We are all weary of winter by this time of year, so why not breathe some life into our homes with lush plants and sweetly-scented Spring flowers to remind us of the warmer weather ahead?
Photo: This simple Cat Palm brings life to an empty corner and becomes a worthy focal point when elevated on a vintage plant stand.
I’ve often extolled the many virtues of adding plants to our rooms; they add softness to spaces full of linear edges, offer an inexpensive way to dress up a lonely corner, and provide color and texture to any room. Furthermore, they indulge our senses with luxurious scents and help to remind us during this last lengthy stretch of cold weather that the world will soon once again be filled with green, budding branches and days of heady sunshine.
While there are tried and true places I keep plants in my home all year round (like the aforementioned lonely corners), there are several spots I like to place extra pops of green and blooms during Spring. As our nights of cozy fires begin to wind down, I love to cluster lush Boston ferns on either end of the hearth, which gives the whole fireplace with decidedly fresh feel. I also like to group pretty potted flowers around my kitchen sink. Miniature topiaries, delicately scented lily of the valley, or the ever-cheerful daffodil all work wonders in this oft overlooked spot and brighten up the tedious task of washing up after dinner. A bright touch of color in the way of freshly cut flowers on my family’s nightstands also helps remind us each morning that Spring is on its way!
My main requirement for plants these days is that they be low maintenance! After endless struggles to keep my fashionably trendy, but supremely finicky fiddle leaf fig tree alive, I’m all about easy to care for, hardy plants! And other decorators seem to be in agreement; flip through the shelter magazines and you’ll see an influx of palmetto leaf arrangements, sturdy potted palms, and the ever-popular fern. From tiny, delicate maidenhair ferns to the easily recognizable Boston fern (ubiquitous with hanging baskets on front porches), these lush plants are lovely ways to introduce greenery to new spots in your home. Flowering seasonal branches such as forsythia, dogwood, or cherry tree blossoms are a long-standing tradition in Spring, and offer another relatively low-maintenance way to add color and drama to any space.
Try elevating your larger plants off the ground with plant stands, decorative columns, or garden stools for extra drama. Bringing the plant up to eye level allows it to become a focal point, rather than just part of the background, so make sure that you use a beautiful pot. For a finishing “decorator’s touch,” try topping the soil with a layer of soft green moss. Sculptural branches or green fronds reaching for the ceiling can have a truly dramatic impact on a room!
If you choose to try this elevation trick, there are a myriad of styles you can embrace in both pots and plant stands. Wisteria has a fabulous collection of garden stools if you simply want to get your plants up off the floor. If you plan to go all out and place them on a higher stand, Wisteria’s Parthenon Pedestal offers a traditionally elegant way to display a glamorous grouping of palmetto leaves or seasonal budding branches, while their Waterfall Pedestal and Acrylic Ghost Pedestal offer more contemporary styles to elevate and show off your greenery.
ShopTerrain.com offers a great selection of traditional earth-fired clay and stoneware pots, while Anthropologie is home to more bohemian and eclectic options. Want a one-stop shop? In addition to having a wide selection of plants in their greenhouse, Home Depot has some surprisingly stylish pots at very modest price points. Their highly texturized Ceramic Rivage Pot is available in both a Dark Blue and Creamy White colorway, while their Pennington White Ceramic Bamboo Flare Pots offer a more minimalist chic look in a variety of sizes.
While it’s still a bit soon to put our green thumbs to use in the garden, indulge yours indoors this month and enjoy the benefits of a little extra life around your home!
Kitty Burruss is an interior designer, wife, and mother.
Follow her at www.WestchesterDecorator.blogspot.com.
