Hanging planter

Photo credit: @neutralhabitat

Over the years, we’ve learned that a bit of plant styling can go a long way.

Finding plants that compliment your space + styling them in unique ways will not only give your favorite plants the attention they deserve, it will also elevate the entire room. 

While this may sound like a tall order (choosing the right plants, styling them…do you also have a tough time deciding things like this?), we’ve got a few friends who are here to help!

We’ve asked our incredible brand ambassador for tips that will help you create a beautiful, curated indoor oasis.

Here’s what they had to say:

@neutralhabitat

“I once got some wonderful advice from an adorable local plant shop. I’d found a beautiful Monstera that was full of life and love but was so torn with how to display it. The shop manager saw my struggle and shared to always try and use a vessel that let the plant speak for itself, and that really stuck with me! If a piece was too bold, too overwhelming it took over the natural beauty - needless to say I had no problem leaning into the neutral and minimalist styles that help blend nature so seamlessly in the home.” 

Lyndsey @neutralhabitat’s swoon-worthy home is filled with plants, wood, and sunlight. Check out her IG here for beautiful plant and home decor inspo! 

Click the button below to check out our collection of minimal, sleek planters.

Jen @devita.haus

“One way to keep my plant styling fresh is made possible by keeping many of my plants in their plastic nursery pots. This makes it easy for me to swap planters and pots whenever I want! It’s perfect if your plant is growing taller/fuller and you want to upgrade the vessel without having to fully repot — or if you just want to refresh your space! It allows you to play with texture, color, height, and shape without making a full commitment.”

With beautiful plants and an eye-catching style, this gal is a star in the making (don’t say we didn’t say so). Photographer by day, home decor and plant stylist by night, Jen @devita.haus will help you style your space, even if you're ballin on a budget. You can find out more about her right here.

Alena @alenagee

“We have high ceilings at home and what we like to do is to fill in the space with tall indoor trees! We also hang trailing plants from the ceiling and utilize ledges as plant shelves. Doing this allows your eye to move from one area to another which ultimately makes the space feel more lush and full.”

With lovely trailing plants and beautiful displays of terracotta and neutrals, Alena is bound to inspire you with her unique home decor style. Follow her here for beautiful, plant + home decor inspo!

What’s your favorite plant styling tips? Let us know in the comments below!

P.S 

We’ll be hosting the rest our ambassadors on the blog next week, stay tuned for more great tips!

Photo credit: @Rachlvalente

Plant watering seems pretty intuitive, but in reality…. Getting watering right can be REALLY HARD! And if you’re anything like us, seeing your plants all sad and droopy and not understanding what went wrong can make you feel a little sad and droopy on the inside too…:( 

Don't worry, we got you!

We’ve gathered some winning plant watering tips, insights, and tricks that will help you understand your plants better and nail plant watering once and for all. Goodbye, sad plants, hello beautiful shiny happy ones!

Ready to follow our easy peasy indoor plant watering guide and become a Plant watering pro?

• How often should plants be watered?

Plants are a little bit like children - they each have different needs. Desert natives like cacti and succulents need less water than a plant that originates from a place with a rainier climate. The same plant might also need a different amount of water during different times of year. For example, plants are generally thirstier during the summer. For these reasons, rigid plant watering schedules aren’t effective, and there isn’t really a one size fits all. The “water your plants every two weeks” recommendation you might come across isn’t ideal. 

If that’s the case, how often water plants indoors?

To know how often you should be watering your plants, you need to check up on them every once in a while, and see if they’re thirsty or not. If you feel like you need a reminder to check up on your plants, setting a weekly one on your phone or google calendar can help you keep track. You can also use a plant watering app. So when should your plants be watered? Place your finger in the soil, if it's dry you can water, if it's damp wait longer.

So if overwatering doesn’t mean how much water you use, how much water should you be using? We’re glad you asked!

