Читать книгу Stitching Pathways - Jack Kramer - Страница 9

When choosing plants and their locations, try to match the visual mass and weight of plants to the size and proportion of the room. For example, it’s usually better to use bigger, bolder plants in a large room. Symmetrical, well-trained plants with large, smooth-textured leaves, such as Dieffenbachia amoena and corn plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’), are highly appropriate for formal rooms. They are often best centrally positioned in front of a large window and become an important design element when repeated. In a large, open, L-shaped room, consider the space carefully and try to imagine groups of plants from all sides. If the room has beams or cornices that make strong horizontal lines, consider a row of plants to carry through the horizontal motif. Rooms with slanted or hipped ceilings look best with groups of plants. If the ceiling is vaulted or cathedral-shaped, you can plant cascading or fountainlike plants, such as philodendrons or arching palms, in hanging baskets to create a harmonious look.

The plants give this dramatic stairway a more appealing, less formidable scale. They also break up the plain expanse of hallway behind the stairs

Large potted plants transform this functional space into an inviting transitional area. Here, large jars and the sand-colored tile floor convey a Southwestern feel.

Halls and Entryways

People form their first impression of your home inside the entry, but in many homes this is hardly a hospitable place for plants. If the space is large enough, a plant on a pedestal can lend an elegant look. If there is a reception table, use a small plant such as prayer plant (Maranta) or a small colorful bromeliad such as Cryptanthus.

If the hall is barren, think about using a single large plant in place of a piece of furniture. Cascading plants placed on tables or shelves in halls will soften the sharp lines of furniture and hardware. Always use appropriate mats, saucers, or other protective devices so that water leaking from drainage holes does not damage furnishings.

Good Plants for Halls and Entryways

• Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant)	here
• Begonia, rhizomatous types	here
• Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant)	here
• Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)	here
• Dracaena	here
• Ficus (fig trees)	here
• Fittonia verschaffeltii (mosaic plant)	here
• Maranta (prayer plant)	here, here
• Philodendron	here
• Syngonium (arrowhead vine)	here

A single arching palm can work wonders for an otherwise sparsely furnished living room. This palm fills the gap between the two sofas, echoes the green in the large painting, and—not least—brings nature indoors.

Living Rooms and Dining Rooms

These generally large rooms tend to be bright with natural light and usually have even, moderate temperatures of 65°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C). Large plants, thoughtfully placed, can lend a sense of organization to the space and direct the flow of traffic. Large plants are generally well suited to spacious living rooms and dining rooms because the plants don’t look out of scale there. If the room is long and narrow, choose an upright plant with slender branches, such as a specimen dragon tree (Dracaena concinna). If the architecture is modern and the décor contemporary, consider a large, sculptural cactus. Such plants are especially striking in modern interiors.

If your floor space is limited, consider hanging baskets of ferns or tropical trailers from the ceiling. For greater impact, try positioning the baskets at three different heights. To break the monotony of walls that are mainly windows, use medium-size plants, perhaps in groups of three, to bring color and life to the blank area. Such plants will benefit from the excellent light.

This dining area needs the low planter near the expanse of windows as much as the flowering plants themselves need to be positioned near the light. The attractive planter does not obscure the view.

Another likely place for plants in living rooms and dining rooms is behind a table and chairs, to supply vertical accents. Instead of placing a long table behind a sofa, try a row of identical plants in identically colored containers. Install lighting fixtures to ensure that the plants receive sufficient light. Once the large plants are in place, add a few complementary table or desk plants to pull the room together. The goal is to balance the large plants with smaller plants placed around the room, not to make your living room look like a plant shop.

Plants in bedrooms improve the air quality while creating a tranquil atmosphere. The fern and the palm in the bedroom lend a sheltered, cozy feel to this space.

Bedrooms

There was a time when people didn’t keep plants in their bedrooms because they believed the plants would deplete oxygen levels and make breathing difficult. Actually, the opposite is true—plants give off oxygen during the day as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Plants also improve air quality by absorbing pollutants, while creating a relaxing ambiance. Graceful palms or ferns on bed tables or in hanging containers are especially fitting.

