Garden Talk: Long-term Care for Houseplants

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• Repurposed Containers, Stands Add Interest To Houseplants

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  In the Upper Midwest, people certainly treasure the times of year that they can garden outdoors. But one of the realities people deal with is that for a variety of reasons, they do spend a lot of time indoors. So, having a range of houseplants that are at their best in different seasons just makes sense.

  Tovah Martin is the author of a dozen gardening books, including “The Unexpected Houseplant: 220 Extraordinary Choices for Every Spot in Your Home.” And in that book, there are photos of beautiful, healthy plants, but equally noteworthy, are the wide range of containers that Martin uses as pots. She said this has a purpose behind it.

  “I really am a big advocate of expanding the definition of what a container can be,” Martin said. “You can use all kinds of I things. I do a lot of drilling in the bottoms to furnish drainage holes. I wouldn’t suggest drilling your Ming vase! But I even take things like buckets … I have a very what we call ‘retro chic’ house, so I use a lot of recycled materials as containers.”

  Martin’s creativity doesn’t stop with the pots. She also encouraged people to think about how to repurpose items as plant stands.

  Instead of buying them, Martin said, “I take even step stools and use them as plant stands. All kinds of things! I turn trash cans upside down, nice looking ones, and use those. And old, wonderful French laundry buckets that are so beautiful. You can get those in antique stores and turn them upside down.”

  Not only does repurposing items as containers and stands make for a visually interesting display, Martin said it can also save fine furniture from water damage. She also recommended small cork sheets that people can put on the bottom of a plant container to provide further protection.