The living room is the area where the family gathers. It is here that the adults relax, the children play and everyone seeks comfort. It is also the spot in the average home where most of the indoor plants can be found.
It is here where one usually finds the showiest and most expensive plants, and yet nearly every living room can be improved by introducing new types and altering the arrangement of the ones which are already there. The thing to avoid is scattering a few pots of nondescript greenery and run-of-the-mill flowering plants around the room – a couple on the windowsill, one on the mantlepiece, another on the TV set and so on.
The interior designer sets out to create a number of plant stations, each of which is bold enough and attractive enough to be admired. There are few types of plant station and each of these types has its own advantages and its own special role to play. By choosing specimen plants with care you can change the basic appearance of the room – high ceiling will appear lower if you use hanging baskets and cascading plants whereas low rooms will appear higher if you use a bold and upright plant. Plants with arching branches and small leaves will give the illusion of added width to a narrow room.
Scale is important – a small Pilea may look pathetic in a large living room and a stately Dracaena would overpower a tiny room. Contrast is also important. A richly ornamental living room is improved by using plants with large and simple leaves, but a drab area benefits from intricately-shaped and multicolored foliage.
Make use of plants to enliven dull features. A fireplace filled with glowing coals may be a welcome sight in winter, but the empty hearth is unattractive for the rest of the year. The unused fireplace is therefore a popular spot for house plants – but remember that the light level is often low and so consider using shade-loving foliage plants or temporary displays of flowering ones. Radiators are rarely things of beauty and they can be improved by installing a shelf above in order to house a pebble tray.
The living room is a moderately good home for many plants – the light level is usually good and there is always space for a plant station or two. But there are problems – the humidity of centrally-heated rooms is low in winter and the environment may be too warm in the dormant season for plants which need cool winter conditions. However, there are still hundreds of varieties from which to make your the best choice.
The unused fireplace is popular spot for house plants.
Draecena
In the living room with high ceiling you may consider of planting trees.