Where to Grow House Plants in Your Home

Individual plants

Clay pots are admirable for growing plants in, but they cannot be said to be beautiful. The first thing to do is to conceal the pots, and a variety of ‘pothiders’ is available of cane, wicker, raffia, split wood, metal, etc. These will serve for a few plants, which can be stood here and there in the room, each in its own saucer.

Too many individual plants, however, will make a lot of work and produce a restless, untidy atmosphere. When this happens, it is best to group the plants together in troughs, baskets or other containers, of which a very large range can be bought.

Climbers

Individual climbing plants can be accommodated on their own trellis-work, made from cane or wicker pushed into the soil of the pot, and tied at the junctions. Many patterns will suggest themselves including ‘free’ arrange-ments made of thick wicker steamed, bent’to shape, and cooled in that position.

Climbers with aerial roots can be grown on a branch or stick to which sphagnum moss is thickly bound with copper wire. The roots enter the damp moss and the plant grows luxuriantly in a natural way. Such plants include Ficus pumila, Hedera (ivies), Hoya, Philodendron, Scindapsus and Syngonium. Plants on walls Where a wall space is avail-

able climbers can be trained on it effectively. An almost invisible support is provided by thin copper wire or strong thread stretched from skirting board to picture rail, but if a more formal effect is wanted, various materials can be used, such as expanded metal, wood trellis or criss-crossed bamboos.

Troughs and jardinieres

For most plants and most rooms, however, a trough-shaped container is a particularly useful one. For one thing, a trough with solid or mesh sides can be filled with damp peat or moss into which the pots are plunged to improve air humidity. Such long narrow containers can also be easily positioned – along the window is often ideal both for the plants and to fit with the furniture, or they can be placed at right angles to the window at one side.

A very decorative effect is obtained by ‘framing’ the window with climbing plants, which can meet at the top, with a trough at or below sill level.

A wheeled trolley, with the plants on a tray, can be useful in a small room. By day it can be kept near the window, by night moved into the room. This is also an admirable way for an invalid to have and tend a selection of plants.