Article by Eleni Tsirintani After our article 10 Great Plants for Interior Planting, we’re releasing the second part in our serious highlighting interior planting – 10 Amazing Plants to Plant Indoors . Planting design is a composition with an aesthetic, an ecological, and a practical aspect. In order to satisfy all three conditions, a designer should be able to acknowledge the compatibility of species and plan accordingly. This article presents 10 plants suitable to plant indoors. The plants have been divided in three categories according to their flowers, foliage and form:
- Beautiful Flowering: Aechmea fasciata, Billbergia nutans, Pelargonium odoratissimum
- Interesting Foliage: Caladium hortulanum, Cycas revoluta, Rhapis excelsa, Senecio rowleyanus
- Sculptural Structure: Aeonium arboreum zwartkop, Disocactus flagelliformis, Asparagus densiflorus
Understanding the characteristic element of each plant is important. It allows for the correct selection according to the specific parameters of each planting scheme.
Plants to Plant Indoors
Plants with Beautiful Flowering; a Colourful Selection
1. Aechmea fasciata – Bromeliad
Aechmea fasciata is a beautiful plant with a symmetrical and rather architectural form. A large pink/red flower grows in the centre of the plant all year round. The flower is flanked by wide, light green foliage. The dynamic form allows you to keep it as an individual planting element in your interior space without further additions. It is suitable for container planting. Fortunately, you can maintain this plant in great shape with very little effort. It cannot stand direct light and it needs very moderate watering. Your Aechmea could even reach one meter tall, when mature, and provide a beautiful element in an interior planting.
Aechmea fasciata. By Paul & Aline Burland – originally posted to Flickr as Aechmea Fasciata – Closeup, CC BY-SA 2.0
2. Billbergia nutans – Queen’s Tears
This is a plant with both interesting foliage and impressive flowers. It is covered with vivid pink flowers from late spring till late summer. The flowers resemble small bells and they practically hang from the branches. Billbergia nutans is beautiful when placed in a hanging pot or as a string garden element. To see how to achieve that, check the article…. 5 Ways to Integrate Planting with Interior Design The hanging flowers and leaves resemble a vegetated chandelier. The plant thrives in places with full sun and its needs for fertilizing are relatively high compared to other plants; however the abundance of flowers is worth it.
Von Maarten Sepp – Eigenes Werk, GFDL
3. Pelargonium odoratissimum – Apple pelargonium
Everyone knows that Pelargonium thrives everywhere and under the most difficult circumstances. They are a good choice when you require a robust shrub, covered with flowers most of the time and followed by a beautiful scent. They are great for culinary use and they have very low demands for maintenance and watering. Keep them in a sunny, well-ventilated place and you will be rewarded with a beautiful addition to your interior space all year round.
Pelargonium odoratissimum. By Michael Wolf – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Interesting Foliage; Keeping Things Simple
Flowers are beautiful, there is no doubt about that. However, there are plants that are great for planting indoors but they produce no flowers at all. Their foliage is what offers them aesthetic value and makes them architects’ and designers’ favourites.
4. Caladium hortulanum
Caladium hortulanum is a beautiful groundcover plant… that is not green. Actually there are a great variety of colours in this plant, from light red to dark brown and black. The same goes for the variety of shapes of its foliage. Caladium hortulanum, once applied in a large surface, creates a unique, colourful pattern. They are hard to care for, because they require high levels of humidity and little sun exposure. They are great to combine with other species to produce a lush result and they could provide an interesting sub-storey level for trees with sculptural form.
By Captain-tucker – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
5. Cycas revoluta – Cycad
Cycas is a low tree, similar to a palm tree, with impressive, dark green foliage forming a crown over the trunk. The plant could be either a one-stem plant and become suitable for a medium to large container planting, or it could have 3-4 stems of different sizes creating a focal point for a lush plant composition. It is symmetrical and the leaves are dense, therefore it makes a great addition to a planting scheme. Cycads grow very slowly, so make sure you purchase the size required from the beginning and don’t depend on time!
By User:Podzemnik/p – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
6. Rhapis excelsa – Lady Palm
Lady palm is an elegant kind of multi-stem palm tree. The thin upright branches terminate in long, narrow leaves forming small umbrellas on the top. They are suitable for linear arrangements and creating screens for more privacy between spaces. Lady palms are easy to care for, so do not hesitate to include them in an interior planting scheme.
7. Senecio rowleyanus – String of Pearls Plant
Senecio rowleyanus is a true jewel in planting. As its common name reveals it is an actual “String of Pearls Plant”. It is good for planting along the edge of a planter, to allow the pearls to float over the floor and cover the planter side or in a hanging pot, creating a waterfall of green “pearls”. When hung, it would be better not to combine it with other plants, in order not to lose the dramatic effect.
Senecio rowleyanus. By MeganEHansen
8. Aeonium arboreum zwartkop – Black Rose
Black Rose should not fool you; it is a succulent, not an actual rose! The black leaves grow around the plant stems. The plant flowers in winter with yellow flowers that create a vivid contrast with the dark foliage. When planted with others species the unusual dark foliage provides a background for the rest of the plants to emerge and create an impact. When planted alone it would be better installed in small planting beds or containers, since it does not become too tall. As with most succulents, it is very easy to maintain and it has very low water demands.
By Andrew Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0
9. Disocactus flagelliformis –the Rat-Tail Cactus
The Rat Tail Cactus is another species great for a hanging pot or a string garden. Its added value are the pink flowers that grow from many parts of its stems, for only five days out of every year. As with most cactus plants, Disocactus flagelliformis has practically no maintenance demands, so do not be reluctant to include it in your collection.
By Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA – Golden Rattail Cactus (Cleistocactus winteri)Uploaded by Magnus Manske, CC BY 2.0
10. Asparagus densiflorus – Asparagus fern
This is not the eating type of asparagus, but it is still a good choice for planting indoors. It has vivid green colour and branches that grow in different directions giving the plant a sculptural, abstract quality. It works great as a groundcover and combines well with ferns and grasses. There is a huge selection of plants to plant indoors. If you wish to see more plant species, see the article 10 Great Plants for Interior Planting
By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0
Recommended Reading:
- Rooted in Design: Sprout Home’s Guide to Creative Indoor Planting by Ten Speed Press
Article by Eleni Tsirintani
Published in Blog
