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Expert Tips

Indoor plant hacks: keeping your plant babies alive!

Sponsored by Yates

We all know indoor plants have never been more on trend. I know, how can something from nature be in fashion exactly? But you know I’m right! Every magazine, blog and Instagram account is teeming with images of towering Fiddle Leaf Figs, impressive trailing specimens of Devil’s Ivy and String of Pearls, and mighty Monsteras.

They look beautiful, they add that je ne sais quoi to an interior, heck, they even make your air healthier. Not to mention the harder to prove psychological effects (like the smug feeling that comes with actually keeping them alive).

In the last couple of years, I’ve gone from black-thumbed disaster to proud as punch plant baby mama. But it’s hard work. And when you’ve got human babes to keep fed and watered (and the rest), a business and a household to run, it’s sometimes easy to neglect the leafy variety until you suddenly panic when they’re all looking a little dusty, and shove them in the shower for a good drink and drain! Phew! They lived to see another day!

I call this one the Beanstalk! Photo by Jacqui Turk.

There was a time I didn’t even know plants needed to be fed. You may be the same and you’re not alone (no judgment here!). Yes, plants need water (obviously!) but they also need food. It was cottoning onto this nugget of plant care wisdom that changed everything for me and means I now have greenery everywhere! Not just in pots, but propagating on every window sill! I started adding Yates Thrive Houseplant Liquid Plant Food to my watering can a couple of years ago (around the time I got my first Fiddle Leaf and with it, a real sense of plant mum responsibility) and it made a real difference.

But now there’s an even easier way to feed your plants, and there’s even one just for orchids, which are as easy to kill as they are an elegantly beautifully piece of decor in their own right! Orchids aren’t cheap, so while you can tell yourself it’ll last way longer than a bunch of cut flowers, that doesn’t ring true if you kill it after three weeks, does it?

With the new Yates Thrive Indoor Plants & Ferns Drippers and Yates Thrive Indoor Orchids Drippers, you’ll be well on your way to plant mum smugness with minimal effort. You simply write the date on the back of the dripper, snip the end off, stick it in the pot, and sit back knowing your plant baby is getting all the nutrients it needs for four weeks. Even if the liquid disappears from the dripper quicker than that, fear not, you’re still good for four weeks. This is set and forget for your indoor plants and orchids. Of course, you do still have to water them!

It’s such an easy way help you have healthy, happy looking indoor plants pepping up your interior. And because your plants will now all stay alive and you won’t need to buy anymore (apart from, it’s an addiction!), you can spend some of that extra cash on some of the many gorgeous planters, pots and hangers available these days.

Find out more about Yates Thrive Indoor Plants & Ferns Drippers and Indoor Orchids Drippers at the Yates website, where they have a handy instant chat service.

Categories
Expert Tips Styling

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.”

Interior plant stylist Chloe Warren

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