A large upright specimen such as an umbrella plant, dracaena or ficus can be an attractive accent in a room. Other varieties such as ferns or Anthurium can grow big bushy clumps of foliage and provide a dramatic focal point either on a plant stand, small table, or directly on the floor. Such specimens can be quite expensive to purchase, and it can take many years for a small plant to grow large enough for these purposes. 

Trailing plants such as philodendron, pothos, and ivy can create wall or window treatments. If you have a plant ledge in your home, use it to display these varieties. If not, consider installing a high shelf along one wall so the vines can hang freely. I use two pothos plants on either side of my dining room window, looping their long stems around the curtain rod and around each other. 

Plants that look great in hangers include the spider plant, hoya, or anything that develops bushy trailing tendrils. Where should you put them? If you have a small window, a hanging plant in front of it probably wouldn’t be a good idea unless you don’t mind having the light and view blocked out by foliage. Hang plants in front of large windows as part of the window treatment, or choose a low-light plant to hang away from the window. Macrame’ hangers are attractive, and there are many other options to suspend your plants from the ceiling. Suspension can be a terrific alternative for those of us who need to keep plants away from pets or children. 

Smaller plants can also provide surprising accents, perhaps tucked into a space on a bookshelf, on a kitchen counter, in the center of the coffee table or as a dining room table centerpiece. If you want to create a more dramatic display, consider grouping smaller plants together either in individual pots, or potted together in a basket or other attractive container. If you pot them together, however, try to group plants that have similar light and water requirements. 

Be creative. Consider your home as an “interior landscape”, and choose plants to fill the spaces in much the same way you would do in your yard. There is a tremendous variety of plants to choose from that grow well in any home environment, so you’re certain to find just the right ones to suit your needs.