Our favourite pet-friendly indoor plants and how to style them
Back in the day, indoor plants were only part of the decor in hippie 70's homes, pitched up against a burnt orange wall with yellow printed curtains. Nowadays, it would be unusual to walk into a friend's home and see no indoor plants as they bring so many benefits to your home and lifestyle. But interestingly, there are only a small selection of plant varieties that are actually safe for our pets. Many common house plants can be toxic to our fur-babies, some causing organ failure, hallucinations and possible death.
So we've teamed up with Fancy Plants Nursery who have a dedicated pet-friendly section in their plant boutique to get the 4-1-1 about pet-safe plant varieties and what they look like, so you can freshen your home safely and be sure that you're not bringing anything toxic into your fur-babies' environment. *And if you're in or around Maitland, NSW, you can pop into their store to pick up any of these varieties!
The Benefits of Plants
By their very nature, plants stay alive by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing fresh oxygen (together with being watered properly which *ahem* shouldn't be THAT hard). Aside from making your space look uber fresh and interior design-y and matching to your Palm Vibes doggo accessories, this means that they're also absorbing toxins in the air and giving back fresh air which has been proven to boost your mood and productivity and reduce stress and fatigue - we're sold! Certain plants bring added benefits like filtering out specific pollutants from the air or helping to balance your indoor humidity so here's a list of our absolute faves that will keep every member of the house happy and healthy.
Plants with beautiful colours and leaves
For a statement plant in a pretty space in your home, you can count on the pet-friendly Calathea, Fittonia and Polka Dot family of plants. Each of these collections will give you bright, vibrant pinks, purples and reds in their foliage which is perfect for breaking up the greenery of your other household plants. The interior designer in you might also choose a selection of these plants to highlight the pink or earthy tones in your wall artwork - just pop up a print with a similar shade of colour and place your selection of plant loves beneath it and voila - you've just created an insta-worthy backdrop for your doggo's social pages!
Plants with trailing foliage
Perfect for floating shelves, plant stands or as a coffee table centrepiece are many of these pet-friendly plants with trailing leaves that dangle and vine through your space creating a soft, romantic feel. Choose from the Hoya varieties if you love flowers with your greenery or lipstick plants for lovely lush foliage. Both of these are great for breaking up a stark white wall and freshening your living space. You're also safe with a sweet Boston Fern or the Peperomia Scandens but our absolute favourite (and super popular right now) is the String of Turtles with their gorgeous patterned leaves that grow along their thin vines and create such a vibe in a home!
L-R: Hoya, Boston fern, Peperomia Scandens, String of Turtles
Plants that stay small and compact
If you've only got a small space, filling it with a giant wall of plants might seem a little daunting, so choose one of the smaller pet-friendly varieties of Pilea Chinese money plants or a Fittonia plant which can sit nicely on a bookshelf or side table without taking over. The Peperomia Caperatas is also a great compact option or our Top choice - the Watermelon Peperomia - because we're a sucker for those pretty leaves that remind us of happy, summer days eating the similar looking juicy fruit. How could we not love a plant that looks this delicious?!
L-R: Pilea Chinese Money Plant, Peperomia Caperatas, Watermelon Peperomia
Plants that grow to Medium and Large sizes
If you've got a bigger space to play with, we say to go all out and fill it with freshness with a selection of big statement plants alongside some medium-sized accent plants. Find your favourite casual chair and side table and you've got yourself your new favourite reading corner (or doggo's new favourite cuddle spot) depending on which of you is the boss of the house. Choose any of the larger Kentia, Golden Cane or Parlour Palms as a statement plant or our favourite - the Ctenanthes which can tolerate a low-light area but give big impact. Group your chosen statement plant with a medium-ish Spider plant or Birds Nest fern or any of the Peperomia Rubber plant varieties. Safe, luxury lounge space sorted!
L-R: Kentia Palm, Golden Cane Palm, Parlour Palm, Ctenanthes