Do you have any real, live greenery in your home?
I hereby declare that every room shall henceforth have at least one livingeth plant.
There is just something about having living plants around. They make a space seem complete. The other day I brought home a tiny, $6 plant for a project for one of my sons. I happened to sit it on the first surface available. Later in the day, I looked around and I couldn't believe how a simple, unassuming plant transformed a dusty corner into a fresh and inviting area.
good gracious these tree branches add so much drama! image: pottery barnAnd I'm not above stopping on the side of the road and picking weeds.
45 comments:
I love plants but I have SUCH a black thumb. Are there any kill-proof plants? That's what I need....
I'll admit that I am a victim (actually a perpetrator?) of planti-cide when in comes to indoor plants. I'm great with ourdoor gardening, but something happens when plants venture inside my home. I'm ready to try again though!
I am not much of a plant lady but I do love fresh flowers.
My indoor plant "thumb" is brown not green!
Have a good Saturday!
sandy toe
My house is surrounded by huge trees, so not enough natural light comes into my home to keep plants alive (believe me I've tried!)
I have a couple in the kitchen window, out of reach. I wish I had plants in every room, but I have two plant-devouring cats!
Nester,
Thanks you for doing this series! I feel like I can easily do these flylady-esque baby steps to breathe some life into my home before the holidays. Thank you thank you thank youuu!
I love plants. If it wasn't for my cat who has eaten practically everything I attempt to bring in, I would have them in every room. I just gave up and bought expensive fake ones, at least it looks like its alive. :)
I'm so ready for this series - thank you for your tips. I'm going to try to keep up.
You're right, plants really liven a home! I have lots of succulents in white, thrift store planters, summer plants I've brought indoors for the winter, and even a few hard-to-kill rhododendrons. I'm not gardener, but as long as I remember to water them, they keep my home happy all year long! Plus they help with humidity levels in the winter.
YES, YES, YES AND YES!!!
I love fresh greenery and live plants. Best cheap and easy decorating tip. BTW, will be hosting first ever SWAP today!! I will post about come Monday...check it out!
Tamera@doubledelight
With no green thumb in site I still have managed to keep three tall plants in my home alive for several years. I guess I got lucky and bought the ones that can handle my neglect.
The routine: water once a week on Friday mornings, that way I don't forget or overwater. Done. It has worked.
LOVING this series!! Janell
My first thought this morning was, "I have to go to Nesting Place to get my assignment for the day." : )
You are killing me, here! Stretching me like you wouldn't believe with these last three posts. I still haven't moved something, and only one plant has ever survived being owned by me, but I am determined to do what you tell me to do. : )
Thank you for helping the decorating challenged like me. Have a great weekend.
Yes, there is an indoor plant that is virtually indestructible: POTHOS. You can water it once a week or once a month. It grows in minimal light-maximal light. Try it, I promise you that you can't kill it.
You are singing to the choir
Every year I say I'm not bringing in any plants for the winter--Huh! Twelve pots and counting! Not to mention the yellow and brown leaves on my fireplace and birch twigs around my chandeliers....oh and the acorns and basket of rocks I've collected all summer....
Do Re Mi!
So true. Plants are such a great investment. I'm going to try the one in every room thing!
Amy
I totally used all dried grass/weeds out of the ditch for my fall mantel decorations - along with some yarn creations and orange books! And I just brought my indoor plants back inside after the summer they spent on the porch. I crammed them all on a small counter than doesn't get much light or much seeing, so I'm going to figure out where I can enjoy them more! I'd take some ideas on *free or cheap* pot ideas, though. Like for the dining room table if I don't have a container that looks nice.
Oh my gosh... I'm tripping over this tip. All my plants are fake, albeit nice ones. Wonder if that moss idea is an easy keeper, that is adorable!
Gulp... not sure if I can do this one. I just finished pinching a blooming flower off my son's school project plant by accident. I didn't have my glasses on and thought the flower was dead. It wasn't. And school project plants only flower one at a time you know. He's not impressed with me today.
Double gulp... not sure the real deal is safe. With ME around.
Funky Junk Donna
Yes, ma'am. In my book, duct tape is the handyman's secret weapon; butter is the cook's secret weapon; plants are the decorator's secret weapon. If anyone needs a failsafe plant, I'd recommend Golden Pothos. It's in the philodendron family and it is a wonderful houseplant.
I think I better stick to twigs, leaves and other dead plants because if it isn't dead when I bring it in the house it soon will be!
love greenery in my home as well! They also create oxygen- so therefore- should be a mandate for healthy living, right?
(as well as their aesthetic properties!)
I was able to plant hydrangeas in my yard when we first bought our humble, but well-loved home. Here in Oregon, "endless summer", (the blue ones) are what were abundant at the store, and have done great- this summer moreso than others. I'll try not to take them for granted!! Do you want me to email you a pic of one?
ruanmac@verizon.net
Being in the South, I've always wondered why people just love azaleas so much. You put it in the most perfect words...they look "burnt up" most of the year. Classic.
I am LOVING this series! Please don't get tired of doing it on Day 5. :)
And I'm with many of the other girls! I need a few plants that are self-sufficient and Lindsay-proof. I'll do the branches and stuff, but I'd also like to have a couple plants that last longer than a week! :)
Plants and greens do make such a big difference. In fact, I put some around the house this morning before I even read this post. I'm loving these tips and ideas!
Wow! it seems I'm not alone in my ability to kill green plants. Honestly, I forget to water. Then I water too much. I'm just really challenged when it comes to green growing things.
Therefore, I've gone the silkish route for plants. They liven up my space and only need a dusting off a few times a year. (Silkish meaning the ones you purchase at A.C. Moore or Michael's craft stores).
