Taming the house plant jungle

An abundance of greenery makes a house feel comfortable & homely. Many of our larger plants used to live in our inglenook fireplace but had to move when we installed a wood burner some years back. The smaller plants live happily on either side of the fireplace in raised stands. However, our conservatory has been home to the very large ones; they are usually on the console table but because of their size & height, they regularly tip over & the mess is unwelcome. 

My myriad of large houseplants have spent the summer outdoors, partially shaded by a large laurel bush & a fatsia japonica. It is an annual thing, easier to maintain but also easier to wash down their leaves properly & give them air. 

With a busy fortnight ahead, I thought it time to bring them in. However, because some have grown rather large, they are prone to tipping over on the conservatory console table so a solution was needed.

While out at the local garden centre, I had a thought - perhaps they need to be grouped en masse in a trough. At first the idea was for a trough on the console table but there were none that was suitable and the reality was if one tipped, they would all fall over in a domino effect. 

A black Elho trough caught my eye - quite substantial with built in wheels. The trough could sit on the floor where it can be wheeled away for cleaning yet the plants would be more stable at ground level. It was nice enough to be an indoor planter too. 

I measured it, checked back home & then returned to buy it. My 3 outdoor raised planters with the clear lids are ehlo & I love their quality.

I filled the bottom of the new trough with some of our lovely leaf mould (made with our leaves that are raked under the corner hedge to break down) and then added a generous layer of fresh compost. 

With the new trough in the conservatory door, it was good working height & I could gather the plants that have spent the summer on the outdoor patio. I started with the biggest ones & gently potted them in to the trough, moving them around to fit in, then put the smaller ones in between & gently filled all the spaces with additional compost. A variegated spider plant and an arrow head plant had grown rather prolifically over the summer so it was added for interest too. 

A messy job as compost flicked about on the leaves but once I was happy that all the plants were in one place, it was time to test out the inbuilt wheels. They really surprised me by gliding smoothly & the trough could be wheeled in to place quite easily. That is a massive bonus for cleaning.

I tidied up the plants by adding supports & some twine to keep the branches where I wanted, then under planted with coloured tradescantia's. A pleasing change that will be easier to manage. 

How do you deal with all your houseplants? Are you temped to mass them together or do you prefer them dotted about? Tell all. Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated, 

Dee 🪴🪏🏡👩‍🌾