Decorating with Plants: What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive

by Baylor Chapman

“This book will help you keep your plants healthy.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune , 7 Books to Shake Up Your Home Decor

Houseplants are more popular than ever before—especially with millennials, who are setting up their homes for the first time and discovering that nothing can add energy, style, and that essential “lived-in-ness” to their spaces better than a little bit of green. Whether it’s a statement-making fiddle-leaf fig or a tiny tabletop succulent, a houseplant instantly elevates the look of your home. But where to begin?

In Decorating with Plants , Baylor Chapman walks readers through everything they need to know to bring houseplants into their home. First, there’s Plant Care 101: from how to assess light conditions to tricks for keeping your plants alive while on vacation, Chapman gives readers the simple, foundational info they need to ensure their plants will thrive. Then she introduces us to 28 of her favorites—specimens that are tough as nails but oh-so-stylish, from the eye-catching Rubber Tree to the delicate Cape Primrose. Finally, she guides readers through the home room by Place an aromatic plant like jasmine or gardenia to your entry to establish your home’s “signature scent.” Add a proper sense of scale to your living room with a ceiling-grazing palm. Create a living centerpiece of jewel-toned succulents for a dining table arrangement that will last long after your dinner party. From air purification to pest control, there’s no limit to what houseplants can do for your home—and Decorating with Plants is here to show you how to add them to spaces big and small with style.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Plants, Design, How To, Nature, Lifestyle

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Baylor Chapman is the founder and principle designer of Lila B. Design, a green-certified business in San Francisco. She first learned to garden on a farm in Illinois and has since expanded her gardening chops working in environments from the arid mountains of New Mexico to the golden hills of California. She has been a professional floral and garden designer since 2001. Her designs has been featured in Sunset magazine and on PBS, as well as in Banana Republic and Restoration Hardware stores. Baylor spends her days knee-deep in flowers, translating ideas into tangible designs and scouring nurseries for new plant varieties to play with.

Reviews

[Karen J · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Being an absolute plant lover (35 🌿🪴🌱 in my home) I really enjoyed the plant info this book had to offer.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read numerous books on indoor plants, found this one chock full of information I’ve not read anywhere else or included in just one book.

Whether a beginner to household plants or been gardening for years, this book will be a great resource. At one time or another, we all have had a plant or two die unexpectedly and seemingly for no reason. Author explains how to not just ascertain the light the plant requires but also correct type of soil, proper watering, and correct sized pot. There’s so much to consider when choosing a houseplant!

The author has written a thoroughly and often complicated subject into manageable segments.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This book is perfect for both plant-owning newbies and masters. It is full of tips, gorgeous photos and style designs, legends and histories of plants, and care guides. I highly recommend anyone looking to start a houseplant collection or to brush up on their plant-care tips read this book. At the very least, flip through to enjoy the aesthetically pleasing photography.

[Jenny Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even more lovely than I could have hoped.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fantastic resource for anybody looking for information on growing houseplants or using them in creative ways throughout the home. It's packed with information on different houseplant varieties (including some that were new to me) and information on light levels, houseplants that clean the air, great ways to display them, and on and on. Full color photos are used throughout and offer really good inspiration for lots of decorating styles.

My star system is 1 for really didn't like it, 2 for it was just okay, 3 for good, 4 for very good, and 5 for so good I plan to buy my own copy even if there are small drawbacks to it. I came very close to giving this a 5 as I would like to get my own copy, but the suggested retail price ($24.95) is a little high for me on our budget.

All in all, this is a really helpful book with fabulous inspiration that will be very helpful for folks looking to jazz up their homes with fun and functional plants.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[M Aghazarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really excellent and I took a ton of notes on plant display and care. I found it inspiring for decorating, and I think plants will really liven up my decor. She presents a variety of options, most focusing on finding lovely objects (from thrift or other stores) and filling them with plants, but also highlighting unique objects such as wall mounted terrariums with grow lights, light fixtures that can hold plants, and nightlight planters. She also presents a number of decorating options that are very design focused, such as creating living "curtains" or screens using plants, and how to use plants to take the visual focus off the TV in your living room (a solution I didn't even know I was seeking until she articulated it).

Pretty much any vessel can be turned into or disguised as a pot, and Baylor shows you how. She presents really appealing and aesthetically pleasing arrangements with well-staged photos that are inspiring. Some of my favorites included tiered having fruit baskets for the kitchen filled with herbs and the kokedama plants wrapped it living pots of peat and moss. Also almost any object can be used in the service of plants--ex I never thought about using command hooks to support creeping plants/vines along a wall or stairway.

The book could be improved by making it more clear which plants are toxic/ not pet safe. For example, the panda plant is listed on the "tough and touchable" page but then says "Panera plants are toxic to pets; as a precaution, keep them out of reach of tiny tots, too." I would recommend double checking the ASPCA's list to be safe.

[Sara Curley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book as a guide on decorating plants in your home. The layout is well done, as well as providing a wide variety of plants and techniques. The instructions and care are easy to follow, so it can be read by people with a wide range of plant knowledge. One of the elements I like is breaking up plants by room. The author gives advise on how to arrange or display plants in each space (including bathroom), and how certain plants with thrive in those areas vs. others. Definitely provided me with some inspiration.

[Amanda Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is OK- not great for the most biased reason: I found most of the featured plants to be ugly or uninspiring. However, the rules set forth are easy to understand and flexible. Chapman also provides examples for multiple styles, not just one. My favorite part is the room-by-room plant suggestions (I'll definitely return to the bathroom section!).