Enough to fully wet the soil until the water comes out of the drainage hole. This helps flush out salts or minerals, keeping your plant happy and thriving. That’s why many people, us included, like watering their plants in the sink or in a bathtub - it allows them to soak the soil with water, without creating a huge mess. So next time you’re worried about watering with too much water- don’t be. Just make sure there’s a drainage hole so the water doesn’t get stuck in the pot.

A lot of planters and plant pots were not created with your plant’s needs in mind. When you plant your plant in a planter that doesn’t have a drainage hole, you’re setting it up for failure. A drainage hole makes sure that when you water your plant, the excess water does not stay in the planter (which creates root rot, which equals very sad plants). When we designed our planters, we made sure that won’t happen to your plants, so all our planters have drainage holes. 
Click to check them out!

Planters with drainage holes

Self watering planters

1. Take plant watering to the next level with a self watering planter
   What if your plant could magically water itself? We’re in the business of making your plant dreams come true, so we created a planter with a special self watering mechanism.
   
   WIth our self watering planter, you water your plants, the extra water goes down the drainage hole, and into a saucer placed under the drainage hole. When your plant’s soil is dry and thirsty again, the plant “drinks” the water from a cotton cord placed between the saucer and the pot. This way, our self watering mechanism will help you with your plant’s watering needs, even if you’re out of town for the weekend or just got a little overwhelmed with life and forgot to water it.
   
   Click to check out our self watering planters!

Self watering planters

So to recap:

1. Water your plants when the soil is dry, check with your finger.
2. Water them fully until water comes out the drainage hole
3. All planters should have a drainage hole
4. Still not sure about watering? Use a self watering planters

What are your biggest watering hardships? Let us know in the comments below!

Going on vacation? Visiting a friend now that you finally can?

Sounds like fun! But if you’re anything like me, that fun is overshadowed by a deep sense of fear and anxiety with one looming question - will your plants be alright when you’re away?

The preparations that go into spending some days away from home can be stressful enough, so we thought we’d take one thing off your plate. 

We’re sharing our favorite tips for how to care for your plants while you’re away so you can enjoy your time away, stress free. 

We hope you find these helpful!

1. In the 10 days leading up to your trip, resist the urge to water and try to lengthen that dry spell as long as you can. I t try to do this all of the time to keep my plants on the same watering schedule (more or less) and what I’ve learned is that they can usually go without water longer than you think. This will allow you to water all of you plants thoroughly the day before you leave, and unless you’re leaving for more than a week should be enough.

Self watering planters

2. Self Watering planters:

If you’re going on a short vacation, meet your favorite new plant sitter- the self watering planter!

Here’s how it works: you water your plants, the extra water goes down the drainage hole, and into a saucer placed under the drainage hole. When your plant’s soil is dry and thirsty again, the plant “drinks” the water from a cotton cord placed between the saucer and the pot. 

You can also fill those water reservoirs before you leave, so they can drink as much as they please when you’re away. It’s basically a straw for plants. Cool, right?

Click to shop our self watering planters

Self watering planter

3. Self watering DIY for longer vacation

Going on a longer vacation and need larger water resevoirs? No problem! Take self watering to the next level with this self watering DIY. This one is a bit advanced, but is a total lifesaver. 

• Take a bottle of water or large glass, and fill it up. 
• Take a piece of synthetic rope- cut it so that it’s long enough to connect between the source of water and your plant.
• Place one tip of the rope inside your glass so it’s immersed in water till the very bottom. Then take the other side of the rope, and plant it in your plant’s soil (it should be placed close to the surface, and not interfere with the roots of your plant).
•  When your plant is thirsty, it will draw water with the rope. Viola! You just created a self watering DIY system that will sustain your plant while you’re away!

Got any more tips? Let us know in the comments or shoot us a DM on Instagram :)

Trying to design, let alone live in a small space, can be frustrating. If only you had a bit more room!  You might be craving more closet or even floor space (for your growing plant collection, of course:)), and find yourself daydreaming about moving, and we can’t begin to tell you how much that resonates with us. 

