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A ‘living vase’

Mini garden Add Caladiums to your favourite flower pot

The large “thottam” with its very wide variety of plants and trees, the area of the house that provided oxygen for the body and an inexplicable rejuvenation to the soul is sadly a thing of the past. Smaller more confined spaces and the hi gh costs of fresh cut flowers is slowly leading to an erosion of the plants in our homes.

The large variety of indoor plants both flowering and non flowering are a boon that assist in somewhat negating this. However one does tire of the constancy of the croton placed in the corner, or the palm on both sides of the main door, or the rubber plant in the bronze vase. This is not to say that these are not pretty but in overuse these are certainly dull.

How often can you move the potted plant to relieve yourself of this visual boredom or frivolously spend large amounts on fresh cut flowers.

An easy and often less thought of solution to this nagging home décor concern is the Pot-et-fleur…French for “pot and flower” which is basically a magnificent combination of freshly cut flowers and lush growing greenery – a “Living Vase.”

The plant grows in the container and flowers are added for a colour accent when desired.

The container you choose must be waterproof as it will have soil in it and need watering. You can use ceramics, plastic lined baskets, troughs etc depending on the size of the arrangement and its placement.

In this planter set your mix of compost. Leave a small place in the centre of the container when planting and insert a disguised food tin, florists tube or oasis (florist foam) to hold water for the ends of the cut flowers. Pieces of driftwood, stones, coral and shells may be added to the surface of the compost.

While selecting the plants for grouping try to ensure a closely matched requirement for heat, light and water. The height and shape of the plants must be proportionate to the size of the pot. Some of the most common plants used are Acorus, Asparagus, Caladium, Chlorophytum, Coleus, Dracena, Hedera, Calathea, Parlour palm, Croton codiaeum Gold finger (Kattupatolam), Diffenbachia etc.

Choose the seasonal flowers that are easily available and inexpensive. Bigger flowers normally seem more in scale with the other plants than smaller blooms. Roses, chrysanthemum, asters, Anthurium, orchids, lilies of all descriptions, irises, peonies, tulips, Gladoli, carnations, all look lovely. Round flowers tend to look better than spiky ones. For interest lace some of your smaller flower content at a horizontal angle to the soil otherwise it looks awful artificial. Some of the placements should be touching the soil to make the arrangement look well ‘seated’ and part of the overall design.

In this way flowers from your own garden or the florist’s can be used to produce ever changing and colourful displays without too much effort. As the flowers finish you are left with a beautiful pot of greenery or exquisitely colour foliage.

Apart from being an eye catching ever changing colourful point of attention the

Pot- et – fleur also make attractive gifts for the effort that one must put into it

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