Plants are a great touch to add to any staged home. They bring life to any space easily, and make a house feel like a home straight away. Plants have the unique power to purify the air we breathe and absorb moisture from homes, so they’re an excellent, healthy addition to any indoor space that you’re wanting to spend a lot of time in.
Having a green thumb is an overlooked part of home staging, but we think we know our way around an indoor plant or two. In this article, we’ve compiled some of our favourite species, to tell you why they can be a great accessory to add to any staging job.
Monstera Deliosa
Up first, the wonderful elephant-ear monstera plant. We didn’t know it was possible for plants to be trendy – but this one is most definitely the trendiest plant around right now. This comes as no surprise, as this plant has the ability to look stunning in any room. Its huge, uniquely shaped leaves bring empty space to life, and Monsteras are also incredibly easy to grow. They are native to tropical rainforests, and so thrive in humid, warm, shady environments, such as your living room.
All you have to do to plant Monstera is to place it in a pot with some well-draining soil. The pot can be as large or small as you like, depending on how big you want your monstera to grow. Make sure the pot has drainage holes. If you want your monstera to grow big and tall, give it a stake or trellis to climb up, as it will cling to a support as it grows. Place it somewhere that gets a lot of light during the day, and water it weekly or when it’s looking a little dry.
A bonus tip for helping your monstera to look its best is to polish its leaves with a damp cloth every now and again. This will remove any dust that accumulates from it being indoors, and will unblock its pores, allowing it to breathe and absorb moisture easier. You’ll notice your monstera will look a lot more lively if you do this once a week.
Heartleaf Philodedron
Also known as the Sweetheart Plant, this houseplant – known for its glossy, heart shaped leaves – is super easy to grow indoors. It has vine-like stems that can grow to over a metre long. You can ‘pinch’ the stems close to a leaf node if you want it to look bushier and fuller. Alternatively, you can let it grow long and let it hang off shelves. If you train it along a pole, it can even climb upwards.
These plants can thrive in a small pot, so they’re the perfect houseplants to keep on a table or shelf. They love dry air, so don’t need too much water – only an occasional misting. They can look really amazing when hung from ceilings or other high places, as they have a chandelier effect. If you’re trying to stage a quite functional or minimalist space, they can be a great touch to bring life, colour and a little bit of love to a large area.
Orchids
Orchids are a beautiful plant that bloom delightful florals in a whole spectrum of colours. They’re incredibly popular as houseplants and are a great alternative to a floral bouquet. Most people think that orchids are difficult to look after, but they thrive in the New Zealand climate and only take a small amount of care to flourish. They like to be watered really heavily in summer, once a week. Let it dry out afterwards in a well-lit spot.
The most important thing to remember if you’re using orchids to stage a home is not to re-pot an orchid while it is flowering. This will most likely cause it to die pretty quickly, and that’s not something you want open home viewers to see. Instead, you can wait until the bloom is done, and then cut off the dead flower spike and repot the plant. You can purchase orchid potting mix that is incredibly effective if you want your orchid to live a long life with lots of blooms. Alternatively, you can leave it in its original pot and use it as a cachepot inside a decorative one.
Succulents
Succulents are the easiest plants of them all to grow indoors. They’re so independent that if you have a particularly green thumb you might find it hard to provide them with enough neglect for them to thrive! They come in so many unique shapes and sizes that make them a stunning option for decorating window sills, tabletops and shelves in a staged home. An eclectic bunch of succulents can add a sense of welcome comfort to any home.
Our top picks for succulent species include Aloe Vera, Echeveria, Zebra Cactus, String of Pearls and Burro’s Tail. Make sure you keep the spiky ones up high away from kids! A really cool thing about succulents is that they repot extremely easily, so home stagers can get their hands on them just by phoning a friend who may have some growing in their garden. Pick off a bulb (you don’t even need the root, just some stem or a whole leaf) and put it deep in the soil of a new pot, with some water, of course, and you’ve got yourself a succulent!
Bring Your Home to Life with Wellington Home Staging
If you are selling a home and need a little something to bring it to life, look no further than this Wellington Home Staging service. At HomeStaged, we provide homes city-wide with quality home staging. Talk to us today for a free consultation.
