Indoor plants in decoration; types and tips for home

Indoor plants for decoration

One of the best options when it comes to achieving the perfect environment of any room or room in our house is the use of inside plants as a decoration complement. Their health benefits have been extensively proven: they create relaxed environments and therefore reduce stress levels. But, in addition, they also help reduce dust by reducing the dryness of the environment.

No matter the style of decoration, there are so many varieties of flowers and plants that they are easily adaptable to any style and environment, be it traditional or completely modern.

The inside plants in decoration Not only do they have multiple aesthetic benefits, they also provide psychological benefits that make them an unbeatable element for home decoration. (See also the healthiest coworking office with 1000 plants and the article on how to design a modern garden)

The only thing that must be taken into account are their light and humidity needs and, above all, consider that in general few plants support continuous change from one place to another, it is better to always keep them in the same place in the house .

Types of decorative indoor plants

It is important to know which ones are ideal plants for indoor spaces. Are plant varieties they usually require little light and water, and that makes them ideal for being at home.

Here is a small list of the indoor plants that are ideal to be placed inside the house and decorate it:

Potos: They need to be hung and in a space close to the light. It is recommended to place them near the windows.
Aspidistra: A hardy plant that requires shade and little watering.
Trunk of Brazil: A plant that does not need much light and is resistant to drought. It can be placed anywhere in the house.
Cactus: There are many varieties of cacti, but most of them can be in small pots, they must be watered sparingly, but they need light, so they are ideal to be in the windows.
Dracena: A plant that does not require much sun or space. It can measure up to two meters and the way to water it should be moderate.
Sansevieria: Ideal for dark places, does not require much watering, and can live up to fifteen years with little care.
Anglaonema: Ideal for indoors, it does not require much light, it must be watered regularly, but it is not cold tolerant.
Ferns: Ferns are used for hanging, they need enough light, so it is recommended that they be in the entrance or patio of the house; They require abundant watering for their growth and beauty.
Ficus: A very showy and cute plant that can be used outdoors for decoration or indoors as a bonsai.

If we need to increase the repertoire to have more ideas in the indoor gardens, we can also consult the Wikipedia list … HERE.

The decorative plants at home they are essential to create a relaxed atmosphere, but you have to choose the right ones, especially if you have little time.

What are the best indoor plants to decorate

There are many plants that adapt well to home conditions, but among them some can be highlighted, such as the following:

The sansevieras and the Cactus in general, due to their little need for irrigation, although the former survive better in dark environments than the latter.
The ficus, the bamboo, the spatifilos and the dracans, which need more watering and humidity.
The ivy, which is characterized by its rapid growth, sometimes difficult to control, and which is a good option for filling hanging baskets.
The aromatic plants They can be used to decorate any style of kitchen, at the same time that they can become a natural air freshener and be very useful for future recipes.

First advice: exotic plants are difficult to care for, start with the simple ones, and, little by little, we will introduce the complicated ones to maintain

It is possible to have a small indoor garden mixing green leafy plants with other flower ones. So let's list the most suitable plants for decoration:

Green plants for interior decoration

The Trunk of Brazil (Dracaena Fragans) also called Tree of happiness, it needs to be able to develop that the ambient temperature never drops below 12º C. This species needs to grow in a well-lit but not too sunny place so that the leaves do not burn. It can live with less light but in that case its growth will be very slow.

The Living room palm tree (Chamaedorea Elegans) is slow growing and rarely exceeds 120 cm in height when potted. In winter it is necessary to ensure that the ambient temperature does not drop below 10-13ºC, keeping the soil slightly humid. It is very suitable to water this palm tree with rainwater that will prevent chlorosis caused by lack of iron.

The Ivy (Hedera Helix) was formerly cultivated in ways that required a cool greenhouse, today we find variegated and dwarf varieties that support warm interiors. The small ivy with its leaves tinged in white or gold, can live very well in an apartment with a very well fertilized clay soil and frequent waterings. The more light the better. In winter they must be kept away from heating.

They are often used a lot as hanging plants in decoration.

