Monday, September 16, 2013

Celebrate National Indoor Plant Week with "Indoor Plant Décor" (A Giveaway!)


It's National Indoor Plant Week and no one is happier to celebrate this than my co-writer, Jenny Peterson, and me.  We wrote a book about houseplants - Indoor Plant Décor: The Design Stylebook For Houseplants - which was released by St. Lynn's Press in April of this year.

I'm sure that the fact that this specially designated week is in September is no accident.  It's this time of year that we begin to take more of the gardening fun indoors if you live in the north.  I've already begun to bring in some of my tender plants (a.k.a. houseplants) that spend their summer vacation on the patio, the deck, the front porch, and in the garden.  For me, here in Ohio, first frost is just a few weeks away, give or take, according to the whims of Mother Nature.

Jenny and I decided it would be fun for each of us to do a giveaway on our blogs in celebration of houseplants.  We'd like to help you use them in your décor in stylish and fun ways.  So, we are each giving a copy of our book away!



To be entered, leave a comment on this blog post, telling me what your favorite houseplant is and what you like about it so much.  If you have more than one favorite, you can tell me all of them!  Do it by midnight EDT on Sunday, September 22, 2013, and on Monday, I'll use Random.org to pick a winner and announce who gets their very own copy of Indoor Plant Décor: The Design Stylebook For Houseplants.

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I suppose some of you are wondering what my favorite houseplant is.  It changes for me, and right now, I'm enjoying this trio of bromeliads.




These were a gift from Lechuza, makers of those great stylish self-watering planters.  Several of their containers are featured in our book and we got to present a signed copy to them when we visited their booth at the IGC (Independent Garden Center) Show in Chicago last month.




These bromeliads belong to the genus Guzmania.
Bromeliads aren't hard to grow and are one of the plants listed in the "Moderately Manageable" chart in our book. These bromeliads shown at the right (Guzmania sp.) do like water in their "cups," so even though these are growing in a self-watering planter, I will fill them up every now and then, taking care not to overwater.  They don't like direct sun (it will burn their foliage), so they're ideal for growing in the house.

They're also readily available, inexpensive, and as you see, come in a variety of colored blooms.  (Actually, the colored parts you see aren't the blooms.  You can see a bloom starting to peek out from the reddish-orange one.  The colored parts are leaves that change color when the plant is ready to bloom.) Other bromeliad types have gorgeous spotted or striped foliage.

Did you know...

...that tillandsias (sometimes called "air plants") are a type of bromeliad?

...that the pineapple is a bromeliad, too?

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So now, tell me your favorite houseplant and you're entered to win a copy of our book!  For your second chance to win, go over to Jenny's blog - J. Peterson Garden Design - and enter there!


20 comments:

Deanna Hookway said...

One of my favs is the ZZ plant. It is so forgiving and so adapting, you really can't go wrong with it. And its foliage is really unique.

Anonymous said...

My favorite houseplants are succulents. I know that's not one plant, but a type of plant, but I rotate various ones in and out of the house. Of the succulents, if I am *pressed*, I'd say aeonium buttercup, sunburst, and Schwarzkopf are my faves.

sumsan03 said...

My favorite houseplants by far are the mother in-laws tongue and the bowiea volubilis, also known as the climbing onion. The mother in-laws tongue plant is a hardy houseplant that doesn't require to much fuss. Mine has grown so much this summer. It is beautiful and catches everyone's eye. I purchased my bowiea volubilis from a horticulturist at a community yard sale. I hadn't seen such a strange looking plant like that before. It is in the same category as succulents. My plant likes bright light all day with a few hours if direct sunlight.

Joyce Faler said...

My favorite houseplant is a Boston Fern. I have it hanging in my bay window which overlooks my back yard and woods.

Unknown said...

I just brought in some of my beloved succulents since the air is getting a bit cooler outside...dreaming of them living wonderfully indoors too! Looks like your book would be a great inspiration!!!!XO

Jo Ellen said...

I love my jade plant. It is kind of like a sculpture.

Nancybeth said...

African Violets. Mom grew so many and they will always remind me of her.

cjs4jc said...

I am a fan of both a variety of succulents and cacti. I really love them all, but I have one jade plant that is unique. It is a Spoon Jade, whose cup-ended leaves just seem to reach out to me.

Anonymous said...

Christmas cactus, I have one 27 years old. CC

Jenny said...

I would love to win your book - it's been on my wish list since I first heard about it.

I have a hard time choosing a favorite but my top two recently have been African violets - because they bloom all winter long when I really miss blooms, & wandering jew because it's so very easy & I use it as a filler in my container gardens during the growing season. I love how it will grow in almost any condition & thrive.

Gardening With Soule said...

With 2 super intelligent and highly willful Siamese cats, my current favorite houseplants are any that I can hang. That said, Kinja (the Kitty-Ninja) launched himself off the top of the bookshelf in an attempt to land in the pathos. The results are about as you may imagine - soil, shattered pot, and broken pieces of plant across the living room floor - cat hiding under the bed.

Unknown said...

My favorite houseplant is the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree! I have had mine for 3 years now and I love it:)

Lisa@YourEasyGarden said...

My favorite houseplant is the ZZ plant. It looks tropical and unique, but is so tolerant of low light, you could practically grow it in a closet!

Anonymous said...

I love succulents but I usu ally just hap outside plants. This year I have a tub full of succulents I need to bring in for the winter (soon). I hope they make it through the winter indoors because our house is quite shaded, hope there's enough sun for them.

Jules said...

Looks like a great book! Can't wait to read it! :)

mary said...


l love the clivia plant, their green strappy leaves are always pretty and the tall flower stalk amazing when in bloom. Very long lasting and a no-fuss plant too

Unknown said...

My favorite houseplant is the African violet. I love these hard-working plants, their blooms cheering me up almost daily!!

Unknown said...

My favorite constantly changes, but right now I'm enjoying a beautiful phalaenopsis - I almost didn't write that because of the challenge spelling it! Can't wait to see your book!

Steph said...

I really like the Fairy Castle Cactus and the White Bunnies Ears Cactus. Two of my faves.

Bonnie said...

It has to be Mother's in-law tongue. You water it once a week, no clean-up necessary. It sits in the corner and doesn't make a fuss...Thanks! Bonnie

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