The Art of Styling Houseplants
Anyone can buy a beautiful plant, but creating a display that feels balanced, interesting and intentional is something else entirely.
Whether we're styling a customer's home or office, designing an RHS Gold Medal-winning exhibit or refreshing a shelf in our Bristol shop, we always come back to the same design principles. The good news? You don't need hundreds of plants or a huge budget to make your home feel like an indoor jungle.
Here are some of our favourite styling tips.
1. Start with a Statement Plant
Every display needs somewhere for your eye to land.
Choose one larger or more architectural plant to become the focal point, then build around it with smaller companions.
Some great Examples:
2. Mix Leaf Shapes and Textures
One of the easiest mistakes is buying lots of plants with similar leaves.
Instead, combine:
- Large leaves
- Fine foliage
- Upright plants
- Trailing plants
The contrast is what makes a collection feel interesting.
3. Repeat Colours
Designers repeat colours throughout a space.
If you have pink variegation on one shelf, echo it elsewhere with another plant or pot.
The same works for silver foliage, dark greens or lime tones.
4. Play With Height
Avoid lining every pot up in a straight row.
Use:
- Plant stands
- Books
- Shelves
- Hanging plants
Creating different heights makes a display feel much more natural.
5. Think in Groups
Plants nearly always look better together than alone.
Try grouping three or five plants with different heights and leaf shapes rather than spacing everything evenly around a room.
6. Choose Pots That Let the Plants Shine
Pots should support the plants, not compete with them.
Sometimes colourful ceramics are perfect.
Other times a simple terracotta pot lets dramatic foliage take centre stage.
7. Leave Some Space
One thing we've learnt through designing displays is that not every gap needs filling.
Negative space gives your eye somewhere to rest and helps special plants stand out.
This is the bit that often gets overlooked.
The displays people remember aren't just collections of plants—they feel like little worlds.
Whether you're inspired by a tropical rainforest, a Mediterranean courtyard or a mossy woodland, having a theme helps every plant feel like it belongs.
It's the same philosophy we used when creating our RHS Gold Medal-winning Girly Pop exhibit. Rather than choosing plants individually, we started by imagining the world we wanted to build, then selected plants that helped tell that story.
8. Build a World, Not Just a Collection
This is probably the biggest lesson we've learnt.
The displays people remember aren't simply collections of beautiful plants—they tell a story.
When we created our RHS Gold Medal-winning Girly Pop exhibit, we didn't begin by choosing plants. We started by imagining the world we wanted to create, then selected every plant, pot and prop to help bring that vision to life.
You can do exactly the same at home. Maybe you're inspired by a lush tropical rainforest, a Mediterranean courtyard or a calm, minimalist space filled with sculptural greenery. Having a theme makes every plant feel like it belongs.
Final Thoughts
There aren't any strict rules when it comes to styling plants. Experiment, move things around and trust your eye. The best displays evolve over time as your collection grows.
If you'd like some inspiration, pop into our Bristol shop or explore our award-winning Girly Pop exhibit online to see how we use colour, texture and layering to create immersive plant displays.