Houseplant Heaven

With autumn approaching, why not bring some of the outdoors inside to beautify your home and your spirits? Not only do houseplants provide color and texture to any home decor, they soak up nasty carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, contributing to cleaner air in your rooms. Many health studies (including one by NASA!) show that plants purify indoor air and contribute to reduced stress levels. So, do your body and mind some good this fall and make good with some greenery. Prepare for the peacefulness that comes with living with plants.*

Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants by Hilton Carter
Growing healthy indoor plants takes practice, but creating an urban jungle takes inspiration and guidance. The urban jungle trend is no fickle fad; it’s a healthy lifestyle choice. Carter’s book will arm you with the know-how you need to care for your plants, including where to place them, and most importantly, how to arrange them for a stunning effect. Within no time, you could create an urban oasis to rival any found in Justina Blakeney’s new book The New Bohemians and her immensely popular Instagram account, the jungalow. 

The Indestructible Houseplant by Tovah Martin
Tovah Martin is a renowned plant expert. Refer to this book when you need inspiration to bring outdoor plants inside and make them thrive. If you think you have a brown thumb, you’ll have a green one if you take this lady’s advice. 

For a more creative spin on unique containers, Tovah Martin authored another must-have for the indoor gardener, The Unexpected Houseplant.    

The Inspired Houseplant: Transform your Home with Indoor Plants from Kokedama to Terrariums to Water Gardens to Edibles by Jen Stearns
Inspiration abounds here for the beginning indoor gardener looking for basic plant care and cool plant styling. Whether it’s succulents in a ‘Desert Boho’ style you crave or a marimo ball to go with that My Neighbor Totoro figurine, this book takes you from A to Z on plant care while making a décor splash doing it. 

Practical Houseplant Book by Fran Bailey, Zia Allaway
This is more than a practical guide to choosing and caring for the simple houseplant. With its 175 profiles of plants and where to place them in your home, this book moves indoor gardeners to branch out and decorate with eye-catching terrariums or cool kokedamas, which are moss balls on strings, reminiscent of the floating mountains in the movie Avatar. Practical step-by-step details and ample photos will generate confidence in beginners. 

How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged by Veronica Peerless
If your confidence is still lacking and no amount of coaxing by this Read Feed contributor will persuade you to check out the inspirational books above, the “horticulturally challenged” can start with this book. More than any of the other books, this one will tell you what to look for when plants start to look sick and you're convinced you have a black thumb. You CAN do this! It'll pay off for your mental and physical wellness. 

Bonus Book List: Gardening in Miniature for those ready to take the next step in indoor gardening: terrariums. 

*Always check whether a houseplant is compatible with your pets.