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Decorating your home with indoor plants is a great way to instantly infuse a space with life. A flouncy fern, shiny fiddle leaf fig, trailing vine or sculptural succulent can lift even the dullest room. However, pairing plants with the right pots can take things to a whole new dimension, adding flair and visual interest, and showcasing your personal style.
This season’s bounty of indoor plant pots range from smart ceramic in soft pinks, greens, neutrals and bold prints, to clear glass propagation flasks, as well as classic terracotta. On-trend fluted and ribbed vessels in modern shapes – along with versatile woven baskets, planters and plant stands – create opportunities to invite nature and greenery into every space.
Here’s how to enhance your décor by pairing pots and plants.
People have used indoor plants as décor for thousands of years. There are certain pot plants that remain favourites – palms, monstera, spider plants, and ferns, for example – but plants that are grabbing our attention are those with interesting, variegated, or colourful foliage. “Some good examples are prayer plants (Calathea species), alocasias and crotons. Some of the peperomia and begonia varieties can also have really pretty foliage, with streaks and spots of pink and white,” says Anna Safaryan, Bunnings garden décor buyer.
The best-looking plant, though, is a healthy one, so consider your home’s climate conditions and light levels, as well as your own gardening expertise before making a selection. “Some of these plants are a bit harder to look after,” says Anna. “For example, some of the beautiful ‘designer’ alocasia varieties are very fussy. Variegated foliage plants have less green surface and require more light to thrive; however, they may get scorched in direct sunlight.”
Alternative hard-to-kill indoor plants with a reputation for robustness include Zanzibar gems, peace lilies and sansevieria (also known as mother-in-law's tongue), all of which will bring style to your space.
Once you’ve chosen a plant well-suited to your home and gardening abilities, it’s time to dress it up with an elegant pot. But how do you determine the pot size for a plant, or what type of pot to pick? “Cover pots (or cache pots) have become a part of the interior design toolkit and are often selected to complement the design scheme of the space,” Anna says.
The great thing about this type of container, also known as planters, is that you can easily swap the pots and plants around. It’s a low-cost way to experiment with current décor and interior design trends, introduce colour or change the feel of your home with the seasons.
For indoor use, simply select cache pots without a drainage hole, then keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot. “Choose a cache pot 1–2cm wider and taller than the plant’s plastic grower’s pot, so it sits neatly inside,” says Anna.
When choosing pots for plants, look at your home’s décor, what’s in style and – of course – the plant you want to house in it. Fortunately, Anna says, the current colour trends are a heavenly match with the hottest pick of indoor plants. “When it comes to colour, we are seeing natural soft hues gaining popularity. With colourful foliage plants being popular, soft pink and cream colours are a perfect choice [for a pot] as they mirror some of the foliage colours of the plant. And soft shades of green will suit any plant.”
Can’t choose between dusty pink and clay, or sage green and mint? Pick more than one! These fashionable hues marry beautifully together, and choosing a few different plant pots taps into another major trend: indoor plant clusters. Choose a trio of pots in contrasting but complementary colours (the rule of three, or odd numbers, is a styling failsafe to create interest). Or select three pots in the same hue and introduce interest by selecting varied sizes of pots, or different textures – fluted and ribbed pots look great in any space.
The perfect pot will work with the plant, and it will also enhance the room you put it in and work around any practical limitations of the living area. When space is tight in your home, use height. “Vertical layers save space,” says Anna, who recommends plant stands to raise up your greenery. “Pots on stands are less obtrusive visually because you can see the floor below and through the legs,” she adds.
Plant stands come in varied materials, including metal and wood, so you can choose one to match the aesthetic of your furniture. On the practical side, plant stands also protect the floor from scratches and spills, which is perfect if you’ve got wooden floors that you want to protect.
Baskets are another interesting alternative to straight ceramic pots, and are a practical option for large plants, as a lightweight basket is more affordable than a heavy ceramic pot. “They’re easier to move than a big pot, are less likely to mark your floor, and add a touch of bohemian style,” Anna adds.
If your plants might not get all the watering they need, factor that into your pot choice, as well. Consider self-watering pots, which work by incorporating a built-in reservoir at the base of the plant pot. You top up the water at the base and the plant then draws up what it needs, so you don’t have to keep such a close eye on potential dry pot soil or the individual watering needs of each plant.
Check the climate needs of plants. Check plant labels for watering needs and to help choose their ideal location in your living space. “Rotate plants around the home so they don’t stay in low-light conditions for too long,” says horticulturist Tammy Huynh.
Give plants a home to suit their size. Re-pot when plants become root bound (look for roots growing out of drainage holes) and use potting mix for indoor use, which is less prone to fungus gnats. If you re-pot a plant into a larger plastic pot, you can then drop it into a larger cache pot or decorative planter.
Tip: Did you know that we offer plastic plant pot recycling at selected stores? Return your empty pots to us and they’ll get reused or recycled into something new.
Experiment with plant propagation. Increase your plant stock for free by propagating cuttings in water. “If you love the look of plants in water (with no soil), add small amounts of liquid fertiliser to the water every couple of weeks,” says Tammy.
Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment. Always wear gloves and a mask when handling potting mix, mulch and compost, and store products out of the reach of children and pets.
Check out our wide range of indoor pots.
Photo Credit: Brigid Arnott
