How do you display & decorate with your house plants?

If all I can find are pots with no holes in the bottom, I double pot -- I find an unglazed (or naked) clay pot that will fit inside the "pretty pot" then stuff spagnum moss between the clay (inside) pot and the outer pot (plastic or cerarmic or whatever). When I water, I pour water on the moss between the 2 pots and it soaks through the inner, porous clay pot to keep the plant's soil moist but not soggy.

Michaels has a sale right now on clay pots so I picked up 3 4" ones for a $1. I'll look around flea markets or garage sales for approx. 5" pots for the outer ones.

That's a great idea for those sensitive plants!

I've got a Michaels nearby that I've been meaning to visit. Now you gave me a reason.

sofie

sof: you need a ceramic/glass drill bit to bore out holes in ceramic. oh, and plan on spending some time doing the drilling because that ceramic is hard! I've even come across a few ceramic pots that were simply too hard to drill through

I LOVE glazed ceramic pots. occasionally, I'll buy one that doesn't have holes and either drill out a few holes, or I'll simply use it as a pretty outer pot. whenever I water plants that are set up this way, I simply pull out the plant and ugly pot and take them over to the sink for a good drink. after they have sat and drained for about 5-10 minutes, I put them right back into the ceramic pot.

thanks gaiadisciple!

Lovely pictures, great thread.

Um, I couldn't help noticing that the houses are all so clean. If I ever get all my indoor plants back inside, I am never never never never never never never never going to post a picture of the inside of my house.

xxx, Carrie

Wow the clay inside the ceramic is brilliant! Thanks!

I've figured out a way to hang any pot without the ugly plastic or metal hangers. I use heavy weight fishing line, and can barely see it. Nothing has fallen yet, and it's been several years.

Love, FreeBird...



This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 11:54 AM

I never thought of using fishing line for plants! We used it once to hang a very heavy replica medieval sword on a wall so I know it is very strong.

Freebird, how do you fashion the fishing line so it carrys the plant? I have made some of my own plant hangers from string, but I don't like the way they turn out, mostly.

sofie

Here's the AV's new pot I promised to post. No blooms right now but some buds are coming up.

I also am so excited about my newest baby! I saw it at Home Depot as the featured plant of the month and went nuts. I've never seen or even heard of this sansevieria cylindrica before. After I bought it I rushed home to look it up and (of course) found it here.

I got a cheap plant stand and put it in the linving room window. I hope it will get enough light. It's facing east and only catches some morning light.

It came in the pot in the picture - plastic pewter color. It's got an interior pot too. Hubby thinks the pot's ugly but it does go with our furniture. AND he'd be the first to complain if I bought ANOTHER new pot so soon after the AV pot above ;-)

Carrie, My house is a pig sty the majority of the time. I took the photos just after cleaning for my mother's yearly visit!

Wooconley, I love your AV pot! Those sanseviera cylindricas are fun. An east window should be fine. Those sansevieras tolerate a lot of shade.

sofie

Here's a old bakers rack a friend was going to throw away. Lucky me

Hey Sofonisba,
At last! I tie the heavy weight fishing line to hang pots to existing hanger holes, or be creative and tie the fishing line around the pot that has a good amount of over hanging edge. If no hole or good edge, I create a uniform fishing line web (minimal amount) around the whole pot, and use the highest line to tie the vertical ties to.

Love, Freebird

This message was edited Oct 2, 2006 11:19 PM

Thanks Freebird.

I like the idea of tieing the line to a hole in the pot (in the rim, right?) I especially like it for the plants that I have that are large, overgrown and don't like to be disturbed. However, after that, I can't figure out how to put the drip saucer under it. I have this one rattail cactus that's about four feet long. It needs potting up. It's ornery and very prickly. It's in its original pot, a 6" plastic thingy with no bottom. I'm dreading the potting up, but I'll manage. I'm especially dreading the hanging part.

Sofie

I have always decorated with plants in each room of our home ! Even a ivy is so pretty hanging in the bathroom !

Sofie,

How about those pots HD (and lots of other places) sell that have a saucer kind of built in, or attached. Also, how much overflow do you think you'll have with a cactus?

xxx, Carrie

Well, with this cactus, hardly anything gets absorbed. If I pour a few ounces in, a few ounces come out within seconds.