Flowering plants for interior decoration

The Cimbidea (Cymbidium) is the orchid that provides the most flowers to cut with beautiful hues. It must be watered abundantly until September and fertilized every four weeks with special fertilizer for orchids. From September until the end of winter the waterings should be more spaced and should not be paid.

The Saintpaulia or African Violet is a houseplant native to East Africa and produces permanent violet-like flowers lasting up to three months and with colors ranging from purple to white to pink. Its leaves are velvety and heart-shaped. It needs a lot of light but never direct sun. The temperature never falls below 12º C.

Spectacular Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) From a large bulb you can have an exuberant and highly perfumed flowering in the living room. It generally blooms between January and April. The Amaryllis needs a very bright place and constant humidity. Always rain or mineral water. Once the flowering is finished, the waterings must be spaced and suspended once the leaves are yellow.

As a help note, NASA wrote a document on the best indoor vegetation with absorption and purification properties of the environment. You can see it from HERE and it is in Spanish.

Tips for decorating with plants

Indoor plants can be grouped together to form small gardens or distributed throughout the house or workplace, the important thing is to provide them with adequate light, irrigation and compost, nature will do the rest and provide the best and most spectacular of decorations.

The best thing is to find plants that match the decor style chosen, so that they create a feeling of continuity with the rest of the decorative elements.

Beware of excessively large plants with a lot of foliage. You have to maintain a balance in the interior design

For example, you can use plants that give a greater feeling of spaciousness to a small apartment or, conversely, that create a warmer atmosphere in a large home.

Joining the decorative potted plants surprising and low-budget effects can be achieved but plants can also be placed on other types of supports such as hanging baskets or pedestals, depending on the effect we want to achieve. Any room can be decorated in this way, from the living room to the bathrooms, through the kitchen or the bedrooms, the combinations are endless.

Let's choose plants knowing in advance the needs for light and temperature.
We must recognize the space we have and what the growth of the plant will be (Remember that radiators and currents have a negative influence).
An outdoor plant can never survive inside a home.
Always choose a good planter that you will also have on the market with excellent designs and colors. (it is not worth having a beautiful plant in a hideous pot)

The flowerpots and ceramic pots in classical decoration, they always combine well.

The flowerpots and wooden pots in rustic decoration combines perfectly (you can even place wicker baskets).

The flowerpots and concrete, glass or ceramic pots design marry perfectly in one modern decor. (As a curiosity, we can read the article about Kokedama, the Japanese alternative to decorate your house with plants without a pot … HERE)

For any style of decoration, it is suitable to use flowerpots in groups of two or three, be they the same or of different sizes.
The plants are an excellent delimiter of zones; To mark the dining room or living room area, an office in the dining room, or that begins a staircase.
They create focal points. A beautiful plant of adequate dimensions will always attract attention.

In the aromatic plants are used in the kitchen that in addition, some types, we can use them for cooking.
Recommended the plants with personality to place them in centerpieces, in a bathroom without abusing or in the kitchen.
They are excellent for high ceilings. The perfect example is bamboo that has stems that can grow to a considerable height. Also the Hydra or its variants that we can encourage to climb the walls.

Many times we stop having plants in the house for not having time to care for them, which causes many to dry out due to lack of irrigation or quite the opposite, that they drown due to an excess of water, but there are beautiful plants that grow without problems and survive our lack of care.

As a note: we can also create a green mantle or wall on the wall and get out of the traditional. We can see an extensive guide article on how to create a vertical garden for home.

Which indoor plants are more resistant and easy to grow

Although we have to comment that in reality the list can be very long, in a generalized way, the hardy houseplants and that do not need too much attention would be:

Cissus: scientific name Cissus rhombifolia. Native to South Africa, it is a hanging plant with beautiful dark green leaves that lives perfectly in places with little light. Regular watering in summer with liquid fertilizer every fifteen days and little watering in winter.
Ivy: scientific name Hedera helix. Native to Europe and Africa, ivy is one of the most grateful plants out there. It lives without problems in low light and regular waterings. It can be used as a hanging plant or put a few stakes to tangle the long branches. The best varieties to give color to the house are the dwarfs with variegated leaves.