But small spaces are also an opportunity. They give you a chance to get creative, and wow everyone (yourself included) with your superior styling abilities and resourcefulness.

We asked our favorite small space experts for their best interior design tips for apartments and crowded spaces. We found their tips for small space living super insightful and easy to implement, and hope they help you craft a beautiful small space of your own.

A medical student by day, plant & home decor mastermind by night, Rachel Kathleen turns every apartment she settles into into a gorgeous, neutral- boho haven. She uses natural textiles, wood tones, and plants to design inspiring spaces. Her warm approach and genuine enthusiasm are part of what makes her so much fun to follow. She shared one of her best secrets for styling a small space:

“Always take advantage of the vertical space! You can use thumbtacks or command strips to hang decor if you can’t use screws”.

Check out Rachel’s IG here.

Round planter

@rachlvalente
Rachel Valente has one of the prettiest small spaces we’ve seen. Her carefully curated home is filled with plants, gorgeous DIY’s, and she’s constantly reminding us that you don’t need a ton of space and or a huge budget to craft a beautiful home. Here was what she had to tell us:

“Choose furniture pieces that are raised above the floor and/or have tapered, thinner legs. Big furniture that sits really low to the ground or as one solid piece can take up more room and feel clunkier, so consider furniture pieces in the mid century or modern styles to keep things feeling fresh, airy, and more spacious”

Rachel’s IG is packed with great tips, hacks and inspiration, head over to her account to learn more:)

photo box

Monica Leed @simplyspaced

Monica Leed is an organizational guru and the CEO and owner of @simplyspaced, is an organizing service and lifestyle company focused on transforming cluttered minds and spaces. Here's Monica's favorite small space organization hack: 

“Save space and mental energy by organizing boxes and bins of old photos and albums into an archival photo box.  Lose the old mismatched, non-acid free albums, sort and organize by time, place, person or event. BONUS: Get your photos digitized and backed up after sorting. Your future self and space with thank you!”

Click HERE to learn more about the photo box:)

What’s your favorite small space hack? Let us know in the comments below.

A Silver Pothos is one of our favorite plants of all time. It's beautiful without being overbearing, will add a hint of nature to any Scandinavian styled home, and most importantly - is a perfect plant for beginners (it’s actually the first plant we were able to keep alive for more than five seconds…). It will let you know when it’s thirsty (the leaves will get a little droopy when you don’t water it), but won’t die if you occasionally forget to water it right away.

If you’re to the plant parenting game, this one’s a great one for you. We’ve gathered our best Silver Pothos plant care tips to help you get started. 

Hanging planter

Silver Pothos Care & Styling Tips

Light

Bright indirect light is the way to go with this plant. The brighter the light the more variegated the leaves will become. Just keep it out of direct sunlight to avoid leaf scorching.

Wall plant hanger

Watering

Water once the top 1-3 inches of the soil are dry (use your finger to check).

Troubleshooting

If the leaves are yellow, you’re overwatering your plant. Don’t love it too hard!

Tips & tricks

If you have dead leaves, snip just above a node (little bump on the stem) so new growth will

take place.

Want to get access to ALLL our printable plant care guides? Click to subscribe to our secret resource library!

 The stormanthe triostar is one of the most captivating plants out there. With its colorful leaves and striking shapes, this beautiful, albeit spoiled plant will bring any corner to life. The pretty pink leaves make the stormanthe triostar worth the hassle, and with a few winning plant care tips,  you'll be able to take care of this majestic plant easily and watch it thrive. 

Watering your stromanthe triostar

The stormanth triostar is sensitive to harsh water. When using harsh water, you might also see your stromanthe triostar leaves start curling. To avoid these issues, try changing the water you use. Rain water is best, but you can try letting tap water sit overnight, or boil it and let it cool. 

How much light does your triostar need?

This prayer plant thrives in a well-lit spot, but keep your triostar stromanthe out of direct sunlight as that will scorch the leaves.

How much humidity does your triostar need?

