Skip to content

Top Navigation

Real Simple Logo Real Simple Logo
  • Food
  • Home
  • Life
  • Health
  • Money
  • Style and Beauty
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • News
  • Shop

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • My Account
  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Free Organizing App this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Real Simple

Real Simple Logo Real Simple Logo
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 15 Impossible-to-Kill Outdoor Plants

      15 Impossible-to-Kill Outdoor Plants

      15 pretty plants that will thrive in even the least plant-friendly spaces Read More
    • A Guide to Understanding and Avoiding the Bystander Effect

      A Guide to Understanding and Avoiding the Bystander Effect

      5 Steps to Intervene Safely and Effectively Read More
    • A Guide for How to Measure Your Ring Size at Home

      A Guide for How to Measure Your Ring Size at Home

      There are three common ways you can measure your ring size right at home so you can finally get your ring measurement right, for good. Read More
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    22 High-Protein Meal Ideas with Recipes

    These easy-to-make recipes pack plenty of protein.
    • Recipes
    • Real Simple Cooking School
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping and Storing
    • Kitchen Tools and Products
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home

    Easy Homemade Carpet Cleaners to Tackle Every Stain

    Made with products you probably have on hand
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Gardening
    • Home Improvement
    • Quick Fix
    • Real Simple Home
  • Life

    Life

    See All Life

    Great Shows on Netflix to Watch This April

    24 new-to-you shows waiting to be discovered and devoured
    • Family
    • Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Wedding Planning
    • Travel Ideas
    • Adulting
    • Get It Done
    • Waste Less, Live Better
  • Health

    Health

    See All Health

    What to Do if You're Struggling to Feel Joy.

    How to recognize and deal with Anhedonia
    • Preventive Health
    • Mental Health
    • Health Coach
    • Crisis Coping
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Sleep
    • Healthy Eating
  • Money

    Money

    See All Money
    11 Small Ways You Can Help Stimulate the Economy

    11 Small Ways You Can Help Stimulate the Economy

    Your dollars may be worth more than you realize.
    • Money Confidential Podcast
    • Saving Money
    • Money Planning
    • Money Made Simple
    • Spending
    • Money Etiquette
  • Style and Beauty

    Style and Beauty

    See All Style and Beauty
    • Clothing
    • Skincare
    • Shoes
    • Hair
    • Clothing Care
    • Makeup
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining
    7 Tulip Arrangements That Are Absolutely Stunning

    7 Tulip Arrangements That Are Absolutely Stunning

    Spring is peak season for tulips. Take a cue from these beautiful arrangements and create your own at home.
    • All Holidays
    • Easter
    • Gifts
    • Mother’s Day
    • Passover
    • Entertaining
    • Father’s Day
    • Home for the Holidays
    • Come Together
    • Hanukkah
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Valentine’s Day
  • News
  • Shop

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • My Account
  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Free Organizing App this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. Real Simple
  2. Home Organizing
  3. Decorating
  4. Decorating With House Plants

Decorating With House Plants

By Danielle Claro
Updated October 10, 2018
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Kitchen with lots of plants
Credit: Thomas M. Barwick/Getty Images
Longing for a little indoor greenery, but less than confident when it comes to picking, potting, and caring for house plants? Real Simple editors bring you six ideas for gorgeous displays—then they show you how to keep them growing strong. Adding an indoor garden to your home is much easier than you thought. 

RELATED: 7 Office Plants You Won't Kill 
Start Slideshow

1 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Dress Up Supermarket Flowers

African violets
Credit: Getty Images

Plant African violets in a wide, shallow ceramic pot. Cover with sheet moss (sold at most nurseries) to add a cozy feel and to help hold in moisture.

Care: Direct morning light. Protect from bright afternoon sun. To water, lift the moss so you can soak the soil. Keep the soil moist all the time; try not to get the leaves wet.

1 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Stage a Still Life With Succulents

Mini cacti and succulents on a table
Credit: Margarita Terekhova / Unsplash

Like intricate little sculptures, mini cacti and succulents make an intriguing assemblage. Mix round, pointy, shiny, and matte plants, unifying them with pots in a cohesive color palette.

