How To Successfully Bring House Plants into Your Home

With the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter, we are spending a lot more time inside here in Western Massachusetts. It’s not uncommon to have a dip in your mood during this time of year. You may have less energy, low motivation and spend more time reminiscing about those cheery summer days that came and went too quickly. The upcoming Holidays definitely keep us busy, entertained and in high spirits during the chilling weather, but there are other ways to make the indoors more enjoyable and comforting!

As many found out during the pandemic, house PLANTS are great to boost mood, decrease feelings of isolation or stress and increase creativity. All contributing to greater overall well-being and increased productivity. Plants bring the outdoors inside and soften up a home. Plants were one of the biggest trends we saw incorporated at High Point Market a couple weeks ago (check out our Instagram stories for all the latest trends seen at High Point).

It is also very satisfying to watch something that your nurture grow and thrive in your own environment and house plants provide that satisfaction far quicker than kids! SO while there are still a few places selling house plants before winter sets in… Here are some tips on selecting the right house plants for your home!

1. PLACEMENT
What space do you want to put your plant in? Is it a corner which could use some height? Is it a shelf that needs some greenery to soften the horizontal lines? Is it a table that needs a centerpiece? Do you want the plant to be a main focus of the room or more in the backdrop? So many options where you could put a plant. BUT knowing where you want to put the plant will help determine which plant to get based on size, height, structure, and overall plant needs.

2. PLANT STRUCTURE
It may be weird to think about the structure of a plant BUT it makes a difference! If you want to soften up the area, hanging/vining plants are perfect! If you want to add height, try something that grows up! Like a sansevieria (pictured in left image below). Have high ceilings? A tree would be perfect! Which tree? Well there are dracaenas, various palms, schefflera, ficus, banana trees, birds of paradise, fiddle leaf figs (VERY finicky plants… buy with extreme caution) and so many more! All have different leaf shapes generating a different feel within the home. Pick what you like! BUT more importantly, pick the type of plant you know will survive in the spot you want to put it in. Which brings me to plant maintenance…

3. PLANT MAINTENANCE
How much time and effort do you want to put into this plant? Some people find it meditative to take 10 minutes one to two times a week (depending on the season) to water and dust their plants. Watering can be tricky because it changes depending on the type of plant, the season, the temperature of the house and the humidity of the home. One tool that is helpful is this plant moisture meter! Then all you have to do is stick it in the soil, if it reads dry or on the low end of moist, give it a water!

Another thing is sunlight. SO does the spot you want to place the plant in receive a lot of sun or a little? One thing to note is that typically, north facing windows receive the least amount of sun, south facing windows receive the most amount of sun, west facing windows receive a large amount of sun and east facing windows receive a fair amount of sun. So plants that like bright direct light should go near a south facing window, plants that like bright indirect and some direct light should go near a west facing window, plants that like bright indirect light can go in an east facing window and low light plants can go in a north facing window. Google is a great tool in looking up what type of conditions the plant needs. Usually all plants are labeled at the nurseries so you can look the plant up before you buy.

These giant fiddle leaf fig trees (pictured above) are doing great in the plant nursery but are extremely hard to care for at home because they need really bright indirect light which many homes do not have. They’re just picky plants. SO while they’re trendy, they aren’t very practical.

4. PICKING THE RIGHT PLANT AT THE NURSERY
Go for the plant that you want! If you want a big plant, buy the big plant!! Do not buy a small one and say hey it will grow eventually. Trust me, you won’t be as happy as you will be with the large one. Another thing to note is the condition of the plant in the greenhouse. If the leaf tips are already browning, don’t buy that plant (like the stromanthe triostar plant pictured below). I say this because the greenhouse is providing optimum conditions for the plant, so if you take it home to suboptimal conditions, the plant is not as likely to thrive. Hardy plants for beginnings are any type of pothos, sansevieria, heartleaf philodendron, zz plants, monstera deliciosa, spider plants, and so many others. When in doubt, ask someone who works in the nursery! Not all big box store (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) employees know about house plants, but staff members at small local nurseries usually know what would be best for your home conditions.

If you still manage to kill the house plant, IT’S FINE! It is just a plant and can be replaced if you want! OR… opt for a fake plant!! They make very realistic fake plants that will give you everything you need without the fear of killing them. Still need help deciding on if you need plants in your home? We can help! We offer Done in a Day Room Makeover and also Design By The Hour. If you’re unsure what you need, feel free to give us a CALL!

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