Your triostar is happiest in high humidity. A naturally lit bathroom or a humidifier will set it up for success.

Why are the leaves on my Stromanthe turning yellow?

Yellowing leaves is one of the most common stromanthe triostar problems. If your stromanthe triostar has yellow leaves can signal a few different things. One of the most common reasons for this is overwatering.The stromanthe triostar soil should be kept damp, not oversaturated, and make sure you have a drainage hole so that any excess water is kept separate from the roots. All our planters have a drainage hole, you can find them HERE.

Why are the leaves on my Stromanthe turning brown on the edges?

Brown, crisp edges might be signaling that the water you’re using is too harsh. 

Is a Stromanthe Triostar a Calathea?

The stromanthe triostar and the calathea are related, but they’re a separate genus. Both belong to the prayer plant family, native to the rainforests of central and south america.

How fast does Triostar Stromanthe grow?

In ideal conditions, the triostar is a moderately fast-growing plant. It takes about 2-5 years for the triostar stromanthe to reach full maturity.

Want access to the full Trio Star plant care guide? Click to access our secret resource library and unlock the best plan-y freebies. 

Monkey Monsteras have a special charm about them, with their uniquely shaped leaves and quirky, lovable nature. If you've already been acquainted with plants and want to level up your houseplant decor, this trailing, tropical plant will give your home a beautiful jungle-esque feel. 

To help you create your indoor jungle, we gathered our favorite plant care tips for the Monkey Monsteras. We hope you find them helpful, and say hi to your Monkey from us!

Wall plant hanger

Monstera Monkey Care & Styling Tips

Light

The Monstera Monkey thrives in bright indirect light. While some direct sunlight is ok, too much of it will scorch the leaves.

Watering

Water once the top inch of the soil is dry. The soil should be damp but not soggy. This plant thrives in high humidity, so mist its leaves frequently or use a humidifier.

Troubleshooting

This plant is mildly toxic, keep away from pets and small humans, or hang it high and out of reach.

tips & tricks

Since it likes humidity, your new plant will find a happy home in your bathroom or kitchen, absorbing the steam from the shower and cooking.

Wall plant hanger

Want to download the printable guide for Monkey Monstera plant care? Sign up here to our FREE resource library for all the best plant-y printables!

If you’re looking for the perfect indoor plant for beginners- succulents are a good bet. Even if you’ve killed a few plants in the past and aren’t sure if you have the time or energy to care for another living being, don’t worry! We think you can handle the succulent. It comes from a desert-y climate, meaning it will thrive on water neglect. Succulents also come in a rainbow of shapes and sizes, and will add a jungle-esque, vibrant vibe to any room around your home.

We’ve gathered our favorite succulent plant care tips to help your succulent thrive:) 

Succulent Care & Styling Tips

Light

Succulents love light, even direct sunlight. Think windowsill, or a bright corner in a well lit room.

Watering

Watering does not equal love! Let the soil dry completely between watering, and if you’re not sure - wait more. If it looks sad it’s probably due to overwatering - so resist that urge!

Troubleshooting

Over-watering is the enemy of this plant, so make sure your pot has an irrigation hole (like our planters) to avoid letting the roots get waterlogged.

Tips & tricks

Lose a leaf? Propagate it! You can lay a fallen leaf on damp soil, making sure to keep it damp. After a while baby roots will form and pretty soon you'll be able to plant a brand new succulent.

Want to get access to our designed printable guide? Sign up to our secret resource library to get all the plant-y freebies!

Do you work from home these days or in an office? Or both?

Wherever you are, you could definitely use a plant or two (or 34...speaking from experience🙃🌿🌱).

Plants in your office are known for boosting work productivity and purifying the air. According to traditional feng shui principles, greenery can also contribute to good luck and has the power to heal and nourish.

Here are our top recommendations for office plants:

@mountainfeatherdesigns

Hanging planter

1. Devils Ivy (or Golden Pothos)

This plant is one of our favorite plants of all time. easy to care for, and really beautiful. Your new best trailing friend thrives in bright, indirect light, but can tolerate medium to low indirect light, make it perfect for bright offices or drearier ones. 