I'm looking forward to reading more in the next 28 days, too.
Thanks Nester!
Hi, I have been very successful growing Spider plants ...they are very easy to care for and forgiving if you forget to water for a few days. Actually, you only water when the surface feels dry. Another plant that does very well is one called the "Mother-in-law" plant or Snake Plant. Very sturdy and looks great in a planter in a corner.
Hope this helps some who might be afraid to try again!
Ms.Daisy
Just for the record-the problem with Azaleas is that they aren't a plant that does well in bright sun and heat, which is what most of you probably have a lot of. They need mostly dappled shade most of the day and cool nights. So, if you're in the South and you have azaleas-just take them out. They're never going to do well and you'll never be really happy with them, and like Flylady says-if you don't love it, it doesn't deserve a place in your home, and in my book the outside counts as my home as well!
sigh...I so want to do this one but I have two cats that would eat them or love them to death if I brought any plants in!
LOL-just to clarify-if you're in the South but your azaleas do fine where you have them, by all means keep them! Every garden is different, BUT for the most part azaleas are pretty touchy about their surroundings-they're GORGEOUS if they're happy but when they're not you can really tell it!
I kill plants too, but I have managed to keep a few alive the last couple of years and it's true - they add so much to a room. I don't like most fake greenery (I'm weird, I know) and so I've been picking up real plants here and there to "green" up my house. I even bought one at a garage sale for $2. Hasn't died yet. :)
My mother-in-law is really good with the live plants thing. I seem to kill everything that comes across our property line...wave petunias are the only things that survive. They are almost impossible to kill. Almost. ;)
Burnt up azaleas - you sound like you know what you're talking about! I have three green plants in my bedroom alone. My room is all done in creams and white so the green really pops.
I especially like rescuing plants from sale racks at big retail stores. Poor little forgotten things that have been marked down to just a few dollars.
I am going to have to see about getting one of those Pothos plants.
SO so true!! I just posted this on my blog last night! If you don't mind, I will add a link to your post...after all, YOU are a decorating goddess and I a mere newcomer to home decor blogging!! - I always thought cactus were fool proof plants but not so. I have one that does not look like it will make it! I have had better luck with branches cut from my yard then 'real' plants!
I agree about having a livinigeth thing in each room...unfortunately, my cats like them to. As a snack. So, I've had to settle for some artifical hydrangeas (ones that look real, not cheesy.) I've been meaning to buy some moss to use in silver bowls I have (like the picture above.) I need to do that...
pothos or devil's ivy is nearly indestructible. I like to put it up high so you are not aware of the soil. Just water and re pot after several years. They 'weep' down and make bookcases look less stark and businessy. Christmas cactus is also very easy, just light and water. Spider plants are especially easy for brighter lighted places and they all work to cleanse the air. I don't know how people get along without them.
Plain ole IVY is my mainstay for green, living indoor plants, year round. They are HARD to kill, look fabulous on a tall plant stand and if you spray them often with a cleaner, look fantastic...and...they are cheap!!
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Isn't it amazing that we all love the pics on Pottery Barn website...HECK...we all love POTTERY BARN, period.
I have 29 houseplants currently. I don't think my house can withstand any more! I'm starting to think I'm seeing tiger eyes peering at my through these jungle walls.
I have a prayer plant that I left outside last year for too long... the frost destroyed it. But I brought it in, cut off all the dead leaves, and today it is alive and gorgeous! I also have a HUGE prayer plant in my entry that a friend gave me. It keeps blooming! I love plants, but only have as many as I can keep up with. I also water once a week. Blessings!
For those of us - like me - who need (very) low maintenance plants, try aloe and jade. They don't need water very often (mine have gone MONTHS occasionally), like sun or shade or whatever and are non-toxic - good if you have children or pets! I might have to try the pothos people are talking about, too!
Just thanking God for you and this blog right now.
I gifted some things and finally moved a wall switch so that I could put a mirror up. I have been wanting to put that mirror in that spot for a long time. Oh, I love the way it looks. BIG improvement! Now I can't wait to go get me some green! You are such a huge blessing!
Maybe someday I can have a home that blesses visitors like yours does.
Rebekah
I have to admit, I am a live indoor plant fanatic! I just counted, and I have 46 indoor plants...and that's in our little 2 bedroom cottage! They are everywhere...in jars, in vases, nestled in baskets, you name it! Some easy to maintain plants are Pothos and Ivy...I don't stray too far from these. A little (or in my case a lot) of greenery goes a long way into freshening & livening up any indoor space. Good idea for helping to better dress our nests!
-Grace
I'm a big fan of plants. My favorite is pothos because you absolutely can not kill it. And you take root cuttings in water and plant them in another pot for more FREE plants. I have one in a huge pot growing up a trellis-type thingie in a barren corner that needed some height.
Your King James(ish) talk cracked me up, BTW. For some reason - that lingo is just so funny to me.
I have some plants in my laundry room, this place have a big window, it's the only place that they grow up.
Hugs
Charo
I don't have any live plants right now...I tend to kill them. Maybe some realistic-looking fake plants? =)
I coudln't agree more! My place looked like a green house a few years ago; I'm better now but still have a lot of plants! This post reminded me to water my orchid. :)
oh - I totally agree that every house should have hydrangeas outside - they're my go-to!
and for thsoe who've said you kill plants...there are a lot of easy ones, but in addition to that - there are a lot of CHEAP ones...if I buy a (small) $2-$3 ivy, fern, etc. from lowes/home depot and it only makes it a month or two...it was WELL worth that small investment...not to mention, the big box stores usually take plants back that die within a year, so I try to stick the receipt to the side and then I can take it back if need be...the benefit of the greenery is well worth the $$ if you ask me!
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