Bringing Nature Inside and a Thank You

I've always loved having live plants in my house. Thing of nature, whether it is plants, shells, rocks or driftwood, really help to warm up a home. They can add color, softness and texture. I have been successful in some of my homes with growing plants and others not so much. It really depends on the amount of light you have available for them and also not forgetting to water them is pretty important. (ahem) I've been a little on lax side when it comes to watering lately.

I had these two small ferns that I plopped in this ironstone dish. My pee pot if you will. The two plastic pots fit in there well but they were suffering. Brown tips, new growth dying. Not pretty. So, I wanted to repot them but not directly in the dish since there was no drainage. If I'm not under watering I'm over watering. So, this is what I came up with.

A gallon milk jug cut off fit right in there. I cut some holes in the bottom for drainage and I was good to go for planting them together in hopes that they will be happier. They seem to be doing better.

I could not get to my bag of moss which is in the garage buried amongst all the aftermath from the bathroom build. We are still chugging along. I know you are wondering what the heck is taking so long. You and me both. Anyway, I found this bag of excelsior in the closet and just used that to hide the edges of the milk jug. I think I like it for Fall. It gives it a woodsy feel. Like the fern is going under the pines.

I also picked up two ivy plants to fill these pots that have been empty all summer. Well, longer then that. I killed the last ones in there. I'm going to try harder with these two. I swear. But even if I don't succeed I really feel that live plants are an inexpensive way to bring a little life into your room. Soften up some hard edges. They will definitely last longer then fresh flowers. That's not to say I won't buy myself flowers anymore. Oh I will.

These two are flanking the fireplace right now. But they can easily be moved around. I have a larger peace lily that is great for low light and does a good job at hiding cords. I also have a small african violet by my sink. I'm hoping I can get it to rebloom. I think I need to feed it. If anyone has any tips on these I'd love to hear them.

Are you a fan of real plants in your home? Or do you prefer the faux variety? 

Also, a big thank you to Debbie from Love of the Sea for all of the wonderful shells she sent me. So sweet of her. Stop by and take a look around her coastal inspired blog. She recently went to Sanibel Island and picked up all of these beautiful shells herself. Sanibel is a great place to go if you love shelling. Thanks so much Debbie. They fit so well in this ironstone piece.