HOUSEPLANT HEAVEN

The trend for houseplants is thriving with a focus on filling the home with a profusion of plants, using a wide variety of species to create a lush and exotic feel. They've become as important as furniture in a throwback to 1970s homes and Victoriana

Here are seven top tips on how to integrate plants into your home...

1. Darken your walls

Dark walls can create a stunning backdrop for plants, especially when painted in matte colors like midnight blue or forest green. The contrast between the dark walls and the vibrant colors of the plants makes them visually striking, allowing their different forms, textures, and colors to stand out even more

Try: Monstera Deliciosa, Begonia Maculata, purple-leaved Tradescantia

2. Terrariums & Mossariums

This sub-trend within the houseplant phenomenon is the perfect fusion of houseplants and ornaments, requiring minimal care and can be left unattended for months, making them ideal if you travel away from home frequently or are just rubbish at remembering to water.

Try: this review of the best terrarium retailers

3. Light them up

Plants need natural light to survive and so the darker corners of your home may make it harder for them to thrive. Grow light bulbs compensate for the lack of natural light and help trigger photosynthesis. They can be used in regular light fittings, allowing plants to be placed anywhere.

Try: Glow Light Bulbs from Light in the Box

4. Pick your pots

Imaginative planters have become as important as the plants inside. Different plant species require specific materials for their containers. Porous containers made of concrete, clay, or terracotta are suitable for cacti to allow the soil to dry quickly. Whereas tropical plants like Peperomia thrive in glazed ceramic or metal planters that retain moisture

Try: Rockett St George for some statement pots

5. Style your plants

Houseplant styling is a thing! The current trend is to make your plants appear to escape their pots and roam freely. Just as plants traditionally climbed external walls, encourage them to climb internal walls or trail along mantelpieces.

Try: Mount plants like staghorn ferns on cedar boards or reclaimed wood, wrapping their roots in cork or moss

6. Living centrepieces

Why not replace formal flower arrangements in vases with longer-lasting living alternatives. Try a mini potted citrus tree to serve as your centrepiece, or a collection of low-lying plants like succulents on the coffee table. Sprout cuttings from larger plants in water and the repot them for miniature versions for indoor decoration

Try: check out these ideas

7. Statement plants

And if you don't have the space (or the time!) for the full jungle effect just focus on a strategically placed single eye-catching plant in a sparsely furnished space

Try: Ficus lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig) or Australian tree ferns

And don't forget that if you choose well, house plants can also make the space you live in healthier by doing their bit to purifying the air you breath, creating oxygen and remove toxins. Clever little things