6 Indoor Plants Perfect for Farmhouse Décor

With the recent social distancing measures and more time spent at home, many of us want to add a little green to our homes. Plants provide a connection to nature, give us something living to care for, and help purify our indoor air. And they’re beautiful too! In this post, 6 indoor plants perfect for farmhouse décor, I share with you some of my favourite houseplants that compliment farmhouse décor. However, these plants would work equally well in a boho or modern style home. Additionally, all the plants featured here are readily available at hardware stores or nurseries that sell indoor plants.

I can attest that 4 of the 6 plants featured here are extremely easy to care for, the proof is that they are still alive despite my not-so-green thumb. Two of the plants here are fakes- I’ve had the real thing and they didn’t make it, mostly due to irregular watering on my part. If you’re like me, I encourage you to try the real thing for these slightly more finicky plants, but know that there are lovely artificial options to fall back on.

6 indoor plants perfect for farmhouse décor

1) Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

Dracaena trifasciata is a species of flowering succulent plant native to tropical West Africa. It is also known as Saint George’s sword, viper’s bowstring hemp, and mother-in-law’s tongue (haha!).

Care

Allow the soil to dry between waterings especially in the winter. Take care not to wet the leaves during watering. Snake plants prefer indirect light such as in a bright room away from the window. These plants can be fertilized during the growing season. I find this plant to be quite fast growing, so you can save money and buy a smaller plant that will rapidly mature. The snake plant is particularly effective at air purification, producing oxygen throughout the day and night (unlike many plants which produce carbon dioxide at night).

Source

This living plant was purchased from Home Depot.

2) Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a succulent plant species (genus Aloe) native to the Arabian Peninsula. The gel from the aloe plant’s leaves can be used to relieve pain from scrapes and burns. We have several of these plants and apply their gel to sunburns and overly dry skin. However, do not ingest this plant.

Care

Aloe thrives in bright, indirect sunlight. We keep ours in the master bathroom near the window. Our bathroom is a north-facing room and not overly sunny, so placement by the window is not overpowering. As it is a succulent, allow it to dry thoroughly between waterings. Additionally, ensure that the plant has proper drainage, either with a drainage hole at the bottom (to be used with a saucer), or with pebbles placed at the bottom of the pot. Ensure that you use well-draining potting mix soil.

Source

This particular plant is the grandchild of a plant my husband and I purchased about 20 years ago from Home Depot.

3) Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Chlorophytum comosum is a species of perennial flowering plant with a trailing form when it produces plantlets (also known as spiderettes). The most common variety is variegated- green with a white stripe up the middle of each leaf, but there are also solid green varieties. Mature plants have small white flowers and spiderettes.

Care

Spider plants are known as easy-care plants that are very hardy. These plants prefer well-drained soil and bright indirect light. They too like to dry out slightly between waterings. They tend to prefer cooler temperatures.

Source

This living plant was purchased from Home Depot.

4) Umbrella Plant (Schefflera actinophylla)

Schefflera actinophylla is a tree (family Araliaceae) native to tropical rainforests and gallery forests in Queensland Australia, New Guinea, and Java. This is a fast-growing, non-flowering plant that can grow up to 6 feet tall. It is mildly toxic, so keep out of reach of pets and small children.

Care

The umbrella plant is easy to care for and prefers bright indirect light and moist soil (underwatering will cause the leaves to drop- trust me on this!). Wait until just the top layer of soil is dry before watering. To maximize this plant’s growth potential, fertilize it every 2-3 weeks. I don’t fertilize any of my plants and this one does fine without fertilizer.

Source

This living plant was purchased from Home Depot.

5) Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)

Ficus lyrate is a species of flowering plant from the mulberry and fig family Moraceae. This plant is native to the lowland tropical rainforests of South Africa. It can grow to a maximum height of 12-15 meters. You don’t need to worry about this kind of growth when kept inside your home, especially if you live in a cooler, dryer climate.

Care

These plants are more challenging to care for. They require good drainage and typically a small pot relative to their overall size. Make sure you use a well-draining potting mix soil. As with all the plants discussed so far, the fiddle-leaf fig likes bright, indirect light. To adequately utilize the sunlight, this plant requires regular dusting (Is it just me or is this one of the worst housekeeping jobs?). This plant may also need to be rotated often as it tends to lean toward the source of sunlight. They are finicky when it comes to watering- overwatering can kill them, and underwatering will cause the leaves to turn brown and drop. The top 3-4 inches of soil should become dry between waterings. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your home, watering will need to be done every 1-2 weeks.

Source

One day I will try growing a real fiddle-leaf fig again, but for now, I have faux ones. The small fiddle fig was a DIY project using faux stems and supplies from Michaels. The large fiddle fig was purchased at Homesense and placed in a basket from Canadian Tire with some Spanish moss.

6) Succulents

Succulents are plants that store water in their leaves. There are many types of succulents, including cactus plants. They originate in dry tropical and semi-arid tropical climates like deserts.

Care

Succulents thrive in dry, sunny conditions. These plants require little water in fall and winter, and more water in spring and summer during their growing season. When watering, try not to get the leaves wet and do not mist these plants with water or the leaves may become moldy and roots may become brittle. They also need well-drained soil.

Source

I have grown many succulents, but can’t seem to keep them alive for more than 6 months. In all honesty, I always forget to water them. I think this happens because I tend to use them in décor vignettes which are often on high, open shelves or tucked away in little corners here and there. Currently, I have only faux succulents from Ikea. I find these ones are quite realistic looking. My favourite sources for real succulents are Ikea and Home Depot.

The painted pot tutorial can be found here.

Note- our home is in Ontario, Canada, where we have bitterly cold winters and hot, dry summers. Indoor conditions here tend to be cool to warm with very dry air.

Plant Pots and Décor

I know I will get questions about where I find my plant pots. All of them come from Homesense (spider plant, snake plant), Michaels (fiddle fig, succulents), and Ikea (aloe plant, umbrella plant). I tend to like white or concrete grey plant pots that allow the plants to take centre stage.

The stool is from Michaels and the chair is from Restoration Hardware. Click here to read my post My review of the Restoration Hardware Vintage French Cane Back Chairs. The Basket is from Urban Barn and the magnolia pillow is from Linen and Ivory. Lastly, the Elsie de Wolfe sign is from Hoekstra Décor.

If you are interested in the shiplap wall in the photos, you can read about my shiplap wall tutorial here.

Summary

I hope you have enjoyed my post, 6 indoor plants perfect for farmhouse décor. I think I may try a few more plants soon, including ficus, pothos, palms, and ferns. If you have any houseplant recommendations, I’d love to hear about them.