houseplant – The Interiors Addict

The new it plant + how to style with houseplants

Houseplants have become as much a decorating accessory as cushions and art! We spoke to a stylist and a plant expert for their take on styling with them (and keeping them alive!).

Stylist Angela Reynolds of Harmonia at Home. Photo: Helen Lamont Photography.

“These days, we are so spoiled for choice. You can select from lots of different types and varieties of indoor plants, coming in all styles, shapes, sizes and colours,” says Chloe Warren, founder of online houseplant store, The Greenery Sydney. She almost does plant installations for businesses and homes.

“Tall or short, slim or fat, climbers or trailers, with hints of colour such as yellow, white, pink, purple, and of course green. With such a wide range to choose from, there is a perfect plant for every space. Styling with indoor plants can soften the aesthetic and bring life to a space. Bringing the outdoors in is a great way to create a calming environment and bring us back into connection with nature.”

Angela Reynolds, interior and product stylist at Harmonia at Home, considers plants for decor just as much as furniture, floor coverings, colour palette and homewares. “It would be unheard of for me not to suggest to my clients, that they consider introducing a plant or two (or more, many more!). As I slowly build my own little collection of plant babies in my home, they not only bring me so much joy, they transform a space by bringing it to life. For me personally, they make for the perfect finishing touch.”

Studies show having plants indoors may even increase productivity and happiness!

So, if you’re not an experienced green thumb, what should you start with? Chloe suggests Zanzibar Gem, Sanseveria and Devils Ivy as low maintenance options. Some of the more tropical varieties such as Calathea can be more challenging in an indoor environment as they require higher humidity. Chloe says this can be combatted by placing them under a cloche, which can also make a lovely styling statement.

A Variegated Monstera is the latest trendy house plant

And move over Fiddle Leaf Fig, there’s a new “it” plant in town: “Trailing plants are definitely on trend right now but if you can get your hands on a rare Variegated Monstera (as well as the many dollars they cost) they are certainly in demand and fast moving to become the most sought after plant,” Chloe adds.

Sydney-based Angela has some tips on where to place your plant babies: “Some of my favourite spots are on open shelving in the kitchen or bathroom, built-in or freestanding bookshelves, the edge of table tops such as a buffet, bedside table, study desk or a console positioned in the entry to a home, or in hanging planters such as the popular macramé ones that are simply perfect for those boho, coastal, vibes.

“They look great on the edge of timber bench perhaps nestled in the front foyer of a home with a beautiful round mirror above, rug underfoot, and a cushion or two on the bench. I also love clusters of plants in varying heights and a variety of pots, positioned on top of a console or buffet, or on the ground to fill a space. You can select sizes based on the space you have to play with and coordinate the pots with the surrounding colours and décor. Play with texture, colour and size.”

If you have a large empty spot, Angela says placing a very large specimen such as a Monstera can create drama and become quite a focal point of a home. Window sills in the kitchen can make the perfect spot for orchids or propagating some new plants.

Shop plants online at The Greenery Sydney

Find out more about Harmonia at Home

New Ivy Muse botanical wares range

Fiddle leaf figs — their popularity and how not to kill them

By Richard Unsworth

The fiddle leaf fig, fiddler fig, or if you want to get really technical – Ficus Lyrata. The uber ‘it’ plant of the last five years. Surely it’s the only house plant with its own waiting list (Garden Life has a long one)? So just what is it about them that makes many folk go completely la la and want to part with hard earned, cold, hard cash in order to have one?

Is it that their deep lustrous, verdant hand-sized leaves just look so good in any interior space? Is it the big bold burst of green that contrasts so well with our modern interiors? Whether it be industrial minimal, pretty-pretty or contemporary luxe – the fiddler fig seems just so right anywhere you choose to place it.

Whether we like it or not, indoor plants are back with a vengeance, but unlike the previous decades where more was more, it’s now about one major floor specimen, and the fiddler fig is still definitely numero uno.

I love it when they start to get bigger, much bigger, as they begin their transition into mini indoor trees. As they mature, the lower leaves will drop off and the stems take on tiny trunks. Re-potting them into larger pots is the key to enduring growth and it’s easy to get this effect inside given the right conditions.

Garden Life constantly struggles to keep up with demand, partly due to the plants’ slow growing nature – the nurseries can’t physically grow them quick enough, and we are constantly working the phones with our growers, trying to sure up supply, checking their growth and availability.

I think some of our growers do quietly smile at our inner city houseplant addiction, remembering a time 10 years ago when they had greenhouses full of them and couldn’t actually give them away – can you actually imagine such a time?

When they are healthy and vibrant, there is nothing that can touch them, so to ensure your new friend always looks its best, check out my tips:

F.Figs love a well-lit position indoors, so select something else if you have a dark space – consider the rubber plant (Ficus Elastica ‘burgundy’) or a Kentia Palm.
F.Figs don’t need to be constantly moist, let them dry out between watering – but you must water them well – as a general rule, once a week is sufficient.
Best take them outside, in a shower, or atop a sink, so you can water well and the water can freely drain out.
If it’s really dry (stick your finger in, does it feel dry? Dry potting mix will not stick to your finger) you may need to dunk/soak it in a large bucket for a few hours.
Use a liquid feed, such as Nitrosol or house plant food every two weeks during spring/summer – so one week water, the next week feed it, next week water, etc.
If you want your F.Fig to grow ‘tree-like’ and touch the ceiling, consider re-potting your fig into a larger plastic pot, using best quality premium potting mix– they will love you for it and put on lots of new growth.
If yours now looks like sad sticks, (RIP) it may be curtains, but try taking it outside, in a morning sun position, or filtered light under a tree, water it, feed it, talk to it, get on your knees and pray godammit! It should come back, just a little slowly.

–Richard Unsworth is a renowned garden designer, writer and traveller. He is also the owner of Sydney’s iconic outdoor store, Garden Life, and has played a part in Australia’s landscape design scene for the past 15 years.