Oh No... Not House Plants!

Well hello... house plants are back with vengeance!

But, news flash to the millennials and Gen Z - you didn't invent them! They were huge in the 70s and we all grew up with them. Like our mother’s succulent rockery - they have a mixed spot in a baby boomers heart.

They are tremendous though; they do wonders for the air quality and the overall mood. Scientifically, they are shown to improve quality of life - unless of course you let them die and get upset about it!

I’m sincerely a big advocate for a green living thing in a room and I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I’ve not had plants (big green leaves or flowers from my garden) in my home. They certainly finish a space and make it feel lived in and loved.

You need to treat them like a vignette where they complete a grouping of objects in 3's or 5's (odd are best!). Pop them in pots that have complimentary shapes or colours. Odd bod pots straggling looking does not do them justice. Big guys need their space and are often better as 2 symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on a room.

If you live in a place not plant friendly or you’re never there to care for them and you need to use the fakies -  make them good quality and bigger is better. The bad quality small ones can just look like cheap dust collectors!

Like anything you bring home that’s living - you have to research how your individual plants and their species like to live: what and how to feed them, what sunlight and care they need etc.

Not a clue where to begin with that stuff? Oh have I got the perfect book for you - filled with gorgeous photography and step by step down to earth advice -in fact everything you need to know. “Green Thumb’ by Craig Miller Randle, ABC presenter, owner of well known MRD Furniture and an old trade fair buddy of mine.

Craig knew a lot more about plants than he did furniture and from a very young age (like me). He grew up in a garden assisting his grandmother and later in a greenhouse tending exotic tropical plants with his dad. He then went on ti more at a number of nursery’s after studying horticulture.

It’s an absolutely essential read for anyone heading to the plant shop before you sink a wad of cash and have them die in six months. The point is to bring you happiness ... not disappear!