Care: Direct light. The soil should thoroughly dry out between waterings.

2 of 6

3 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Put a Towering Tree on Wheels

Fig tree on wheels
Credit: Christopher Baker

The large, leathery leaves of a tall fiddle-leaf fig can fill (and transform) an empty corner. Make an oversize plant mobile so you can easily roll it out of the way for vacuuming or to protect it from too much sun. All you need is a piece of precut bluestone from a landscaping center set on a wheeled caddie.

Care: Moderate light. Keep away from bright afternoon sun. Let the top inch of soil dry out, then water thoroughly.

To buy: Five-wheel single-plant caddie, $19, amazon.com.

3 of 6

Advertisement

4 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Take Advantage of a Steamy Spot With a Humidity-Hungry Orchid

Phalaenopsis orchid
Credit: Getty Images

Think of a phalaenopsis orchid as a long-lasting bouquet: It’s magnificent for a month or so, and then the blooms are gone. Phalaenopsis are fans of light and humidity, so they do well in a sunny bathroom. Because they come potted in a fast-draining medium (a mix of peat, charcoal, and bark), they can be a challenge to keep hydrated—water seeps out the bottom quickly. To trap moisture, set the pot on gravel in a low glass cylinder; as water evaporates, it will be caught by the glass and reabsorbed by the orchid. Choose a plant with bright, shiny, firm (not droopy) foliage and only a few of the lowest flowers open.

Care: Direct morning light. Protect from bright afternoon sun. Allow the top half-inch of medium to dry out before watering again.

4 of 6

5 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Green the Bedroom With Ferns

Ferns in a bedroom
Credit: Christopher Baker

Trading a bedside lamp for a rich, leafy fern offers a surprise hit of nature that’s especially striking in a neutral space—it can turn an understated room into a minimalist enchanted forest. Ordinary ferns look regal when tucked in pretty matte pots and groomed a bit; just trim stray fronds and remove anything brown. Similar but different, these varieties (left, a Green Fantasy fern; right, a button fern) relate artfully from their perches. When shopping for ferns, look up. Anything in a hanging pot can be relocated to a standing pot, and often the lushest specimens are above you.

Care: Indirect light. Water whenever the surface of the soil is dry to the touch.

To buy: Truro flower pots, $28 each, guywolff.com for info.

5 of 6

6 of 6

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Stuff Multiple Plants Into One Container for Instant Lushness

Five dracaena in one planter
Credit: Christopher Baker

What keeps a low display from looking like something in a dentist’s office? Volume and a sleek pot. There are five dracaena (from the supermarket) repotted into this cone-shaped planter, creating an abundant, exotic feel. Against matte black, the striped leaves look dramatic and exciting. Arcing over, they “break” the edges of the mod container, so the effect is clean but not rigid. When shopping, pick dense plants with glossy foliage. A modern saucer, plus a slab of marble (check stone centers), adds panache.

Care: Indirect light. Let the top inch of soil dry out, then water thoroughly.

To buy: Laghetto tall cone planter (20 inches high), $140, campaniainternational.com for stores.

6 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Danielle Claro

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 6 Dress Up Supermarket Flowers
    2 of 6 Stage a Still Life With Succulents
    3 of 6 Put a Towering Tree on Wheels
    4 of 6 Take Advantage of a Steamy Spot With a Humidity-Hungry Orchid
    5 of 6 Green the Bedroom With Ferns
    6 of 6 Stuff Multiple Plants Into One Container for Instant Lushness

    Share options

    Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

    Login

    Shop | Real Simple Logo

    • Round Area Rugs
    • Plant Stands
    • Pendant Lighting
    • Curtains
    • Throw Blankets
    • Throw Pillows
    • Mirrors
    • Wall Decor
    • Blinds
    • Living Room Furniture
    • Shop More

    Real Simple may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website.

    Real Simple Logo

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Help
    • Media Kit
    • Content Licensing
    • Sitemap

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithAll products and services featured are selected by our editors. Real Simple may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Real Simple is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.realsimple.com

    View image

    Decorating With House Plants
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.