in a single container. Try a handled wire basket that's easy to carry around as you move from one plant to the next. A mister, some plant food, and paintbrushes from a home-supply store for dusting leaves, garden shears, small pruners, and an absorbent towel are all you really need. 

What are your favorite house plants (or do you prefer those of the silk variety)? How did you celebrate Earth Day this year?