By Mat Reese

Published: Wednesday, 11 January 2023 at 12:00 am


When planning house plant arrangements, keep plants with similar light requirements together. These exotics, which we cultivate in the conservatory and bring into the house when they reach their prime, have been positioned to take advantage of the intermediate morning light next to a sitting room window.

How to arrange this house plant display

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© Jason Ingram

 

This position avoids the intense midday sunshine that may scorch the foliage. It’s a temporary display, and when the plants begin to look jaded they are returned to the conservatory and replacements found. The orchids take this upheaval in their stride, as do the ferns, and require little more than a light daily misting.

It is vital to avoid crowding them too closely together, otherwise, the display can look congested. Position the larger plants first, work from the back to the front, and try to consider the appearance of both flowers and foliage.

The house plants in this display

Sudamerlycaste ‘Archirondel’

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© Jason Ingram

A hybrid orchid that is a cross between Sudamerlycaste costata and Sudamerlycaste ariasii and has waxy, hooded, white flowers and long, plicate, arching leaves. Needs heat, shade and humidity. 50cm.