Pro tip: Styling it in a hanging planter will let you really SEE your plant, and allow you to flaunt your interior design skills. We especially recommend this if you’re designing a small space. Hanging your plant can save floor space and bring in nature without cramping your home office. 

Freya cylinder planter

2. Rubber plants

Rubber plants (or Ficus Elastica) act as great home office plants; they’re sleek, regal, but still approachable at the same time. These beauties are relatively low maintenance which is always a win in our book. They thrive in medium to bright indirect light, making it a great indoor plant and a great decoration for your work space. 

Hanging planter

3. Monkey Monsteras

We chose the Monstera adansonii, or the Monkey Monstera because it's a bit quirky and fun. This trailing tropical plant will give your office space a bit more of a jungle-esque feel. It does best in bright indirect sunlight, but can deal with a bit of direct sunlight too (but not too much, it can scorch its leaves). 

Which plants do you grow in your workspace?

Thank you @mountainfeatherdesigns for sharing your beautiful workspace with us!

As the first round of our ambassador program is coming to a close, we asked our ambassadors to share with us some of their favorite plant & styling tips. Here’s what these talented plant parents and up-and-coming styling mavens had to say:

“You can never have too many plants! BUT, make sure you take into consideration where you place them in your home, so they’re getting proper light.”

@elvysweethome

"My favorite plant styling tip is to use clear push pins or tiny clear command hooks to trail a long or vining plant across a wall. You can rest the vines on top of the push pins or gently tuck them into the command hooks. This common plant styling method creates a look of whimsy and really showcases the beautiful leaves on your plant!" 

@rachlvalente

“I love styling plants in groups. Different textures, shades of green, and leaf shapes can really create a lovely display together. Playing with different heights is also key for a striking arrangement, just have fun with it!”

@knots.and.pots.home

"Arrange plants by different hues and use a variety of sizes and height to create an engaging atmosphere. That way your eyes are drawn all around the space 🌿"

@ourpottedhome

What's your favorite plant styling tip? Let us know in the comments below or shoot us an email to shira@loopliving.co and you might be featured too!

P.S 

Want to be one of our next ambassadors? You can apply right here! Can't wait to hear from you.

How to grow an avocado tree from a seed?

Avocado trees are arguably our favorite parts about avocados (sorry avo-toast). And the best part? They’re super easy to grow!

After a lot of trial and error, we found a way to grow an avocado in water in a way that’s easy and effective, and we thought we’d share it with you all, step by step. This is the fastest way to grow an avocado seed in water, and we hope you it helps you make lots of Avocado babies! 

1. The first step towards growing an avocado seed in water is getting your avocado seed ready. First thing's first- cut an avocado.

2. Take the fresh avocado pit and peel the outer brown layer off. We like doing that under running water, it makes for an easy clean up. Peeling it will eliminate a moldy layer that sometimes forms on your pit, ew.

3. Take a couple of paper towels and wet them.

4. Wrap the avocado seed in the wet paper towels

5. Place the wrapped avocado seed in a ziplock bag and zip it closed. What you’re doing is creating a humid environment which will keep the seed damp and won’t let it dry out, while promoting faster growth.

6. Check up on the seed every once in a while to see when it’s ready to transfer to water. You’re looking for a split to form in the seed, and a small root to emerge from the bottom How long does it take for an avocado seed to sprout, you ask? Well, that depends. Usually, it'll take your avocado between two and six weeks to sprout.

7. Once your avocado seed has split, take a propagation cone and place it on top of a water glass.

8. Place your avocado seed in the cone, with the bottom of the avocado seed sitting in the cone. The cone helps you grow an avocado seed without toothpicks and with a lot less hassle. Make sure to check out our beautiful propagation cones RIGHT HERE.


Propagation cone

9. Fill the glass with water making sure the root is immersed in water. The avocado seed does not have to be in the water.

