Living art
I grew up with a view of green hills as far as the eye could see. At home I was surrounded by my mother’s vegetable garden and my father’s cornfields. Plants were everywhere, and they were everything to me. And still today, anything green makes me giddy. I love plants, plain and simple. The only problem is that I now live a deeply urban life, one in which greenery isn’t so readily available.
My solution? I make it abundant. Whether I’m transforming a space to host a client’s wedding or adding the final touch to make my house feel like home, plants give me a sense of peace and beauty.
When I first opened my company, Lila B Design, I was surprised by how many people simply craved greenery. And not just for a few hours. They wanted something they could take home, something that would last. So I found myself creating more and more living centrepieces, mini container gardens with the beauty to rival any cut arrangement, but that would last for weeks or months and whose plants could even be repurposed in gardens or other arrangements.
The range of sizes and shapes of plants meant I had tremendous freedom when choosing containers to put them in, and I started experimenting with all kinds of vessels to use as planters. Some designs will last the life of the plants in them, while others are more temporary – but even those can be disassembled and repotted or planted in a garden.
Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact plants in these designs – using something of similar size and shape will create an arrangement that’s slightly different but just as lovely. Or use a plant you think will add colour, texture, or an interesting shape.
Dive in, get your hands dirty and create beautiful living art.
Container and materials
Method
1. Set the hydrangea next to the vase to determine how much support will be needed to make the plant’s crown level with the rim of the vase. Line the vase with cellophane and add the BubbleWrap. Unwrap any decorative foil from the grow pots and remove any strings or plant supports, but keep the plants in their original containers.
2. Set the hydrangea in front and slightly to the left of centre. Tilt it toward the front of the vase so that the leaves and blooms drape over the rim. Add the star-of-Bethlehem at the back.
3. Finally, place the clematis on the front right rim and gently drape its vines down the side of the vase.
Keep each plant moist, and plant outside once the blooms have faded.
Container and materials
Method
Add a layer of potting mix to the toolbox. Unpot and plant the ivy along the front edge of the box and the dichondra on the front right corner. Drape both plants off the edges. Unpot and plant the lobster fl ower and the primrose in the back left corner.
Unpot and plant the potato vine for contrast in the middle of the box, stretching its vine across the centre front to back.
Fill in any gaps with the violet and the violas. Let the potato vine and dichondra grow long, and prune the primrose to encourage it to rebloom.
Extracted from The Plant Recipe Book: 100 Living Arrangements For Any Home In Any Season, by Baylor Chapman, with photography by Paige Green, published by Artisan, priced £17.99.
My solution? I make it abundant. Whether I’m transforming a space to host a client’s wedding or adding the final touch to make my house feel like home, plants give me a sense of peace and beauty.
When I first opened my company, Lila B Design, I was surprised by how many people simply craved greenery. And not just for a few hours. They wanted something they could take home, something that would last. So I found myself creating more and more living centrepieces, mini container gardens with the beauty to rival any cut arrangement, but that would last for weeks or months and whose plants could even be repurposed in gardens or other arrangements.
The range of sizes and shapes of plants meant I had tremendous freedom when choosing containers to put them in, and I started experimenting with all kinds of vessels to use as planters. Some designs will last the life of the plants in them, while others are more temporary – but even those can be disassembled and repotted or planted in a garden.
Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact plants in these designs – using something of similar size and shape will create an arrangement that’s slightly different but just as lovely. Or use a plant you think will add colour, texture, or an interesting shape.
Dive in, get your hands dirty and create beautiful living art.
HYDRANGEA WITH COMPANY
Plants- one 6-inch hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
- one 6-inch star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum ‘Bethlehem’)
- one 6-inch clematis (Clematis)
Container and materials
- wood vase, 11 inches in diameter and 13 inches tall
- cellophane
- water-tolerant stuffing, such as BubbleWrap
Method
1. Set the hydrangea next to the vase to determine how much support will be needed to make the plant’s crown level with the rim of the vase. Line the vase with cellophane and add the BubbleWrap. Unwrap any decorative foil from the grow pots and remove any strings or plant supports, but keep the plants in their original containers.
2. Set the hydrangea in front and slightly to the left of centre. Tilt it toward the front of the vase so that the leaves and blooms drape over the rim. Add the star-of-Bethlehem at the back.
3. Finally, place the clematis on the front right rim and gently drape its vines down the side of the vase.
Keep each plant moist, and plant outside once the blooms have faded.
PRIMROSE FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION
Plants- one 4-inch ivy (Hedera helix)
- one 4-inch dichondra (Dichondra repens ‘Emerald Falls’)
- one 4-inch lobster flower (Plectranthus neochilus)
- one 4-inch primrose (Primula capitata ssp. mooreana)
- one 4-inch potato vine (Ipomea ‘Bright Ideas Rusty Red’)
- one 4-inch Australian violet (Viola hederacea)
- six 4-inch violas: 3 Viola ‘Frosted Chocolate’ and 3 Viola ‘Sorbet Raspberry’
Container and materials
- vintage metal toolbox, 19½ inches by 8 inches and 2 inches tall
- 1 cup of potting mix
Method
Add a layer of potting mix to the toolbox. Unpot and plant the ivy along the front edge of the box and the dichondra on the front right corner. Drape both plants off the edges. Unpot and plant the lobster fl ower and the primrose in the back left corner.
Unpot and plant the potato vine for contrast in the middle of the box, stretching its vine across the centre front to back.
Fill in any gaps with the violet and the violas. Let the potato vine and dichondra grow long, and prune the primrose to encourage it to rebloom.
Extracted from The Plant Recipe Book: 100 Living Arrangements For Any Home In Any Season, by Baylor Chapman, with photography by Paige Green, published by Artisan, priced £17.99.