Major flower shows like Bloom offer a wealth of creative ideas for houseplant lovers as well as gardeners who aspire to create their own outdoor personal show gardens.
People who don’t have an outdoor space can create spectacular indoor plantscapes, say award-winning mother-and-daughter team Nikki and Holly Barsby, founders of houseplant shop and consultation service In The Garden, whose recent indoor garden plantscape ‘A Feast Of Foliage’ won RHS Chelsea Gold in the houseplant and container gardening category, emphasising maximalist indoor landscapes style in a 360-degree immersive experience.
But how can beginners create an indoor space to rival outdoor show gardens?
Start with a pot of show-stopping succulents
"An amateur can start with one pot. Right pot, right plant, right place," says Holly. For an easy, low-maintenance display, you might pair Kalanchoe ‘Magic Bells’ with trailing succulents like string of beads (senecio) and echeveria.
"It might be a bright, indirect sunny hot environment and you can use any type of container. It requires a little water, which will soak in before it gets to the bottom," says Nikki.
The pot doesn’t need holes as long as you don’t overwater it, she stresses. It may be wise to have a reservoir at the bottom to drain any excess water.
Consider air plants
"An air plant is even more low-maintenance," says Holly. "Put it in a humid bathroom and it makes for good decor."
Give it a bath once a week and make sure it is well-drained afterwards and that’s all you need to do, they advise.
Find the ideal spot
Do your research on a suitable spot for your plants before you invest.
"If you are forcing a plant because of the aesthetic and put it in the wrong position in terms of light, or draft, or temperature, then it’s not going to survive," Holly warns.
While succulent containers won’t need drainage holes or much watering, plants, including peace lilies (Spathiphyllum wallisii), will need regular watering.
You can keep it in its nursery pot and place that pot into your decorative container. When you water it, take the plant in its nursery pot to the sink, give it a good soak and let it drain.
Avoid moving happy plants
"If a plant seems happy in a place, don’t move it, even though sometimes the rules say that you should place it in a different spot. If it’s happy, leave it," says Nikki.
Try layering for a maximalist effect
"Take into consideration the height, span, potential growth rate, leaf colour and texture and the size of the container you’re using," says Holly.
Plant up one pot at a time and test how they look, moving them to assess which looks best where and build from there, she continues. There isn’t a hard and fast rule to placement, just go with your personal choice.
"From our perspective, if you’re looking at the aesthetics, I like a flow. So if you paired a palm with, say, a rubber plant, you have two very different leaves, but you can almost see through the palm to the broad leaves of the rubber plant.
"The growth rates are quite similar, but even if they weren’t – and you were thinking of budget – I’d go for one larger statement plant, individually planted or placed in a pot, and go for a smaller one placed on a plant stand, raising it up so you’re creating height that way," Holly suggests.
Make a statement
"I wouldn’t be scared to go for a bigger statement plant," says Holly. "I think they can sometimes be easier to look after than a tiny pot because the watering for the small pot can catch you out if it’s hot and it dries out quickly."
Consider containers
Unless you have a statement container, make sure the plants remain the stars of the show, the pair advise. However, vintage and repurposed containers, which have personality and create an aura can enhance a room’s aesthetics, they note.
Fill space with your style in mind
If you have a modern home, you may prefer one large standout plant to fill a space. If you have shelves to fill, you may want to go for a cluster of trailing plants. Fiddle leaf figs look great in minimalist interiors in a sunny position, while Strelitzia nicolai (white bird of paradise) has a broad leaf and is upright and simple looking, ideal for less busy environments, Holly suggests.
Go tropical
If you want a more tropical feel to your indoor space, look towards plants such as anthuriums, which offer splashes of tropical colour to bright, warm rooms and produce eye-catching flower-like ‘spathes’ in shades of red, orange, pink or white, atop glossy leaves.
You could also add trailing tradescantia to the mix, which provide good ground cover and come in a variety of colours, with variegated pink and purple leaves with green and white stripes and small flowers in a range of colours.
"Find plants which offer you different things, such as flowers, variegated leaves and different forms, then your look isn’t as linear and gives you potential seasonal interest," suggests Holly.
Allow space to dodge your display
Ideally, you don’t want to be brushing up against your plants, warns Nikki.
"Most plants don’t like to be brushed up against, or near a door where it’s draughty. The leaves get a bit bruised. If you have limited space, go for tall and slender plants, such as sansevieria, which are tough and will go with succulent plants like string of beads. Or in lower light you could do ZZ plants or aspidistras."
Create climbing canopies
If you have a sunny spot, go for jasmine, which will provide both white flowers and intense scent, or devil’s ivy (also known as epipremnum or pothos), a self-clinging climber which will happily grow up poles or along shelving, and which you can get in variegated and heart-shaped leaf forms, which will grow in lower light, they suggest.
