9.08.2010

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.



11 comments:

  1. What is excelsior? It is really neat looking. I think I want some. I am a fan of fake plants. I don't like maintaing live plants. I am lazy. BTW I want to steal your wicker covered wine bottle.

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  2. I go real or fake - but the problem is my cats try to eat both! :)

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  3. Hi Anita,
    Love your fern and ivy. I have lots of plants (the real variety!) though they do take awhile to water. I can't imagine a home without greenery! I have an African violet, and they don't like to be watered too much. Have you seen those self watering pots? You can get them at Lowe's, and they are terrific for the violets (they come in two pieces). That is so nice of Debbie to send you the Sanibel shells! She is so thoughtful, and a real sweetheart!

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  4. I think the excelsior looks really cool with the ferns! And it all looks good in the "pee pot". :)


    I have a tree in my living room, and some ivy in the family room. But it's all solid green. I like the white on your ivy. My daughter just doubled my plant load when she moved, and I'm trying really hard not to kill them. It's been a month, and so far, so good.

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  5. So glad you liked them. Happy to spread some of that Sanibel joy around!!!

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  6. love the way your potted plant turned out, perfect in your 'pot' i can only have house plants in the summer. i kill them when i bring them in for winter, a slow, agonizing death.
    wow, those are some nice shells, i went to sanibel, guess i was on the wrong beach, didn't see any nice shells like those. :(
    lucky you!

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  7. oh i like what you did with your ivy plant.. i have one of those at my house and it is growing all over the floor trying to find something to creep on. i just wanted it to go away but now i see it has hope! thanks for sharing :)

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  8. I am with you on bringing natural elements inside and especially love ferns. Great idea, by the way.

    Thank you for the gift :) I really appreciate it!

    -Rene

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  9. The shells are gorgeous..., and beautifully displayed!!

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  10. Having plants inside make for a wonderfully natural addition to any room! I love any form of lily plants or anything that "runs" -- those seem to do okay if you forget about them for a week or a whole month like me!

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  11. I know this post is about plants, and they are lovely, but oh my, girl, I LOVE that wicker encased bottle!!!

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