I've seen those pots with the saucer attached. I like them. I'll probably use one of them. I wish I could still figure out how to get the hanger around it without getting pricked to death.

sofie

Hi: I'm a new DG'er. I love houseplants ..... and all kinds of plants, gardening is my therapy! I will put plants anywhere I can find a spot, and in most any container too! I even have an old white cotton cloth purse from the 70's with my name and butterfly's embroidered on it that I recently found in a closet and put a plant in it! I haven't yet planted it in the purse, it's just inside a container sitting down in the purse right now. I tied the straps together and hung it out in the patio. I will post a photo tomorrow as I'm on my laptop right now and all my photo files are on the desktop. I have lots of plants and lose track of the time when tending to them!

Love this website .... so much info .... so little time!

Plantladylin, that sounds so cool! I cant wait for the pics of your purse planter!

sofie

Hey Sofonisba:

See, I'm so new, (getting old agewise!) I forgot I said I was going to post a photo of my purse with the plant in it. I think I need to do some work on this Philo, so I will be changing out the plant soon and putting something else in there!

Here's a photo of one of my Philodendron's know as Brazil (I think). This type has thicker, waxy, type leaves ... not the soft leaves of my other philo's. I like the varigation in the leaves of this one.

Oops .... forgot to load the picture!

Welcome, Lin! You'll find we're a silly obsessed bunch. Didn't I just meet you on another thread? Healthy looking plants, but in Daytona Beach, isn't that kind of automatic?

xxx, Carrie

Hey Carrie:

You probably did meet me on another thread .... I'm still trying to find my way around this site and get confused at times. I can't remember what areas I've visited on here!

It's not really automatic that plants in DB will be healthy. I would never show photo's of my "sick" ones. LOL

It's nice to find people as obsessed as me when it comes to gardening! I love all these plants and their "people"!

I will be posting some more photo's of my yard and deck and screen enclosure with all my plants if I can figure out where I should post them! Is there one particular place on this site to just post the photo's with a few words about them and does it have to be just one photo at a time .... can't do multiples?

Some people (not me) make collages off line, and then upload the whole thing, but only one upload at a time.

xxx, Carrie

Lin, I love your plants! The Brazil philodendron is beautiful! I'm putting that one on my list of plants I want. The list is growing faster than my collection, and my collection is growing fast! LOL Your purse hanger is a fantastic idea! It looks so cute.

I just brought the rest of my plants indoors today. It's supposed to get close to 40º tonight and I know that's nowhere near freezing, I still don't want to risk it. As soon as I have them all arranged nicely, I'll take pics for y'all.

Sofie

Sofie:

Look forward to seeing pic's of your plants. I see you live in N.Y. - where exactly is Mahopac? I've never heard of it. Have a brother in law and his family in Liverpool, near Syracuse! Made my first trip that far north last summer to visit them! First week of June and it was so HOT! Then, the day after we came home it was only 72. I know I wouldn't like living somewhere that gets a lot of snow and ice, but it's fun to visit for a few days! LOL

I guess I've been in Florida too long! The older I get, the more the heat/humidity get to me .... I sure look forward to a cool down here, but it's going to be awhile yet .... quite awhile! On the news tonight (weather) they said a cold front is coming our way and the temps will be @ mid 80's during the day! Ha. I laugh every time the reporters talk about a cold front coming .... I checked the temp when I woke up @ 1 a.m. this morning and it was still 78 degrees out! Too hot! Our air conditioner stays on sometimes through November. Our coldest temps are usually January & February. We have to mow our lawns 9 months out of the year! My youngest sister lives just north of Atlanta Ga and she says they are experiencing temp difference of 30 degrees from day to night right now! I am heading up there to visit her next week and I hope it's nice and cool. She did say they had a couple of nights in the 40's already!

Hey: Would you like a cutting of my Philo Brazil ? Do you ever trade? I'm new to this website, but just made my first trade and am putting it in the mail next Monday! Even if you don't have anything to trade, I will send you a cutting, okay? I have tons of plants .... been collecting for years! If you want a cutting, just d-mail me with your address!

