Tips for Decorating with Real and Faux Plants

Some people think they need to have a green thumb in order to have indoor plants in their home. We are here to prove them wrong. Adding greenery to a space can add needed color, dimension, and texture.  We are sharing our secrets on what we think are the best faux and real plants and how to maintain them.

Fiddle Figs are one of our favorite choices of greenery to use in a space. We use them the most for a couple reasons; 1) we love the look of them overall, 2) our clients request them the most, and 3) the maintenance is fairly easy.

Here are our tips on how to keep your fiddle figs looking beautiful.

1 // Water

• Water your fig tree when only the top inch of soil is dry. Test this by sticking your finger in the soil. This may change based on the season (less water in the winter months)
• If you start to see brown spots this could indicate a number of problems, but most of the time it is related to too much or too little watering.

2// Light

• Keep your fiddle fig in bright, indirect light. Make sure it isn’t in direct light or your leaves may be damaged.

3// Fertilize

• Fertilize once a month except during the winter months.

4// Upkeep

• Prune annually to keep the size the way you want.
• Fiddle Figs lean toward light so it is important for the growth to rotate every few weeks to keep shape.

5// Cleaning

• It is important to wipe dust off with a soft cloth to maintain your plants ability to absorb light.

Photography: Becky Kimball

  Planters // See original post for other products

We like to go to Cactus & Tropicals, our local garden store,  to buy plants for our local projects. They have a wide selection of plants and flowers that look stunning in our client’s homes. In buying real plants it is important to be able to see the plants in person to be sure you are buying the best choice.

Photography:Lindsey Orton 

Small Potted Plants//

We love using real greenery in kitchens and bedrooms because it’s a good way to insert color and texture. In kitchens we like to place greenery in open shelving, near a window or on counter tops. In bedrooms we like to place them on a nightstand or a dresser.

Photography: Jylare Smith

Faux Plants//

We like to use faux plants in places that don’t get a lot of light. When buying faux plants try to find good quality, be careful to use ones that look real. Faux plants are nice because they last forever! Realistic faux plants will probably cost more but they will look nicer and last a very long time. We like to use faux peonies , cherry-blossoms, and succulents. To make sure our faux flowers look real as possible, we fill our vases with water to give the illusion that they are real.

Photography: Becky Kimball

See original post for other products

Real Plants//

We like to use  a couple of different small plants. Our favorites are  the maidenhair fern, the lace fern or the purple shamrock. The purple shamrock is a great option if you want some color instead of the usual green houseplant. The shape is great and they are really hard to kill. Just give them a bright room and water a couple times a week and they do just fine.

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