house plants
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by Megan Cohen
One of the dwellings on World's Greenest Homes is amazingly built right around a live, growing tree. Even if you can't include towering, leaf-laden forestry in your house's infrastructure, you can still invite nature to your table with a beautiful living centerpiece. Here are some tips on how to make these elegant focal points work, plus the facts on why they're smart for the planet, and how they improve the very air you breathe.
Why Is This Good For The Planet?
Compared to cut stems in a vase, which require resources to grow and transport, and to continually replenish when they've wilted, a living centerpiece is more sustainable. Once it stops blooming or gets too big for the table, instead of throwing it out like you would a dozen dead roses, you can plant it in the great outdoors where it'll continue growing, and fight global warming by reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere.
Great, Now Why Is It Good For Me?
In addition to providing a benevolent boost for the world as a whole, keeping a live plant on the table is health-smart because it keeps the air in your home pure, safe, and healthy. Finding organically grown cut flowers isn't always as easy as popping out to your local market, but when you've got a living centerpiece, you know you're taking pesticide-free breaths. Plus, indoor plants can sap common household toxins right out of the air.
So, How Do I Make One?
You can put a variety of plants into one big, abundant pot, or you can arrange a bunch of smaller pots in a group, each holding its own individual bloom. In terms of what to grow, try building a whole arrangement out of the most powerful air purifyers in the gardening world. Or, for maximum aesthetic oomph, create a mixture that appeals to all the senses. Combine aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme with delicate flowers like pansies or violets, and pull it all together around a strong visual focal point, like a cluster of bright tulips or tall irises. Or, pick a single eye-catching type of floral—like nasturtiums or daffodils—but vary the size of the plants and pots for a look that's both cohesive and distinctive.
What Do I Put It In?
For a casual lunch, a regular terracotta pot with a couple of casual stalks will look rustic and charming on your table. On more formal occasions, try a gorgeous eco-friendly planter, or opt for a quick fix by swaddling a pot in a silk scarf or other swatch of elegant fabric.
What About The Dirt?
If potting soil just doesn't feel right at your table, cover it up! Try arranging concentric circles or sleek rows of small, pretty stones in an appealing design around the stems of your plants to cover the dirt, or grab a couple of handfuls of moss at a garden center, and tuck that across any visible patches of brown. Opting for planters or pots with tall rims, and keeping the top of your soil well below the edge of the walls, will also help hide the dirt from view, so your flowers can be the center of attention.
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