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How To Fit A Plant In Every Damn Corner Of Your House

Emma Loewe
Author:
July 20, 2018
Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
By Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."
Photo by Diana Castro
July 20, 2018
Calling all plant parents! To ring in the height of summer (for half of the world at least), this week mbg is serving up the ultimate plant-centric lineup. Every day, we’ll be tapping expert green thumbs for their current plant obsessions, design hacks, and foolproof care tips. Get ready, get set, get growing.

When it comes to plants, it's hard to go overboard. There's just something about walking into a room filled to the brim with greenery that's at once inviting and adventurous—able to transport us to faraway places while rooting us in the present moment. (Not to mention, its air quality is probably on point.)

If you want to turn your space into a dreamy green oasis, but the thought of taking care of that many plants stresses you out, we've got you covered. Here are the expert-approved plant varieties that will thrive in different nooks and crannies of your home and the best ways to display them so they really shine.

In your bathroom:

Go for this plant:

Bathroom air tends to be hot and humid, so that should guide your houseplant choice. Christan Summers, the co-founder of Tula, a Brooklyn-based plant and lifestyle brand, cautions that you always need to look into a plant's origins before bringing it into your space. "Once you understand where a plant actually comes from and how it grows and where it grows, all of a sudden everything makes sense," she tells mbg. "They're not produced in a factory!"

Depending on the amount of natural light your bathroom gets, she recommends anything in the fern family—a Maidenhair fern or Boston fern, for example—since it will be used to humid conditions. The same goes for striking Calathea plants, which have dramatic striped leaves. "In the natural world, Calathea are found on the base of trees in jungle environments, and their leaves are really big so they can catch water," Summers explains. "They love humidity and have beautiful foliage with gorgeous patterns."

In this display:

Natural wicker baskets add a nice, relaxed feel to the bathroom, and you can pop the plastic planter your plant comes in right inside so it's easy to take it out when your plant needs a good soak. Take a cue from mbg's co-founders (and diehard plant-lovers) Jason and Colleen Wachob and hang the tops of these baskets on a wall as decoration.

In a dark corner:

Go for this plant:

Corners can get dry and dusty fast, so you'll want to look for a heardier plant that can handle low light here. Summers recommends hanging plants in corners to bring the eye up. Climbing plants like Pothos and Philodendron are good bets since their roots will climb to get as much light as possible, which looks really lush and beautiful. Plus, they'll help you purify some of that stale air! And if you're set on putting something on the floor, ZZ plants and Cast Iron plants are resilient enough to thrive in less-than-optimal environments.

In this display:

Macrame and plants are a dreamy duo. Macrame holders add some more warmth and texture to plants (check out how artist Fanny Zedenius hangs them in her living room). You can find some really stunning and intricate macrame hangers online, or try your hand at making your own! Emily Katz's new DIY macrame book can get you started.

On a blank wall:

Go for this plant:

Epiphyllum are a family of tropical cacti that bloom at night and give life to some colorful, beautiful flowers. Because they are practically a work of art themselves, Summers recommends hanging them up on a blank wall for some instant interest. "I love this plant so much! It has is tough and resistant so it can dry out between waterings," she says, adding that you never want your hanging plants to be too delicate.

If you're feeling ambitious you can also go with a Philodendron, Monstera, or any type of Epiphyte (a plant that attaches itself to nearby surfaces). Though they tend to require more care, you can put them next to other objects and they'll wrap around them to form an interesting, wild-looking display. "I love mixing diverse foliage types and growth habits while hanging at different heights," Summer adds.

In this display:

This hack from filmmaker and plant lover Kimberley Wynn will help you shape your plant wall for cheap: The next time you go to a florist, ask if they have any wood pallets they're not using. They make for a nice backdrop for planters of different shapes and sizes, and you can weave plant leaves in and out of their gaps. Or you can just go all out and hang a piece of driftwood for your plants to wrap around.

In a bright room:

Go for this plant:

Though it depends on just how bright the room is, Ficus and Jasmine are two plants that tend to do well with lots of light, and they both need direct sunlight from time to time too. Fatsia Japonica is another one of Summers' top picks, and she thinks the glossy-leaved variety from Asia is super underrated. "It does well with a little bit of direct sun but not too much," she says.

In this display:

In larger rooms, simply displaying your plants on unexpected surfaces can be fun. Think ladders, wooden chairs, stairways, or even pianos.

On a windowsill:

Go for this plant:

Since most windowsills are pretty narrow, you'll need a plant that won't go crazy and spread everywhere. If your window gets a lot of direct, bright light, Summers says succulents all the way. "Any desert plant like a cactus or succulent will do really well on bright windowsills. They're really drought tolerant and love dry, hot conditions. Cactuses will bloom if they're getting enough sun too, and they have beautiful flowers." Some of her favorite cactus varieties include Parodia magnifica, Parodia leninghausii, and Gymnocalycium multiflorum.

In this display:

This is the time to call on your more whimsical displays—ceramic coffee mugs and cheeky printed planters all the way.In the kitchen:

On the kitchen:

Go for this plant:

The air in kitchens tends to be on the dry side, so you'll want something a little heartier that doesn't need much moisture (steer clear of ferns, for example). And of course, herbs are a natural option for this space! Here's everything you need to know to help yours thrive

In this display:

Make your herbs the centerpiece of your kitchen by popping them on a wall feature. If your little herb collection is always in sight, you might be more inspired to take care of it and sneak more greens into every meal.

Are all your plants dying on you this summer? You need to read this.

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