It's the perfect time of year to adorn your tables, windowsills and countertops with lush indoor plants. Martha Stewart uses them as a decorative staple and to bring life into a room, and they can help to improve the air quality of your home. Besides making sure your window treatments let enough light in to keep your foliage healthy, here are some tips for decorating with houseplants.


From SouthernLiving.com. Larger-leaved selections such as 'Deborah' and 'Silver Bay' help reduce the scale of a big room. Photo by William Dickey

Use unique displays

Although the terra cotta flowerpot is a classic when it comes to houseplants, there are displays available that might better match your decor. Put your plants atop cast iron stands or stone columns to bring them closer to eye level and draw more attention to them, or consider planting some herbs in small clay hanging pots and placing them above your kitchen sink for an attractive and functional decoration. You can also attach flowerpots to a plank of wood and mount it on a wall as you would a work of art.

Keep like with like

Groupings of the same plant species in different hybrids can create subtle contrast while maintaining consistency, as does keeping various species of the same height or hue together. A perfect example of this look is a windowsill crowded with several kinds of cacti. In addition to being visually eclectic, the display is also easy to maintain, as cacti require very little attention.




Treat them well

The most important part of decorating with houseplants is keeping them healthy. No matter how beautiful the display is, a dying plant will bring the rest of the room down. Take care of your greenery by sticking to a watering and pruning routine that is appropriate for the type of plant and by giving them as much sunlight as the species calls for.

Cellular shades work well with houseplants because they let light in and can be kept closed while still displaying your flowers.