Remember: the native plants of the area are always the simplest to care for, both indoors and outdoors, since they are adapted to the climate

Singonio: scientific name Syngonium podophyllum. Native to Africa, its arrow-shaped leaves in a green tinged with cream are very attractive. It is not demanding with regard to light or watering. With very little care you get a beautiful and bushy plant that can live for many years, transplanting it from time to time.
Tradescantia: scientific name Tradescantia fluminensis. Originally from South America, the tradescantia, with its small and abundant leaves of metallic luster and purple underside, is a wonderful upholstery plant suitable to brighten up any corner of the home; especially bathrooms and kitchens, since the environmental humidity favors their growth.
Aspidistra: scientific name Aspidistria elator. Native to China and Japan, it is a robust plant, with long glossy dark green leaves, sometimes mottled in cream. Also popularly called "tinplate", this plant resists everything, scarce light and scattered waterings although it welcomes a good fertilizer during the summer.

Sanseviera: scientific name Sansevieria. The so-called "Mother-in-law's tongue" is a rhizomatous plant native to Asia and Africa. Very popular a few years ago, although currently it has been relegated, giving prominence to other more exotic plants; However, the sanseviera has long and fleshy leaves that mix dark green and cream in color, resulting in highly decorative colors. Holds the lack or excess of light and watering without problems. Ideal for the hall or to highlight any corner.

Despite having little time, it is always possible to decorate the house with beautiful and hardy plants that brighten our eyes when we return from a hard day's work, it is only necessary to choose the variety that best suits our circumstances and we will be able to enjoy a relaxing contact with the plant world in the middle of the urban jungle.

How to take care about inner plants

Placed in corridors, stairs, balconies, near windows or even in the bathroom, plants brighten up rooms in the home.

When you decide to include plants in house decoration, the most important thing is to find out about your basic needs: adequate light and temperature, so that the home can be conditioned as closely as possible to its natural environment. There are a series of recommendations that must be followed to achieve this.

What is the ideal temperature for plants?

In each room the temperature is different; it must be measured for plants to flourish. In order to determine the appropriate climate, it is recommended to follow the following table:

Baja (cool environment); the minimum temperature is 7 to 10 ° C, it is what the outdoor plants that are sometimes kept indoors, for example: azalea, heather, spring, cyclamen, etc., need. It is also recommended for some more typical indoor species, such as aucuba, aralia or ivy.
Moderate (temperate environment); the minimum temperature is around 20 to 15 ° C and is ideal for plants such as clivia, aspidistra, asparagus or cheflera
High (warm environment); The minimum temperature ranges between 15 and 20 ° C, it is ideal for most indoor plants such as: dracen, bromeliads, orchids, ficus, etc.

Note: to determine the temperature in the rooms, use an environmental thermometer, it can be obtained in specialized garden stores.

How much light do plants need?

Light is the source of life for plants, because through it they carry out the process called photosynthesis, by which they survive.

Plants are divided into three large groups according to the need for light:

Those that need direct sun (avoid noon).
Those that require more or less intense light, but without direct exposure to the Sun.
Those that grow in the shade.

Therefore, you must know which plants to choose and where to place them, all according to the light they need.

Almost all indoor plants prefer places in the house where they have sufficient lighting, but no direct sunlight on them. So you must ask whether plants are affected by sunlight or not. If this happens, put curtains or blinds on the windows.

Remember: Avoid direct sunlight at noon

To give more light to the spaces of the house, paint with light colors, such as beige or white, and place mirrors and glass objects. Of interest the article on architecture of natural light where we explain more concepts.

Most plants with colored leaves need intense lighting to maintain their color, even without direct sun.

Plants with decorative flowers should be located in well-lit places; if not, there is a risk that they will not flourish.

Can artificial light be used on plants?

