There is no better way to liven up a room than with actual living things. Plants are scientifically proven to improve your mood and the air quality, but lately, the interior design world has brought the focus to how plants can enhance your interiors. Combined with the growing trend of millennial ‘plant influencers’ infiltrating newsfeeds with weekly snaps of their perfectly curated indoor plant collection, so-called plant addiction has become the new craze. With so much of modern design focused on muted tones and clean lines, it is no wonder that the wild and chaotic character of nature is now in high demand. This is the ultimate interior design trend for garden lovers, and as someone embracing it wholeheartedly with almost 40 indoor plants, I can safely say there are no limits to designing with nature indoors.
Let there be light
Keeping your indoor plants happy comes with inherent interior design benefits. Placing an indoor plant in a dark spot is not only likely to kill it (depending on the plant) but it also makes it seem like an afterthought, ignored in the empty back corner like the frozen Brussels sprouts you swore you would eat. Just placing your plants in bright natural light already enhances their beauty, making your plants the star of the show. This works best with plants that have shiny leaves to reflect sunlight (like peace lily – Spathiphyllum) or with very large leaves to capture brightness (like fiddle-leaf fig – Ficus lyrata).
This story is from the November 2019 edition of The Gardener.
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This story is from the November 2019 edition of The Gardener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.
