DECORATING WITH PLANTS ON THE URBAN LIST

The lovely team at The Urban List recently visited us at the Garden of Eden Nursery and put together this wonderful feature article on how to decorate with plants. Originally published over at The Urban List here, we helped them choose their favourite pots, baskets and plants to bring the outdoors in. We provided them with all the advice and tips needed to turn any novice into a nature lover.

Read on to find inspiration below and visit us in store to find your own.

6 Fool-Proof Ways to Decorate with Plants

1) Herbs

HERBSHerbs are where most (clueless) gardeners start. They’re functional, delicious and easy peasy to grow. Indoor herbs like to have oodles of natural light, so try and find them a sunny spot on a windowsill. Requiring a bit more water than most other indoor plants, the most efficient (and least messy) way to water your plants is to place them in the sink, give them a good soaking and let them drain off before placing them back in their spot. Urban List loved out five-pot planter, naming it “the most perfect option for herbs” that they’d ever seen. It comes in a three or five-pot option and you’ll find it in our home wares section at Garden of Eden Nursery.

2) Indoor Baskets

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If you’re wanting to house larger plants indoors, baskets are the perfect way to make them decorator-friendly. All you need to do is place a large plastic saucer in the bottom of the basket, and then place the plant in on top. There’s no need to do any messy re-potting and the saucer will stop the basket becoming water damaged. Win, win!

We suggested a Fiddle Leaf Fig, a Variegated Rubber Plant, and a Lady Palm. All of these plants like well-lit, sunny rooms and are exactly what’s needed to brighten things up and add a touch of ‘tropical.’ While all three plants are relatively easy to grow, if your green thumb has well and truly died, you might like to give the Fiddle Leaf Fig a miss, at least until you’re confident with the other two, that is.

We have the most glorious selection of baskets right now in the homewares section of the nursery, and are to help you find the perfect indoor plants to go in them.

3) Orchids

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If you want something sleek, beautiful, long flowering and reasonably low maintenance, this orchid is calling your name. A simple marble pot adds to the look, making it the prefect desk or bedside decoration.

If you keep your orchid in a well-lit room, you’ll often be rewarded with repeat flowerings. Be careful to not over water. Hot tip: If your pot has a hole in the bottom and you don’t want to put a saucer under the pot, simply place a small plastic saucer inside the pot and then place the orchid in. This will catch any excess water and will save your benches from being marked. You can place some sphagnum moss on top to hide the plastic pot. Urban List loved this Phalaenopsis Orchid and the marble pot to go with it – both available instore now at Garden of Eden Nursery.

4) Trailing Plants

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Because we’re all a tad obsessed with trailing plants, we put together this potted option. We’ve used a variegated Hoya here, which is another perfect plant for a well-lit room. This humble plant is super low maintenance—provide plenty of sun and not too much water, particularly in winter, and you’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come. If you’ve got a shelf or ledge that could do with a spruce up, the trailing nature of the Hoya is perfect to add some pizzazz. There are so many great options of trailing plants in the nursery.

5) Succulents

mj_tul_0404Everyone knows that succulents and cacti are the king of low maintenance plants, but there are still ways to make them look more appealing and ensure that they are happy in their pots. You can easily use ceramic mugs and vessels if you prepare them properly for planting. If the vessel you you’re using doesn’t have a hole for drainage, simply place some charcoal in the bottom to help filter any excess water. It’s best to then use a good quality succulent or cacti potting mix to provide the right growing conditions for your succulent as they like free draining soil. Make sure you water very sparingly; a mister bottle is a good way to make sure it doesn’t get too wet. There’s a stack of perfect succulent and ceramic vessel options at Garden Of Eden Nursery (Urban List had a ball reviewing all of the options and challenged their readers to leave with just one!).

6) Hanging Planters

mj_tul_0371Is there anything lovelier than a hanging plant? We used a Hoya here, but there are plenty of plants that are perfectly suited to smaller hanging pots. Chain of Hearts, Devil’s Ivy or String of Pearls are all good options as well as they create beautiful trailing shapes.

If the hanging vessel that you’re using doesn’t have a hole in the base, water sparingly – a light mist once a week is perfect. If there is a drainage hole in the vessel, take it down for watering and rehang once the excess water has drained away.

Images by Michelle Jarni for The Urban List

Original Urban List post can be found here.

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