The ficus tree in this more traditional bedroom adds needed color and visually raises the wall height.

Contemporary bedrooms are often designed for both living and sleeping. In a bedroom divided into sleeping, dressing, and sitting areas, you can use plants in imaginative yet functional ways to create the feeling of an indoor garden. For example, you can place about three tall plants in a row to create a divider or natural screen between the different parts of the room. Keep a watering can in a nearby bathroom so that you can water the plants easily.

Well-selected plants can thrive under bathroom skylights. And the daily higher doses of humidity in the bathroom can complement good lighting to provide excellent growing conditions.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms can be excellent locations for plants. In fact, many plants grow better in bathrooms than in any other place in a home. The warm, humid conditions there help make tropical plants grow well. Also, many bathrooms have frosted or patterned glass windowpanes, which provide diffused light that is neither too bright nor too dim—exactly what most plants prefer.

Floor plants are ideal for a large bathroom, and there is usually ample space for them. Smaller plants, such as orchids and bromeliads, can suggest the tropics. Vanities and tables offer innumerable places on which plants can be displayed. If your bathroom is small, consider placing a hanging fern or other basket plant near the window or installing glass shelves across the window to create platforms for small plants.

Even though tropical plants are particularly well suited to both the environment and style of many bathrooms, you should be bold in trying all kinds of plants there, including those that aren’t doing well elsewhere. Plants really perk up in the brighter light and higher humidity of the bathroom. The only plants to avoid placing in bathrooms are those that prefer drier conditions, and many of the plants with fuzzy or hairy leaves.

Kitchens become more inviting when decorated with plants

Kitchens

Modern kitchens tend to be large, natural centers of activity often located near a recreation or morning room. There is usually plenty of bright light from windows or skylights and ample humidity from cooking, so plants can do well in kitchens. There, your favorite plants can lend a personal touch and extend a cheerful, colorful welcome to all who gather.

Shelves, cabinet tops, and windowsills are all prime places for small potted plants. Flowering plants such as African violets, geraniums, and miniature begonias grow luxuriantly in bright, humid kitchens. Dozens of medium-size foliage plants, such as prayer plants (Maranta), arrowhead vines (Syngonium), and peperomias, also do well. In a large kitchen where you want a green look, consider a floor plant such as a large lady palm (Rhapis) or sago palm (Cycas).

The upper tier of plants benefits from skylighting, and the flowering plants benefit from artificial light.

White and yellow are two favorite color schemes for kitchens. In a white or yellow room, plants with apple green or variegated foliage look splendid. For a unified look, put all the plants in pots of the same color.

Background photo: Leafy culinary herbs in matching hand-painted pots please both the eye and the palate.

Growing Culinary Herbs Indoors

The best indoor location for herbs is a warm, sunny south- or west-facing window that receives a minimum of six hours of sun a day. Turn the pots every day or two so the stems grow reasonably straight. Most herbs thrive in temperatures of 65°F to 68°F (18°C to 20°C) indoors, with a slight dip at night. Plenty of humidity and good air circulation are also important. If your herbs are on a windowsill, move them back from the glass during very cold winter weather. Fertilize the herbs monthly with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer. Avoid over-fertilizing, or your herbs will grow too quickly and have poor flavor. Herbs don’t like soggy soil. So let the soil dry slightly between waterings, and then water when the soil feels dry just below the surface.

To use herbs in cooking, wait to cut their leaves until the moment they are needed.

It’s a good idea to use waterproof saucers.

It can be a challenge to prevent water from dripping onto woodwork and floors when you water houseplants close to windows. To avoid damage, either place plants over flooring impervious to water (such as tile), carry plants to a sink to water them, put waterproof saucers under the plant containers, or use containers that have attached saucers. Water the plants slowly so that the water doesn’t spill over the container edges and is not too much for the saucers to handle.

Another option is to place pots atop a layer of pebbles in cachepots, most of which do not have drainage holes. Cachepots are decorative pots that hold a plain pot in which a plant is actually potted. The pebbles prevent the bottom of the inner pot from staying constantly wet, thereby helping prevent root rot. Be sure that the drainage water in the cachepot does not rise higher than the pebbles and flood the inner pot.