[Miju · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great care reference for many common houseplants, but what I really loved was the excellent plant design inspiration in the second half of the book. Baylor gives so many tips and options for how to make your space feel lived in with the touch of plant life. I’m especially grateful for the wall and hanging options to keep our cats from eating our plants. I loved this book!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is more focused on layout than actual plants. I loved it just because of how beautifully the book was sectioned out with it going from room to room and recommending which plants should be in each. Not the best for how to handle a wide range of plants but it gives a really good description of the ones that it does have.

[Melisa Blok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm terrible at decorating. Send help! The idea of decorating with plants rather than, idk, knickknacks?, appeals to me. It was well written and nicely organized giving ideas for different rooms in the house. And lots of helpful info about plant care too.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully staged but not practical for real life.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful little volume that really thinks about how plants function in different spaces.

[RWaggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great information, lovely photos, inspiring ideas. Groups plants according to room which makes it feel more like an interior design book. My criticism is that I wish there was an index to search for all plants with specific needs, like low light or high humidity (I guess that’s what Google is for?). Being a visual person, I thought the charts in the basics of each plant should have used symbols instead of just words.

[Michelle Smart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of both design principles and examples. Favorites are room-specific ideas and a table matching common names to botanical ones.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource and awesome pictures!

[Amanda up North · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't a single jade plant in this book. Jades are among my best growing indoor plants.
The photos are lovely and right up my alley.
I found the info lacking.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was an interesting read to flip through, but somewhat challenging to adapt to my poorly lit, southern-facing apartment. Nonetheless worth a read, and I did take some notes on plants to consider for future purchase.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from Artisan Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Plants have been a topic on demand with a lot of members of our community plus our library is decorated with a lot of plants. Decorating with Plants is a great companion for plant education, the proper place to store the plant and the benefits they come with if taken care of properly. Also, the photographs were just breathtaking and well executed that you could not help but to read about the plants and what they're all about. Many of our patrons will be very impressed with the photos and the detailed descriptions and stories displayed throughout the book so we know this book will definitely circulate well at our library.

We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Matt Knepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so many great ideas in it. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to design a room like those featured, but I certainly got some inspiration. And I learned about a few new plants that I’ll definitely be on the lookout for now.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and well-organized. A perfect reference for houseplants. This book is so beautifully formatted; the publisher definitely deserves some praise for the layout, typography and photography. *chef's kiss*. I also read Houseplants for All: A Guide to Becoming a Perfect Plant Parent, and while it is equally beautiful, Decorating with Plants: What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive is more useful.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a new houseplant lover! The apartment I'm in now is my first time having more than one plant to my name. I even propogate them! Anyways, I got some fancy new plants and figured, hey I should learn myself something from a book or whatnot.
I found this author from an article online about hanging planters. The book is on hoopla (library e-book app) and it's good! I don't normally want to read a book on my phone, but this one works in that way.
Easy to flip around to different plants and different sections of the house for ideas. Lots of pics. I got some good hints and once I have plant cash again I'll check back for more ideas!
Some of the pictures are very ~interior decorating~ / in rooms with great sunlight (show me a dark, weird corner!) But it's cool, still a helpful resource.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, digestible introduction into indoor houseplants with lots and lots of pictures. Having houseplants was really overwhelming until I read this book and started asking friends questions. Almost wish I owned it so I could refer back to it to get inspiration for diff plant species and decorating ideas! I would have to temper it a bit though since plants are more of an accent piece for me to sprinkle around the house, not something to be THE decoration around the house as many of these photos suggest

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good ideas for plant storage and a decent listing of plant suggestions. It goes room by room with really interesting takes on room decor. I really enjoyed the wall hung aquarium, which is when I really started to see this book as different from the other decor books I've gotten from the library. My wall wont support a hanging aquarium but I still went to the aquarium store to see how I could mimick this anyway. Really interesting ideas for my jungle of plants

[Bill]

Read through introduction with tips and advice on raising and caring for plants and first chapter describing her Go-To plants. All of that was helpful and interesting but nothing really new for me. Paged through the rest of the book which is mostly pictures and descriptions of how one could place and display houseplants around a home. Nice pictures but few of the scenarios (nor plants) were aesthetically pleasing to me.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cool book with good information for a beginner like me. One of the main reasons I wanted it was to find kid/pet safe houseplants. Most of my favorites were toxic for dogs, but good to know that before I pick out the prettiest poisons at the garden center! I did try a couple of the ideas- I now have a couple of marimo in a wall "planter" and an upside-down mason jar terrarium, and they both are doable, affordable, and pretty cool!

[Jonii · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the layout of this book. The front was a getting started/care guide, then there is a selection of easy to moderate care plants with an easy to read list of the plants attributes and care requirements, followed by a section on what plants to place it what room with gorgeous pictures showing how they can blend I to your decorating. There are lots of tips and the text is an amiable, easy read feel to it. Recommend.

[Stacey Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first and last parts of this book incredibly helpful. The first part covers basic indoor plant care tips, then dives into profiles of common houseplants such as the croton, begonia rex, hoya, pothos, rubber plant, etc. The last part of book focused on how to decorate with plants. I'm still figuring out how I want to arrange my babies, so I appreciated the tips a lot. The beautiful, bright pictures also make thumbing through it a pleasure.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had a few house plants in my life before, but none really stuck around long. I am more of an outside plant gal, but am hoping to change. I did go get a small palm for a table, her name is Bella. Someday I would like to go wild and get a huge indoor plant. This book is inspiring, with lots of pictures and ideas of how to not only choose and care for your new friend but how to decorate with plants, just like the title says. Fun!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this book broke the rooms down and gave concrete suggestions for plant interior decorating. The only part I didn’t like is that a lot of the plants she suggested were repetitious. There are a lot of plants out there and it seemed like snake plant, spider plant, etc. kept getting mentioned that towards the end of the book I wasn’t getting any new plant recommendations, just different ways to style the ones already mentioned.