Indoor Greenery Plants

TOPIARIES AND INDOOR GREENERY

Welcome People Inside With Greenery

 

 

Green plants, whether real or artificial, are an easy way to perk up a room, and should be included in every good design plan. This is one element that can be placed in any area of the home from the foyer to the sunroom. Greenery is a great 'filler' when there is a spot that needs a little something extra. Green plants will make a room more inviting and homelike. Green plants and arrangements can be placed on a coffee table, a chest, a mantle, a bookcase shelf, the dining buffet, or on top of an armoire or cabinet. Medium or tall floor plants are great in roomy corners of any room. However, I think the vintage artificial ficus tree floor plant is too outdated, and should be taken out. I would use a large leaf, classic palm tree or a traveler's palm instead.

 

Even though Spring is still several months off, you do not have to have a green thumb to have beautiful green indoor plants all year round. If you are more like me, and are not great at caring for and maintaining live plants, fill free to use faux greenery for your indoor plants. 

The topiary ball, whether faux or real, is on my list of 'Good Things.'  A topiary will blend in well with a traditional or transitional style. My favorite type of topiary ball is the preserved boxwood topiary. Since it is made from real leaves, it has to be misted with a little water every couple of months. It should also be kept out of direct sunlight and away from the heating vents, so it will not dry out. The preserved topiary ball usually looks good for 4 to five years. You can find some online at www.jamaligarden.com. Expect to pay a lot more for the real topiary balls than the artificial ones. They come in various sizes from a 6 inch to a 12 inch round. Topiaries tend to look better when placed in a Roman or Grecian style urn. You should find the urn first, and then measure the top opening to see which size topiary ball you will need, before ordering it. Then just simply place the ball on top of the urn with a small portion going inside the urn.

 

 To find great urns for your topiaries, shop specialty stores, consignment stores, or antique malls. I found this large gray urn at a hotel resale store.

Most people prefer the real thing in topiary balls. The preserved boxwood balls comes is several sizes and are easy to maintain.

 

The fern is another poplar indoor green plant. Ferns are also very versatile. A faux silk fern can be used along or mixed in a container with grasses and ivy plants. I am partial to the classic Boston style fern and the Maidenhair fern. I recently found a beautiful and colorful metal tole planter at one of my favorite 'treasure' stores: the local Goodwill. It was in 'like-new' condition, and only costs five dollars. I found my Maidenhair fern at a local Home Décor Store. You can also get then online at www.save-on-crafts.com. Here are the materials I used to do this greenery arrangement:

 

5 inch square of floral foam

Sheet green Spanish moss

One artificial maidenhair bush        

Floral container

Hot glue gun and glue stick

 

1. First, place the foam in the center of your container about 1 inch down from the top edge. If the foam does not fit tightly in the container, put some hot glue from the glue gun on the foam to secure it in place.

 

2. Next, pull apart a piece of  green moss to lay over the top of the foam. Before putting the moss in place, put a few drops of hot glue

on the top where the moss is going.

 

3. Now, just take your fern and shape out the leaves by spreading them apart; and push the stem of the fern down into the center of the moss covered foam. Fluff the fern some more until you get the desired shape.

 





This metal tole planter was the perfect floral container for my Maidenhair fern.



 

I used a faux topiary ball in this contemporary silver Grecian urn on my dining buffet. When using an artificial topiary ball, make sure to look for a better quality one.

 

Make sure to get a large leaf, Kentia style palm tree when using an artificial one. I also put three green seeded balls in a large bowl to add a touch of greenery to this chest.

 

 



This client's dining area has a lot of cold, stone and marble elements, so I placed a potted faux picus palm on the floor between the windows to warm up the space.

 

 I used a couple of loose ferns on top of this armoire to add a
dramatic accent.

Faux silk ivy was used to create the garden style topiary used in this sunroom.

  

Bring the outside in by adding green plants in every room of

your home.