In this post, how I care for live plants when we’re away, resources for buying fabulous faux plants, my favorite plant books, and a visit to Terrain.
When we decided to downsize and move to San Diego I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to our live houseplants. Would they fit in the new much smaller space? Would they even survive in the hot moving truck for 24 hrs? I’m happy to report that they did survive and (most) are still with us today plus I was able to find homes for all of them. I have an eight foot tall fiddle leaf fig in the corner of our beach home family room plus numerous snake plants throughout the space that are thriving. (I’m not even sure you can kill a snake plant!) We were also able to bring several of our large outdoor potted plants with us and they are still alive and kicking on our beach patio.
I don’t know about you but I’ve always preferred live house plants over artificial ones. I like how real plants grow and change and it makes me happy when they thrive (and sometimes sad when they don’t!) Numerous studies have shown that indoor plants have numerous health benefits, from improving indoor air quality to boosting our mood or even making us more productive. Some studies have even shown that patients in hospitals who are able to look at plants heal faster than those who don’t. Plus, real or “faux”, (if we want to sound fancy) plants make our spaces prettier by adding a natural element to a room. However, I do use faux foliage when I want to add some greenery without the worry of whether they are getting enough water or sunlight. And now that we aren’t around for a couple months at a time, it’s even more important to make smart choices about decorating with plants.
In the photos below you can see some of the ways I have integrated some faux plants in our Bay Area home.
The two artificial trees above came from Costco. I highly recommend them. The are realistic-looking and are a good price for the quality. Below are some other varieties they carry.
Target has some great faux plants right now if you want to freshen up your space with some greenery. I found the plants on our mantel and entry table there last week. Below are some other great options. Of course Amazon also has a wide selection of faux plants but I haven’t personally ordered any of them. Please let me know in the comments if you have any good recommendations!
Caring for live indoor plants when you’re away
I do have a couple of live plants here in our Bay Area home that I brought back up from San Diego, but I’m not going to add any more for now. Since our oldest daughter currently lives in our San Diego home while she’s in school, I’m able to ask her (pretty please and thank you!) to water the potted plants there once in a while. But when we’re not in our Bay Area home, I have to make sure my two live plants have plenty of water and enough light to survive for weeks on their own. I recently discovered a really great self-watering pot that has successfully kept my Peace Lily alive and happy. I love Peace Lilies because they are quick-growing and send up long-lasting white blooms, but they are thirsty little guys. This pot from Amazon has saved the day! It’s large (1 gallon) and comes in both black and white. Highly recommend if you worry about your plants dying of thirst while you’re away.
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Here are some other ideas for automatic plant watering. I spotted these globes on Amazon. They are so pretty you could leave them tucked in your pots all the time.
A few plant books to consider
These beautiful books would look great stacked on a coffee table. I have the Plant Recipe book and it’s full of ideas for combining different types of plants in displays. The other two are in my cart.
I recently discovered and started following Hilton Carter @hiltoncarter. If you haven’t had a chance to check out his Instagram you definitely should. His plant designs are magical.
Shop Terrain
If you love to shop at Athropologie and also love plants you’ll love Terrain, their sister store. The one near our house is tucked inside the entrance of the Walnut Creek Anthro. I love it because it’s the first thing you see as you enter the store. They have so many cool ideas for incorporating nature into your home, from indoor houseplants and pots, to outdoor decor, furniture, lighting and planters.
A few things caught my eye, including an adorable mini-succulent garden which will be a perfect gift for my mother-in-law’s birthday.
I would love to visit some of their other locations, some of which are much larger, more like actual nurseries. Some even have cafes! Unfortunately they’re all on the East Coast, where the concept originated. I hope they will consider opening more of them in California. Would be a fun place for lunch!
Thanks for stopping by! In case you missed my last post, where I shared how I styled our summer deck along with details of our adventures in beautiful Croatia, you can find it here.
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Enjoy your weekend!
