Buying Plants is Better With Guidance from Hilton Carter
By: Stephanie Gao
A short scroll through any Pinterest interior design board will show you that plants-as-a-design- element is in major vogue right now. And for good reason too—the touch of plant life can brighten up any dull interior space. How to place plants inside your home in an artful manner and to ensure their continued survival can be an entire college course, as it’s not so simple as purchasing one and bringing it home.
If you are just getting started, look no further than plant and interior stylist Hilton Carter. An expert at bringing nature inside and making a space come alive.
The Baltimore born and raised designer, author, entrepreneur (trust us, you have to check out the Instagram of his rentable studio space @junglebythefalls), and plant educator not only offers online plant propagation classes on Airbnb, but also hosts the podcast “Journeys in Greenery with Hilton Carter”. In his podcast, Carter features a different guest for each monthly episode, wherein the creatives reveal the thought process behind how they select which plants to bring into their homes and how they became “plant parents”.
In addition to his own podcast, Carter has been the featured guest of many other podcasts, such as Bloom & Grow Radio, hosted by Maria Failla. In every podcast he is in, his passion for plants and their wellbeing infallibly shines through, and it is easy to see how much he enjoys sharing gardening as a lifestyle with others.
Here are ten tips and tricks we learned about styling plants, and a few things we learned about Carter himself too.
1. See your space as an art gallery—the things you bring into your home should have something to say.
2. Have a statement plant. This plant will set the tone for the rest of the room and should be your starting point. In his words, your guest’s “face has to be blown off” by your statement plant.
3. Decide on the type of vibe you’re setting…
4. … and then mix up your foliage. Look at the shape of the leaves and their colour. For example, a bird of paradise and fan palm together set what Carter refers to as a “jungle tone”, while ferns give more of a “forest vibe”.
5. Have a unified colour scheme. Carter is not into bright colours and prefers to keep things moodier, darker, and earth toned. He’s also really into “cradles”, a term he coined after designing glass and wood propagation vessels, and then covering an entire wall in his home with them #livingart
6. The planter is also a piece of art. As the “shoes” of the plant, it is a key part of how everything comes together. Carter recommends going to flea markets and thrift stores for inexpensive and unconventional options. Go for things that aren’t meant to be pots and planters, like a quiche dish from Ikea, if you want some inspiration from the master himself.
7. Always consider the type of light in your space before bringing a plant home. Don’t move your plants from shady areas to lighter areas too much.
8. Plant care varies a whole lot depending on where you live. It’s not a one-size-fits-all game here, as different climates require different solutions.
9. That being said: the best place to learn is from either Google or people who work in nurseries (good ones, of course). Never be afraid to reach out and ask questions!
10. Being a plant parent is about quality over quantity. Be mindful of your plants. If something happens, it’s always you. Do your homework and really know what plants you are getting.