Propagation cone

10. Now the fun part! The avocado seed’s divide will keep getting bigger, and more roots will form. Eventually it will sprout from the top end as well and leaves will form.  

11. You’ll want to change out the water about once a week to make sure it’s getting all the nutrients to stay alive. How long can I grow my avocado in water, you ask? After a couple of months, you might notice some leaves start to brown, or leaves won’t keep coming in. That’s when you might want to transfer it to soil. You don’t need to plant the whole seed, just the roots. It’s amazing that you can grow an avocado tree from a seed, right? Now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your beautiful avocado tree.

Want to see the full video? Head over to out IG to check it out:

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A post shared by Planters by Eli (@loopliving)

Like all living things, indoor plants need water to survive. But if you’ve ever owned a plant or two, you know that this whole watering business is one of the trickiest parts of being a plant parent. We’re here to shed some light on some of the biggest watering mistakes people make and help you avoid them so your plants can truly thrive. 

1- Watering too much (overwatering)

A lot of people get confused and think overwatering refers to the amount of water used per watering. But overeating actually means watering too frequently! 

How will you know if you’re watering too frequently? Look for these signs before you water:

1. Are the leaves perky (if so they don’t need watering) or droopy (they probably need water)?
2. Insert your finger into the soil. Is it dry? Or is the soil sticking to your finger all moist? Check Online to see how dry your plant needs to be before its next watering (one inch of the soil, two inches, or fully dry) and use the finger test to assess.
3. Yellow leaves? That’s often a sign of overwatering. Brown crispy leaves? Under-watering, or using the wrong water, but that’s for a different post:)

2- Not watering enough (under-watering)

Like we mentioned earlier, under watering can be detrimental to your plant. Dry soil and dead leaves are all signs your plant needs some of that H2O magic. Every plant has different needs, so make sure you pay attention to each plant. Some plants like more frequent waterings than others, and unfortunately there's no one size fits all when it comes to watering your plants (although we wish there was). Dr. google can be very helpful here. 

Bonus: If your plant dries out really fast, and when you water it all of the water just rushes through it, and the soil is pulling away from the pot - you need to aerate the soil. That’s a nice word for using a wooden skewer to poke holes in the soil and let some air in. That way the water will be able to stay in the soil for longer.

3- Not having a drainage hole

A lot of planters and plant pots were not created with your plant’s needs in mind. When you plant your plant in a planter that doesn’t have a drainage hole, you’re setting it up for failure. A drainage hole makes sure that when you water your plant, the excess water does not stay in the planter (which creates root rot, which equals very sad plants). When we designed our planters, we made sure that won’t happen to your plants, so all our planters have drainage holes. you can check them out here>>

Hanging planters

4- Not using the right amount of water 

So if overwatering doesn’t mean how much water you use, how much water should you be using? I’m glad you asked!

Enough to fully wet the soil until the water comes out of the drainage hole. This helps flush out salts or minerals, keeping your plant happy and thriving. That’s why many people, us included, like watering their plants in the sink or in a bathtub - it allows them to soak the soil with water, without creating a huge mess. So next time you’re worried about watering with too much water- don’t be. Just make sure there’s a drainage hole so the water doesn’t get stuck in the pot.

5- Excess water left in the planters saucer

Your planter has a drainage hole, and you’ve got a cute saucer under it for when you water it. But when you water your plant, you might be leaving that water in the saucer for too long, essentially leaving your plant in water for too long. We’ve already established how that’s bad for your plant. With our planters we found a way to have our plant and water it too. We designed our planters with a matching saucer that’s shape separates the excess water completely, so the roots will never just sit in water. That saucer doesn’t just keep the excess separate from the roots, it also saves that water for future waterings. Using a special cord placed between the planter and the saucer, your plant will be able to drink directly from the water in the saucer. Our self watering mechanism will keep your plant happy and thriving (yay). 

What are your greatest plant watering challenges? Let us know in the comments below!

Hanging planters