An Expert’s Guide To Choosing Indoor Plants For Your Home

Indoor plants are known to add many benefits to our homes. But with so many types of indoor plants, how do we know which ones will look great and be practical for our lifestyle? To answer this, I interviewed the talented Emily Wade who runs her own plant business from her home called, The Plant Parlour. She gives us great advice on indoor plants so we can gain a little bit more confidence when selecting plants for our homes.

A collection of pots and plants from The Plant Parlour

1. For someone who is just starting off with house plants, what are some great plants you can suggest that are easy to look after?

One of the first houseplants I recommend to any client is the Golden Pothos. It’s easy to care, fast growing and is one of the world’s bestselling houseplants. It can survive with little water incase someone forgets for a while and can also cope in areas of your home that have less natural light. It also is considered hard-to-kill, hence where it got its nickname “devil’s ivy”. It’s stunning trailing from a bookshelf, kitchen bench or plant stand. This is a perfect plant for someone who needs to travel and can’t water regularly, and also for homes with low to medium bright light.

Another great house plant is the Peace Lily. With year round big dramatic deep green foliage it is the perfect easy care plant to add instant drama to any space, and tropical vibes. Additionally, it will droop when thirsty so you will always know when it needs a drink of water! Easy!

Lastly – the Snake Plant is one of the easiest houseplants to care for as it thrives on neglect! It only needs to be watered every few months in winter, and is also tolerant of lower light levels. It is prone to root rot if overwatered so you do need to neglect it. Like the above 2 plants – it is also an air purifying plant, which is perfect for the home.

2. We all know plants can have a relaxing effect in our homes. With so many people now working from home, do you think it's a good idea to add plants in our home offices?

Absolutely!

Plants have been shown to increase productivity, improve concentration, boost mood and also reduce stress levels. This is all on top of purifying the air. This is something everyone needs not only within their home working space, but also within commercial spaces. Businesses are now understanding the importance of having “Green Spaces” within their offices and work spaces and also of course appreciate the benefits listed above. As more companies are becoming aware of the importance of positive staff wellbeing- rewilding urban commercial spaces have become more popular.

Commercial installation of large Puka tree by The Plant Parlour

3. How do you group plants together when filling up shelves or bookcases? Is there a rule of thumb to follow?

Here at The Plant Parlour I have about 200+ plants in my personal collection so my shelf is a shelf full of plants. The beauty of this is that it can be rearranged without the permanency of an attached green wall. The shelf can also be moved around the home allowing the green shelf to be an interior styling statement in itself- much like a beautiful piece of furniture.

For most homes, houseplants on their shelves are a more refined style as opposed to the Urban Jungle look. A mixture of vertical and horizontal plants and objects is always a good rule to follow. The Chain of Hearts or String of Fish hooks are both trailing plants which will add a vertical dimension. Often when styling larger shelves I will start with a larger plant and then add the medium to smaller plants. Plants look great on top of some stacked books as part of shelf styling and also mixed with a range of other objects and vessels.

As for rules – anything goes. Try different spots and move the plants around. The beauty of houseplants is you can always move them and restyle them from week to week.

shelves displaying small plants in Emily Wade’s home

4. What are some plants that can handle a lot of direct sun, for everyone who has lovely north facing homes and get all day sun?

Often when buying houseplants, the grower will refer to bright, indirect sun. At my home we have large windows on the North, East and West windows of a dining/living/kitchen open plan area. Plants positioned on the window receive what is called Direct Sunlight. However, all the other plants which are positioned a meter or more from the windows are getting bright, indirect sunlight. All plants need light to thrive – whether that is direct or indirect, but some plants will not survive in direct light as their delicate foliage will burn. So even though my large windows and home are North Facing, because the plants are slightly back they are not receiving direct sunlight like they would if they were right up against the window.

In my home we used Durrant Design for full length wall to wall custom made sheers throughout the whole house – not only do they look beautiful and add height and drama to our living space, but they also create filtered light, much like the floor of a rainforest – where a lot of the houseplants we have in New Zealand originate from!

Some great plants that can cope with direct sunlight, for example, on a north facing windowsill, would be Cacti or some succulent varieties.

5. What are the best "on trend" plants right now that look great in any home interiors?

There is a shade of green to suit any home! With Tissue Culture and the work of Horticulturalists and growers in New Zealand there is now a huge range and variety of plants to suit any interior, from marbled whites and bright pink foliage!

For more plant inspiration, you can head over to Emily’s business page on Instagram @theplantparlournz or you can order directly on her website www.theplantparlour.co.nz. Every plant ordered comes with an individualized plant care card with all the essentials you need to know about your new plant. Emily also offers at-home consultations to go over all your plant needs in person.

The Plant Parlour has also given all of Durrant Design blog readers a special 10% discount on all purchases through their website with the discount code 10DURRANT.

Jamie DurrantDecember 1, 2021plants, interior plants, interior decor, greenery, green fingers, nzhomes