With the summer weather finally here, it is time to deck your home out in the fresh colour and fragrance of plants and flowers to match the season. “Great idea!” you’re thinking, but where do you even begin when it comes to choosing the best flowers and plants to decorate your home? Maybe you have just moved into a new home, or want to give a gift to someone who has, or maybe you just want to spruce up your own home, our guide will point you in the right direction of where to get started with the best plants and flowers for your home.
Sunflowers
These flowers are one of the most recognisable around, with their bright yellow leaves showing a clear indication that summer has finally arrived and it’s time for you to get out and enjoy the sunshine! The tallest ever sunflower measured at 8.23m (10ft), which may be a bit big for your living room, but you can easily get hold of a bouquet of sunflowers, or even grow a sunflower plant in your own home.
The most important thing to remember if you have any kind of sunflowers is to make sure that they have unobstructed access to natural light. Whilst the myth that they turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky is unfortunately no more than a myth, they do need plenty of light to help their growth!
Cacti
Cacti are for the desert, right? What do you mean they’re one of the best plants to decorate a home? Now, it is really easy to get cacti for your home, whether they are small and easily kept in a pot like this one. Others are a reasonable size which can really stand out but without being quite as bulky and hard to care for as other plants!
One of the biggest bonuses about having cacti as a decorative plant is that they are really easy to care for, as most cacti only need a little sprinkle of water once a week or fortnight to keep them in top condition. You can also get some cacti which bloom if you are worried that they are too bland, and cacti blooms are well known for their spectacular bursts of colour!
Orchids
Perhaps the most beautiful of all of the plants that we have in our list, orchids are always a popular choice when it comes to plants to decorate your home. There are such a wide range of different orchids to choose from that they are sure to satisfy your taste, whatever it is that you are looking for. You can go for a more traditional orchid, or can alternatively go for a fun orchid, such as the Monkey Orchid or the Bee Orchid, which is said to look like Shrek!
One way to check if you are watering your orchid enough, which is always one of the biggest challenges, is to put your finger about 1 inch into the soil. If your finger comes out dry, it needs watering, if not, then there’s plenty of water and you can leave watering for another day!
Bonsai Trees
Typical in many homes in Japan, and across some other parts of Asia, the Bonsai tree is more than just a decoration, but can also easily become a hobby for many people who are fortunate enough to have one in their home. Bonsais are best kept if you regularly trim their leaves and keep them in good shape. Make sure to water them and prune them to keep them looking great, and it’ll benefit you as well as people all over the world have formed a hobby of their Bonsai tree care!
When it comes to Bonsai trees as a plant to decorate your home, you also have a few choices to make as Japanese and Chinese Bonsais vary greatly, with Japanese plants more rigid and regularly pruned, whilst Chinese Bonsais are more natural and free, such as the one in the picture here!
Peace lilies
Discovered in the Colombian jungle and brought to Europe by an explorer in the 19th century, this stunning plant is a popular house plant and is a bigger and more imposing plant if that is what you are looking for to fill out a space in your home. It’s a very popular option, partly because it is quite cheap to buy and partly because it is very easy to care for, and unlike Bonsais, requires very little attention.
One problem when it comes to decorating a home with plants is that most plants need plenty of light and struggle to grow unless you make room for them near a source of natural light, which is often easier said than done! The good news with peace lilies is that whilst, like any plant, they grow better with a source of natural light, they also grow perfectly well in darker conditions.
Now you know, you’ll be able to turn your home into a luxurious paradise with influences from Mother Nature herself in the form of one or more of these gorgeous plants. Not only do they bring the light and colour of the season, but they also bring with them the fragrance of freshness and summer, which will not only welcome you home every day, but will also make any guests feel comfortable as soon as they walk through the door.