DISPLAYING PLANTS

The most magnificent plant can lose its impact if it is positioned wrongly. Choose a place that provides the conditions it likes and it will thrive. But you should also choose a place where it will be shown to its best advantage.

Specimen plants

Many plants can be successful when displayed on their own, as single speci­mens. These are normally fairly large subjects, with a bold outline or dramatic foliage, the so-called architectural plants. Such plants can make an excellent focal point, particularly if spotlights are used for highlighting.

Ficus elastica, the rubber plant, is perhaps less popular than it once was, but its relative, Ficus benjamina, the weeping fig, makes a splendid specimen plant. Ficus lyrata, the fiddle leaf fig, has a less elegant shape, but its large, boldly curved leaves provide a point of interest.

 

A well-grown Dracaena marginata, the Madagascar dragon tree, with its tree­like form and spiky foliage, looks especially good in a simply furnished, modern room. So do many of the palms, such as Howea belmoreana, the curly palm, or Chamaedorea elegans, the parlor palm. In older-style houses, plants with softer, more rounded, and less aggressive out­lines are often more appropriate.

Climbing plants, trained up supports, can also make excellent specimen plants, and their eventual height can be controlled. Monstera deliciosa, Philodendron scandens, and Epipremnum aureum will all make large and statuesque specimens.

Specimen plants are best displayed where they do not have to compete for attention with elaborate furnishings: give them some space to themselves. Plain walls allow the foliage and outline of the plant to be properly appreciated; patterned wallpaper tends to create a confused effect unless the pattern is very subtle. Light-colored walls display most plants well, although pale and variegated leaves may show up better against darker backgrounds.

Use lighting to complement the plant and give it a new dimension after dark. Completely different effects can be achieved with low-level and high-level spotlights, and backlighting can give dramatic results when used with boldly cut foliage. Glossy-leafed plants are given extra sparkle with artificial light­ing, but the foliage must be kept clean and bright.

Specimen plants are normally placed on the floor for the most satisfactory effect, although smaller plants can be set on low tables. Choose a decorative pot that will balance the height and width of the plant so that it does not appear to be top-heavy.

Plant groups

  

 

Grouping a number of different plants together has several advantages. It allows you to create a satisfying display with Contrasting or complementary foliage types; short-term flowering plants can add welcome color and interest, since they can be removed or replaced when their blooms die back. Plants with . ungainly shapes or leggy stems can more easily be disguised. And a plain-leafed plant  that would look dull alone makes its own valuable contribution when set among other foliage or flowering plants.

 

Not only do plant groups often look  betterr, they tend to grow better too, for humid microclimate that provides excellent growing conditions is created within the  group. It is also easier to look after plants  when they are together than when they are dotted around the room :  you are less likely to overlook them, and watering is less of achore. Plants that are grouped together ahould all enjoy roughly similar conditions of warmth and humidity. Light is less important because it is easier to accommodate varying needs by strategic positioning.

 The easiest way to create a group is simply to bring together  plants in their individual pots arrange on a windowsill or tabletop. The pots should be similar: plain terra-cotta ones are usually more pleasing than a variety of different-colored or patterned containers.

Saucers are necessary for effective watering and to prevent furniture from being spoiled by drips. If you do not want individual saucers, the plants can be placed together on a large tray.

If the tray is half-filled with pebbles or gravel, you can easily increase the humidity around the group by pouring water into the tray to just below the top of the gravel. Or you can put the plants in a deeper, ornamental container that will cover the individual pots entirely (see p. 25).

Already-planted groups in decorative containers can be found in many stores and garden centers. Do not expect these plants to have a long life, however. They are planted closely in small containers for instant effect and are chosen more for their appearance than for their similarity of needs. They should be regarded as short-term decoration, although individ­ual plants can usually be saved if the group is dismantled and replanted once it begins to look jaded.

Large architectural plants

need large modern uncluttered spaces to show to greatest advantage (left). Thisfine Ficus benjamina is well placed; it is the focus of attention at the entrance to the two minimally furnished and neutral-colored rooms, and at the same time it draws them together.

A wide windowsill in a

more traditional type of house (right) calls for completely different treatment, with several plants grouped together.

The grouping is not, however, random. The busy patterning of the pots and pitchers is given unity by their coloring and is offset by the block of red of the cyclamen and the strong color accent provided by the purple African violets.

  

Handle with care

Some houseplants need to be treated with caution, especially if there are children or pets in the home. A number of species are poisonous if eaten, and others can cause skin irritation or scratches. Children are probably unlikely to eat many houseplants, but brightly colored berries are tempting. Cats, particularly, and some dogs may chew a wide variety of plants, though they rarely seem to come to any harm.

Unpleasant skin rashes can be experienced after handling a number of plants, such as Primula obconica, by people who are allergic to them, but you do not need to have an allergy to suffer from the spines of cacti—even the silky-seeming hairs of Cephalocereus senilis, old-man cactus, hide vicious barbs. The tips of sharp, spiky leaves, such as those of some aloes, which may also bear spines, can also injure people. Be particularly careful not to position such plants at eye level, and remember that the eye level of children and animals is lower than your own.

Common poisonous plants

Capsicum annuum:              Ornamental chili pepper: poisonous berries

 Datura Candida:                 Angel’s trumpet: all parts poisonous

Diejfenbachia spp. :            Dumb cane: sap causes painful swelling of mouth and throat

Euphorbia pulcberrima          Poinsettia: poisonous sap

Nerium oleander                  Oleander: all parts extremely poisonous

 Solanum capsicastrum         False Jerusalem cherry: poisonous berries