It is not necessary to have a home or house with very good lighting, artificial light can be used so that the plants flourish:

Place lamps on the plants so that they provide the necessary light.
If it is lit with bulbs, they will have little light, but quite a bit of heat. That is why the plant must be very close to the bulb. Fluorescent tubes only shine brighter than incandescent light bulbs.
If you combine the light of fluorescent tubes and that of traditional bulbs, you will get a light identical to solar.

Of interest for your curiosity the article on the plants that give light. and another article on nanotechnology in plants to provide their own light from HERE.

How to know if plants lack light?

It is true that some plants need less light than others, but their scarcity can cause a pale and weak appearance, few or no flowers, leaves fall and a weakness that may lead to death.

When do we know that they need more light?… The stems will grow longer and more fragile, and the leaves will have a pale green color

Check the light that some plants require:

Intense light on a plant: altea, aralia, ardisia, coleus, croton, spatifilo, clivia, croto and bromeliads.
Medium light on a plant: afelandra, azalea, cheflera, cyclamen, dracena, marginata, Brazilwood, yucca and ficus
Low light on a plant: aglaonema, alocasia. flower begonia, caladium, cysus, philodendron, fern. Kentia, Peperomia, Sanseviera and Singonio.

What humidity do indoor plants need?

Each plant requires different amounts of water per day. In order not to overdo it, ask before purchasing it, but if you want to check if the plant is well watered, check it as follows:

Direct check: put your finger a couple of centimeters into the ground. If the soil does not adhere and does not appear traces of moisture, it means that it must be watered.
Raise the pot. If it feels light, it lacks water.
If the soil appears lighter in color than normal and the plant comes off easily, it must be hydrated as follows: immersing it up to the root neck in a deep container with water, leaving it inside until the air bubbles disappear.

It is convenient to pour the water on the edges of the pot so as not to damage the neck of the plant and avoid watering with hard water

When should I avoid watering the plants?

When the wind blows.
In full sun or in hot hours.
With ice water. Use warm water, the reason is that cold water decreases the absorption of nutrients
No order (Water evenly throughout the pot).

Plant pests and diseases

In order not to allow the plants to get sick, it is necessary to act before:

Check the suitability of the exhibition. That is to say, sometimes the excess of Sun or the opposite causes the bad aspect. Another space must be found or covered.
Make sure that the compost is adequate, if you lose your green leaves, it may be due to an excessive amount of compost. Remove the pot from the plant, remove the dead roots, remove most of the soil and place it in the pot.
Make sure that the diseased plants do not remain next to the healthy ones because pests and diseases can spread.
Regularly monitor the shoots and veins of the leaves, as they are favorite places of pests such as aphids.

What are the benefits of having plants at home

Plants will give us a touch of color and joy to our home, house or office, in addition they provide other benefits with reference to health and that have been more than tested:

The previous photograph is from the article on green architecture where we enter one of the buildings with the largest number of trees in the world.

They are stress reducers, as they help the environment to calm down. They attract good energies.
In the case of offices, it has been shown that having plants helps to improve the efficiency of workers, apart from harmonizing the work environment.
They help reduce dust, both in homes and offices, up to 20% of the usual amount.
They reduce the levels of dioxide and nitrogen, which are harmful gases and can affect human health.

Also of interest is the article on tips to create more comfortable homes.

Tips for maintaining indoor plants

We want to provide a series of tips for indoor plant care for home in general and that we should not forget:

Pruning off any leaves that are wilted will help the plants become much more radiant.
Establish a single place to place them, preferably the living room, and do not move them too much since that does not please the plants, and they can wilt.
Avoid placing plants on the tables due to the constant movement to which they are exposed and because they could fall.
Choose pots that do not store too much humidity because it could be counterproductive and kill the plant.
Avoid having plants in bedrooms and choose more attractive and spacious places so that they can provide all the necessary energy.
Avoid having the plants near the kitchen or in very hot places as they will not resist and, therefore, will die.
Plants are also living beings and it is the duty of their owners to take care of them and keep them beautiful.

For the oxygen to flow in the home there is nothing better than growing plants. If you do not have a garden, it is not a cause for concern, as we have seen, there are species that can adapt to all corners of the house or home.

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