EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHOOSING INDOOR PLANTS

If you’re looking for finishing touches to really make your open home shine, it may be time to wiggle those green fingers.

Incorporating a healthy array of indoor house plants is a great (and easy) way to bring a sense of warmth and living energy to a home that inanimate objects simply cannot match.

Here are some components to consider when choosing the right indoor plants for you and your home.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING INDOOR HOUSE PLANTS

Before making a rushed purchase, take the following factors into account to ensure your plants slot perfectly into your current decor schemes:

Low or high maintenance

Think about how much realistic time you’re willing to devote to your plant/s. If you’re rarely at home, chances are a ‘needier’ plant will not thrive under your care due to some requiring a higher level of watering, pruning and repositioning. The last thing you want is wilting or overgrown foliage to get in the way of making a good impression to prospective buyers during an open home.

Size matters

Some indoor plants can grow up to ten feet tall, so it’s important to make sure they will fit within the confines of your home to avoid creating a space that feels overcrowded and neglected.

Adequate lighting

Ensuring your living spaces emit enough natural light is crucial if plants stand a chance of growing, thriving and surviving. The majority of indoor house plants flourish in indirect natural light, such as next to a large window or sliding door. Thankfully many plant labels specify how much lighting is needed, and if a plant is receiving too much or too little, there are a number of tell-tale signs to look out for:

Too much

• Dry and shrivelled leaves/flowers.
• Faded colour.
• Drooping leaves/flowers.

Too little

• Growing slow and spindly in search of light.
• Small leaves and poor growth.
• Flowers not blooming.

Who are you appealing to?

When conducting your open home, think about the type of buyer you’re trying to attract. If you’re appealing to young families, don’t fill your home with prickly succulents. The last thing you want is for an accident to occur! Equally, if buyers have dogs, don’t include plants that are poisonous to their four-legged friend. Again, this information should be made clear on most plant labels, or ask a specialist at your local garden centre.

GOOD HOUSE PLANTS FOR BEGINNERS

Here are some of the most popular and beautiful indoor plant species guaranteed to add a new lease of life to any home:

Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

The fiddle-leaf fig tree has quickly become one of the most sought-out indoor plants on the market due to its subtropical appearance and low maintenance qualities. It receives its name due to the glossy green, violin-shaped leaves that grow on the upper half of its long and strong stem. These leaves grow up to 12 inches long and five inches wide.

While the fiddle-leaf fig tree can grow up to 15 metres outdoors, inside, it only reaches an average of three metres if grown under the right conditions. As with most subtropical plants, the fiddle-leaf thrives in indirect sunlight so for best results, keep somewhere warm with a healthy amount of light. Restrict watering when only the top soil becomes dry, and wipe leaves now and again if dust settles.

For a little home inspiration, place your fiddle leaf in an ornate pot, and push against a plain white wall next to a sliding door. This way, when the light enters the room, the plant will cast an amazing shadow onto your wall.

Bamboo palm

Not only does the bamboo palm look good in the home, it’s also great for it too. This lush, leafy plant came third in a NASA research document outlining the best indoor plants for purifying air and ridding the home of airborne chemical compounds.

On average, bamboo palms grow to heights of around two metres, with multiple reed-like stems growing in clumps, making it the perfect choice if you’re wanting to bookend a doorway or entrance.

To ensure your bamboo palm works its detoxifying magic, keep it well watered and in indirect sunlight.

Succulents

Succulents are one of the biggest garden trends to come out of 2017, and thankfully they’re here to stay for 2018. With hundreds of variations in terms of style, colour and size, homeowners are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing which succulents are right for their current decor schemes.

As a whole, this range of plants are renowned for being very self-sufficient, granted they receive a generous amount of sunlight and water every other month. Not only are they incredibly low maintenance, they can become stunning natural centre pieces when placed in a terrarium-style planter.

Reap the benefits of indoor plants, and see how they can transform your home today!