Green plants can transform a room, but they need to be significant, not skimpy. Instead of spending cash on several small plants to dot around your home, invest in one or two impressive specimens and you create far more impact. Think big, go large, be bold, is the mantra of the current Insta frenzy that’s all about upsizing houseplants, and the good news is you don’t need masses of space to embrace the trend.
TOUCH OF THE TROPICS
Large-leaved, jungly foliage suits a contemporary space better than parlour palms and modest cyclamens. Given its freedom, a Monstera deliciosa will spread its stems far and wide, but trained up a moss pole, it becomes a well-behaved column of lush green leaves that will bring an empty ‘dead’ corner of a room to verdant life. Moreover, easy-to-please monsteras are happy in low light.
Not for nothing is monstera known as the Swiss cheese plant, but monstera’s close relative, the monkey mask plant, Monstera adansonii, looks as if large holes have been punched all over the heart-shaped leaves. This is one tropical plant that you could buy small, because it grows fast, and looks good shimmying up and over a U-shaped cane – most garden centres stock them – for a talking point that takes up little room.
The slim trunk of a yucca makes it the perfect plant to site in a corner or behind a sofa, and the multitude of sword-like leaves atop that trunk add more than a touch of tropical splendour. Think of it as an indoor palm tree, minus the coconuts, and add a mulch of shells or pebbles to complete the look.
Leaves shaped like giant paddles, not unlike the outdoor fig tree, are fiddle-leaf fig Ficus lyrata’s defining feature. Layered at intervals, the finely-veined deep green leaves look, and feel, as if they’re made of stiff fabric. In fact the fiddle-leaf fig is as robust and long-lasting as any artificial plant and is especially suited to a dining area or kitchen, effectively bringing the outside indoors.
All these tropical plants benefit from regular spritzing to increase humidity and remind them of their rainforest roots.
FALLS OF FOLIAGE
Shoehorn a small trailing plant onto a bookcase or display shelf, place one on top of the bathroom cabinet or a tall cupboard and the cascade of greenery will improve the view as well as soften hard, angular edges. Swerve the usual small-leaved tradescantia and instead carry the big, bold theme through with large-leaf trailers such as Philodendron scandens, the heart-leaf philodendron, which has a mass of bright green foliage on lengthy twirling stems. Make max impact by going for gold with devil’s ivy, aka golden pothos, a large-leaved trailer with grass-green leaves as big as your fist that are randomly splashed with gold. Alternatively, satin pothos has matte green leaves splashed with silver. Both varieties are content with less light, so are great for brightening a gloomy corner.
SPOTS AND STRIPES
It might not be practical to have a huge houseplant sitting on your dining table, sideboard or console, but a smaller plant with boldly patterned foliage can still make a big impression. Top of the list is Begonia maculata, better known as the polka dot begonia, thanks to the arrow-shaped dark green leaves that are strikingly marked with large white polka dots as well as tinged carmine on their undersides. What the all-over-the-place form lacks in elegance, the foliage – the leaves can grow longer than the length of your hand – more than compensates. It’s also easy to cut back, and the snipped stems, dropped into a glass of water, will produce roots for more polka dot frolics.
As the name suggests, the peacock plant, Calathea, is another showstopper, but the lush, heart-shaped leaves are broadly striped in shades of green that, in some varieties, can be pin-fine. Keep Calathea’s leaves away from direct sunlight to preserve the leaf patterning and avoid scorching.
Sansevieria, aka mother-in-law’s tongue – that familiar stiff vertical foliage striped green and yellow – is an all-round winner. It’s virtually indestructible, takes up very little space, can handle low light levels so is ideal for hallways and bedrooms, plus the foliage releases oxygen at night, making it beneficial for your health. Who could ask for more from a plant?
DIAL UP THE DRAMA
* Place the plant next to a wall mirror and you double the impact.
* Display your prize plant as you would a sculpture, by adding an uplighter at the base.
* Elevate a plant to eye level by perching it on on a side table, bar stool or chair.
* Follow the garden design principle of repetition: a pair of fiddle-leaf figs at either side of a sofa; a trio of sentry-like sansevieria lined up along a hallway.
* Conceal the dreaded plastic pots within handsome planters in neutral tones and materials – ceramic, seagrass, jute – that complement rather than compete with their occupants.
