Bringing in Freshness with House Plants

Hello!  I hope you had a great weekend!  Since I spent the better part of Sunday morning in our yard pulling weeds (and ruining my fingernails) and trimming bushes, I thought a post about the new greenery in our house was rather appropriate:)

I’ve been loving the fresh impact that our Fiddle Leaf Fig tree has given the living room, and wanted to bring that same lively energy into another room in our home.  One day after work last week, I detoured into Lowe’s and picked up two bright green houseplants.  They’ve since made their home in our master sitting room.  I’m digging the way they freshen up the space.

Since there’s a lot of brown happening in this area, the bright green is a refreshing addition.  The plants are called Dieffenbachia, although they must be different varieties because they have different care guides- or they may just be from different sellers.  According to my instructions, the plant on the left is supposed to get high light, specifically, 3-4 hours of indirect light per day, while the plant on the right requires indirect medium light, but it didn’t say how many hours per day.  
This particular spot in our home gets quite a bit of afternoon light, and I can easily adjust the blinds to allow more or less light into the room.  Hopefully, I don’t kill them!  So far so good, but it’s only been a week.  Do any of you have tips you’d like to share? 
Aren’t these big leaves gorgeous?  I like the difference between the two.  
I was pleasantly surprised by look of the Allen & Roth line of accessories sold at Lowes.  Both white vases are from that brand.  It’s a crisp, clean look that I like for now, even though the shelves are also white (Sherwin Williams Divine White).  
Here’s an older wide shot of the room so you can see the difference.  (You may also notice that I changed out the black framed photo of James for a softer canvas print.  You can see the picture better in the first shot in this post.  I still die over all that black hair.  He was 2 weeks old in that photo:)  That $35 starburst mirror is from Home Depot!

I’d really like to get a nice, big houseplant for our entryway, but that area is poorly lit naturally.  I’ve had my eye out for something that may work in size and maintenance, but haven’t found it yet.  Any suggestions? 
Hope you have a great Monday!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

16 Comments

  1. you could always go with a high end silk plant! some of them are hard to tell if they are real or not. in fact, my neighbor was watering my plants for me after i had to be out of town on an emergency for a few days and i came back to find my silk plant had been watered right along with the real ones!!! 🙂

  2. Love those plants and the pots. I have been doing the same thing lately by adding living plants to the house. It brings a new life to the house for sure! I have found a basket for the fiddleleaf fig tree but am planning a shower in a few weeks and am waiting until closer to the date to get the tree in case my green thumb doesn't work out so well!

  3. A peace lily or spatha lily does not require a lot of light. Also, there are little cone-like uplights that can be used as grolights AND create great atmosphere and shadows. Or just an uplight on the floor next to the plant (I use a timer)might do the trick for your entryway.

  4. The plants look great! I have a natural brown thumb, so I am always reluctant to take on a plant. I have two that have have nearly killed and raised from the dead on multiple occasions.

  5. I love how plants bring subtle color and freshness to a room. I have a couple succulents in my kitchen in white vases that make me happy every time I look at them (one is called a money tree!). I'm not sure what would work in your entryway. So many plants require good light, but you could try a freeze-dried topiary or something like that. I have one from Restoration Hardware in my bonus room that looks real, but isn't.

  6. I read something the other day that said, "Plants come to my house to die." Ok. . sounds dramatic, but I have such bad luck with plants. I need all the tips I can get. Those are really pretty.

  7. Love the look of those plants! My parents are big gardeners and I asked my mom if she had any dieffenbachia that I could have so I could recreate the look you had. She said that I wouldn't want them because my cat eats plants and they can kill pets. I think the danger has been exaggerated but I just wanted to warn you if you have a plant eating cat like mine! Just to be safe, I'm going to try to find a similar plant to recreate the pretty green on white look you have!

  8. I had been told that the plants you bought could not die. Well, mine did. All plants left in my care die – definitely sooner than later. If I happen to keep anything living for awhile, it's a given that my cat will eat it. I need to give up soon and come up with a different solution to decorating.

  9. Those look nice. I have about 30 scattered around my house (they clean the air…really an awesome thing to have in your house). Anyway, those 2 should do fine there, light wise. What I do, especially for plants like that is water them once they start getting droopy. Don't worry, they won't die if they droop for 2 or 3 days. Sit them in your sink and water well. Let them drain really well (you don't want their feet to stay wet for long periods of time) and then put back in their sun spot. Most people kill their houseplants because they water WAY to much. And don't sweat it if they are super droopy and you've forgotten about them for awhile. Give them some water and give them time, they'll probably come back.

  10. I second the Peace Lily for your entryway. If you have cats though they are toxic to them (as are a whole lot of other house plants, make sure and research). It's ridiculous how little light they need (they're also called a closet plant). You can buy REALLY big Peace Lilies at Lowe's. Water the same way, when it droops. Once the bloom spends itself (gets all nasty looking) it leaves yellow powder everywhere, so make sure and trim the spent bloom off before a mess is made. Don't ever put it outside, it will burn to death.

    You can email me if you have any questions or want any advice. I'm not an expert by any means but I do have a whole lot of experience and LOVE talking/teaching about house plants!

  11. Sorry, one more suggestion for your entry way: if you want just a dark leafy plant try a, Imperial Red Philodendron. Very pretty and easy to maintain.

  12. emfox13 is right that most people kill their plants by overwatering. A dieffenbachia isn't difficult to keep alive but it is poisonous, a number of house plants are. However, if pets don't bother with your plants and it's out of reach of a curious toddler (my kids never went for the plants) who may put it in their mouth, they are worth it for the vibrant green they add.
    Like another commenter mentioned, the hazard is likely overblown, however, my sister's friend did chew on a dieffenbachia leaf and it made her tongue numb & swell slightly (and yes, she should have known better. She was 17 at the time- I have no idea why she might chew on a houseplant leaf)

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