Fashionable
Ferns

Say house plant and many people think of a fern or something they think is a fern. Their next thought is likely to be ‘that’s a bit boring’. We think otherwise.
Ferns have devoted fans that collect them with love and ardour. They are the few. The many are those who think they are dull. If the latter, larger, group knew of ferns’

distinguished history as house plants and their potential if looked after with imagination, they might easily change their minds.
It was the Victorians who gave ferns their fashionable status amongst houseplants. A remarkable man, Dr Nathaniel Ward invented a glass case that enabled plants to survive for a long time and which provided the principle for a bottle garden, which we’ll talk about later. From his discovery in around 1830 it was not long before the sitting rooms of all fashion-conscious families had a glass case planted up with ferns.
The point of telling you that story wasn’t just boring history, it had a point. The Victorians got it right with ferns as house plants by using them in groups and by thinking about their setting. This is still the key to their success. The single fern that you were given on Mother’s Day or that you bought in a hurry to decorate the spare room for guests will inevitably look a bit lonely.
Group them together and you immediately create the feel of a garden, especially if you combine different ferns, some with luscious broad leaves like the Bird’s Nest ferns, and the feathery types like the Maidenhair ferns. Grouping them together also creates a miniature climatic environment which encourages them to thrive.

Positioning
The crucial elements in their positioning are light and humidity. It is a myth that ferns like being in semi-darkness; dark conditions indoors are quite different to dark conditions outdoors, and it is not a good idea to banish your ferns to a shrouded corner. More important, avoid direct sunlight, they will not enjoy being on a sunny south-facing table or windowsill; a bit of morning or evening sun is perfect; no real light all day only for those that prefer the gloom.
The ferns we grow indoors as houseplants are all relatives of the hardy ones that grow wild, they just originate from warmer – often tropical – climates. High, or at least constant, humidity is an essential, which is why the bathroom is often the best place for ferns.
In your sitting room the central heating will be a problem, so why not follow the example of the Victorians and grow your ferns in a glass case. Buy a fish aquarium, fill the bottom with gravel or clean, small stone chippings. Spread a layer 5-10cm deep of ordinary growing compost, add a few larger stones and perhaps a piece of dead wood for effect and plant your ferns. The creation of a colony and the semi-enclosed glass surroundings will generate

Brighten up your workplace and reduce stress levels with plants

Architectural
Madagascar dragon tree – this exotic slow-grower is justifiably popular, its glossy, red-edged spikes shooting out from slender trunks.

Mother-in-law’s tongue – an eye-catching succulent with an old-fashioned name, this is easy to look after, and – in time – will stretch up to a height of around 1.2m.

Umbrella tree
– gold-variegated leaflets curve down gracefully around the leaf stalk of this shrub, which grows slowly and surely to a grand height of about 1m.

Big and bushy
Weeping fig – over time, this graceful plant grows into a splendid specimen, expanding in height and width. Choose a variegated form for extra colour.
Spider plant – one of the easiest houseplants, it nevertheless repays any additional care you might lavish on it. Its stripy leaves arch into a mop of colour. Produces tiny white flowers in the summer.

Sweetheart plant – sweetheart by name, sweetheart by nature. This is a fast grower that’ll leap up a frame, or dangle over a ledge. Its heart-shaped leaves catch the light, cheering up a dark spot.

Cleaner air
Rubber plant – the classic houseplant, this variety makes a strong
decorative statement and – big plus – is amazingly effective at removing
airborne pollutants.

A room with a hue

It’s the little things in life, and sometimes turning your eye to the smallest items in home décor can make the biggest impact. If you are in the mood for a room transformation, but don’t have the time or budget to completely redecorate, try focusing on smaller portions of the room and creating focal points. You can still achieve a dramatic transformation with attention to detail and minimal effort.
The simplest and most cost effective method to create a mood with colour, of course, is to repaint the room. But if painting an entire room is out of the question, try highlighting certain areas.

You can still create a new colour scheme with smaller areas.
Walk into the room with fresh eyes, as if you are seeing it for the first time. Really notice the overall effect of the room as you enter, and what your eye is drawn to.
Archways, doorways, even the opposite wall can serve as an appropriate canvas. Painting those types of surfaces a contrasting colour to the overall room colour can create interesting visual patterns. Examine specific architectural features of the room. Are there windows, mantels or other trim details that can be highlighted?
If the room itself does not have a lot of features, you can create focal points. Take a favourite piece of furniture, a desk or cabinet, and place it against the wall. Then you can paint the wall area around the furniture, visually framing it.
Using a stencil to create a painted border around a doorway, window or piece of furniture can also create a visual frame. Stencilling is a way to bring subtle elegance to a room, and you can choose a pattern to work with your upholstery, rugs, or window coverings to bring cohesion to various elements within the room.

Some other ideas for accenting a room include:

l For a sophisticated look, paint walls in a light neutral colour, and paint a mantel, trim and picture frames in either a darker shade of the same colour or a contrasting colour.

l If you are painting your walls a medium to dark colour consider a second colour for the trim. White is a classic choice but you could also use a light grey or beige.

l Don’t limit yourself to four walls – consider the ceiling as an additional area for colour, as well. A dark colour can create an intimate feeling in a dining room, for example. Or a sky blue will open and lift the ceiling of a bedroom or porch.

l A creative way to highlight and bring together a collage of photos on a wall is to frame them with a single colour block painted behind them.

l Personalise a bland room with a favourite quote either painted free-hand or stencilled around the perimeter of the room.

l Artist canvases come in a multitude of sizes and can be painted to create moveable and easily changeable blocks of colour for a room. They can all be painted a single colour, or you may vary the mix with different shades of the same colour. A mixture of colours could even become a work of art in itself and could be a tool for bringing together different colours within a room.

l Don’t be afraid to mix multiple patterns in similar colours to create interest, but make sure you use a bright enough colour to make a statement. Choose varying patterns for room elements such as wall borders, accent pillows and upholstery throughout the room.

Once you have decided on the colour accents and the techniques you want to use, you need to choose your tools. Picking the right tools for the job initially will save you time in the long run. For sprucing up trim, you’ll need a trim brush. Trim brushes are typically two inches or two-and-a-half inches wide. Look for brushes with well-tapered bristles, avoiding brushes with bristles that are all the same length. Foam applicators may be used for small areas, or fine work such as stencilling, but brushes work best for larger jobs. For any trimwork, you will need to tape off the walls, and protect the work area with dropcloths.
Once you have accented the room with wall colour, you can echo that theme through accessories such as throw pillows, pottery, or an area rug. You don’t need to match colour exactly; instead, try various shades of the same tone to create