Decorating with Potted Plants for a Special Dinner
Whenever I entertain, I love to decorate my home with a wide assortment of potted plants that provide interesting and expressive foliage.
Yesterday, in preparation for a special dinner I am hosting this weekend at my Bedford, New York farm, I asked my gardener, Brian O'Kelly, to fill my Winter House with a collection of beautiful houseplants - orchids, begonias, ferns, and other cheerful succulents to welcome my guests.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
-
- I love all kinds of container plants, and over the years I have amassed quite a collection of specimens. Most of my potted plants are kept in the greenhouse, where they can be maintained properly. This day was perfect for moving a selection of plants to my Winter House ahead of this weekend’s gathering.
-
- Some of the plants we selected include succulents. Succulents grow in so many different and interesting formations and colors. They are best planted in clay or terra cotta pots with proper drainage holes because the vessels dry quickly, and prevent water from building up. Echeverias are some of the most attractive of all succulents and they are highly valued by plant enthusiasts for their gorgeous colors and beautiful shapes. The leaves are also fleshy and have a waxy cuticle on the exterior. The echeveria plant is slow growing and usually doesn’t exceed 12 inches in height or spread.
-
- Guests love seeing the different succulents in my home and learning about the interesting varieties. If you like growing plants, but don’t really have the time to care for them properly, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. Succulents are so easy to maintain and are able to survive prolonged drought because they store moisture in their fleshy stems, roots, and leaves.
-
- In my foyer, Brian placed two potted rhipsalis – a cacti genus with approximately 35 distinct species. I have many types of rhipsalis growing in my greenhouse. Rhipsalis specimens have long, trailing stems making them perfect choices as indoor plants on pedestals or tall tables. Also known as chain cactus or mistletoe cactus, the thread-like succulent stems are narrow, green and can grow several feet long.
-
- The Pilea Glauca has petite, oval, blue-gray leaves that shimmer with silvery powder. It is sometimes also known as Pilea libanensis or Silver Sparkle Pilea.
-
- Bird’s nest ferns make excellent low light houseplants. It is also an epiphytic fern, which means in the wild it typically grows on other plants or objects.
-
- The fronds grow in a tight, nest-like clump from the center of the plant. Under ideal circumstances, all ferns like to have consistently moist, but not wet, soil. However, they will tolerate soil that dries out from time to time.
-
- Here is an interesting looking fern with large fronds and a pleasant green-blue color.
-
- This is a potted dracaena. Dracaenas are popular houseplants with origins in Madagascar and other Indian ocean islands. Easy to care for, the dracaena can also help improve air quality. They naturally remove formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene and carbon dioxide.
-
- This dracaena has narrow foliage. Dracaenas may be completely green or may include stripes or edges of green, cream, red, or yellow. This plant can grow as much as six feet in height when grown as a potted plant. In outdoor settings, it has been known to grow up to 20 feet.
-
- I am a big fan of orchids, and wanted all the blooming orchids brought into my home, especially the Lady’s Slippers. Paphiopedilum orchids are often called lady slippers or slipper orchids because of their unique pouch-like flowers. These specimens are easily grown as houseplants and look wonderful with their striking green leaves. The pouch of a slipper orchid traps insects so they are forced to climb up, collect or deposit pollen, and fertilize the flower. I’ve had this one for many years. I brought it home after a trip to the Himalayas.
-
- The different types of Lady’s Slipper orchid also present a wide variety of colors. Most commonly, these colors include various shades of pink, red, brown, white, yellow, and purple.
-
- This orchid is an Oncidium hybrid called Beallara Marfitch ‘Select’. These plants get very tall flower spikes and produce about seven to 12 flowers per spike. It grows best in cool, intermediate, or warm temperatures, allowing the potting mix to get pretty dry in between waterings.
-
- The size of orchids depends on the species. They can be quite small or very large. However, every orchid flower is bilaterally symmetric, which means it can be divided into two equal parts.
-
- Brian brought in several begonias. Begonia is a genus in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains at least 1500 different plant species and numerous hybrids. They are native to Mexico, Central and South America, Asia and South Africa – regions with tropical and subtropical climates. There are different types of begonias, including tuberous begonias, semperflorens begonias, rex begonias, and rhizomatous begonias. Rhizomatous begonias are grown for their interesting and spectacular leaves. They come in an array of sizes, colors and textures, and can be small or large, smooth or veiny, decorated in bold accents of red, copper and silver or subtle shades of green.
-
- Here is another begonia with green leaves and reddish-brown veins. Begonias grow best in light, well-drained soil.
-
- Begonias are also remarkably resistant to pests primarily because their leaves are rich in oxalic acid – a natural insect repellent.
-
- Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved, rhizomatous, or tuberous perennial flowering plants from the family Araceae. There are more than 95 accepted species native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Eastern Australia. Alocasias have large, arrowhead-shaped leaves with flat or wavy edges on slender stems.
-
- Guests always admire my Chinese money plants, Pilea peperomioides. Here is one in the center. The Pilea peperomioides has attractive coin-shaped foliage. This perennial is native to southern China, growing naturally along the base of the Himalayan mountains. It is also known as coin plant, pancake plant, and UFO plant. The one on the left is a green Peperomia. It has heart-shaped, puckered, deeply veined leaves. On the right – Peperomia caperata ‘Ripple Red’ with iridescent purple-red leaves and very distinct ripples. The small heart-shaped leaves grow into an attractive mounding habit. Peperomia are great succulent lower light houseplants.
-
- Here is a cactus. Cacti generally have thick herbaceous or woody chlorophyll-containing stems. Cacti can be distinguished from other succulent plants by the presence of areoles, small cushion-like structures with trichomes or plant hairs, and in almost all species, spines or barbed bristles.
-
- This is Euphorbia lactea, also known as a “Coral Cactus.” It is a species native to tropical Asia, mainly in India. The showy part of the plant, the section that resembles coral, is called the crest. The ridges are spiny, with short spines.
-
- And, if you are looking for festive holiday houseplants, try a Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus. Thanksgiving cacti are the earliest and longest bloomers, typically producing flowers from late fall through mid-winter. Christmas cacti tend to bloom from early winter to mid-winter. There is also Easter cacti that blooms from late winter to mid-spring. I feel so fortunate to have such an amazing collection of extraordinary potted plants. Not only do houseplants enhance the overall appearance of a space, but they’ve also been known to increase creativity, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants. I hope this inspires you to visit a nursery and buy a houseplant, or two, or even three…
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