Hi Lin,

Mahopac is about an hour north of NYC. I thought I was moving to 'the boonies' when I moved here from the city, but after living here for a few years, I feel It's not quite 'the boonies' enough for me. I could use some more quiet, LOL.

I like the climate here. There's a lake here that cools off the summers and warms up the winters ever-so-slightly. In the summer, it's hot, but only uncomfortably hot about a week in the summer. Then, when fall comes, it's pretty. First the leaves turn gorgeous colors and it's still warm. Then winter and the snow is pretty if I don't have to go anywhere. Then I get sick of it... slowly spring moseys along and it's warm again.

Wow, with temperature differences like your sister is having, I'll bet she's gonna have blooms on her cacti, if she has any.

Sofie

Hey everyone,

I haven't been posting much lately, but I just saw this thread, and wanted to get in on the fun. Right now, my plants are still decorating my front porch. When the temperature outside is too cool for them, of course, I'll have to bring them all indoors. Finding spaces for them all is going to be a real challange. lol

Jdee your porch is stunning !

Jdee:

What a Beautiful Front Porch! I am soo jealous! I Want a Front Porch!

Lin

Oh, yeah!! That's the kind of porch in my dreams.

I just cleared my deck of all my houseplants. It looked so bare and boring, that I went and bought some conifers in extra large pots to decorate the deck.

Sofie

Thank you so much. We had just painted, and gotten the new glider when I took that picture. It's finally getting cool enough for me to sit out there and knit, or read, or just relax. Texas summers are so brutal.

I went from having an awesome covered deck to NO covered deck and minimal spots to situate plants (my housemate's cat likes to nosh on the greenery). There are plans in the house's long-term future for a screened in porch. I'm dying to kick all of my hoyas outside, but there isn't any shady but bright places for them to go.

::sigh::

Gaiadisciple, you could make a tarp on poles for them. Use a tarp that's white or frosted clear....just an idea.

sofie

Hi Everyone,

Just lurking a bit...

First of all, I love your porch jdee.....no porches in this neck of the woods.

Second,,,,believe it or not, I have one sickly plant by my kitchen sink!!!! ALL THE REST ARE SILK!!!!;

I have sun-blocking film on my windows and the A/C going, so nothing lives in the house. (But you should see my gardens!!! hehe)

I still want plants inside, but I have killed so many, I don't want to do it any more. Have really enjoyed this thread and good luck to all of you.

Hap

Happy, that's so sad. You could try some cacti or succulents. Even though they're desert guys, they can tolerate shade and cooler temps.

So...

I don't like plants that bite, but thanks for the suggestion..

Hap

Just finding this thread so will have to get some photos of all the plants we brought in last week for the winter. I wouldn't actually say we display & decorate, at this point we just need to find enough room for them all!
I do enjoy rearranging them over the winter to highlight those that look a little better than others and HIDE those that look pathetic. Most are Begonias and when they get to the "pathetic" stage, we call them candidates for the "hospital" and just try to keep them alive until spring!

kimskreations - oh how I miss Mardens!!! Moved from Bangor 6 years ago and used to love this store - always found some really good bargains there. My all-time favorite purchase was a Lady Gardener Shovel - regular size handle - but with a shovel head whose size is halfway between a regular shovel and a trowel - never seen anything like it since! Whenever I'm back visiting my mother - a trip to Mardens is always on the agenda :) Tried Big Lots down here in Virginia, but nothing beats Mardens - they have everything!

Debbie

Some of my favorite things are from Marden's Deb. I have a knack for finding things in that store that there is "only one". It's definately a hit or miss kind of place but I just love wandering around in there. I usually hit the one in Biddeford and soon after the one in Sanford as each store seems to have something a little different. I like to shop E-Bay also but not with the shipping so high I find it's hard to get a good deal anymore. I did just pick up a BEAUTIFUL planter and a sweet angel VERY reasonable. I got the angel and planter both for what I would have put them in my cart at Marden's for so in my mind that's a good deal *lol*. I will try to get a shot of them (will probably post on the C&S forum as that is where the picture of my planter is).

Kim