Container Series: Rev It Up with Red

Kylee Baumle

Anytime is a good time to use red, whether it’s in the garden, an indoor container, personal fashion or interior décor.
In fact, interior designers say every room in the house should have a spot of red, so do the unexpected and use it lavishly in this indoor container planting. And who can’t use a vibrant accent in the middle of winter?

The Plants
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)—You can’t beat this one for easy care. It’s very tolerant of those who forget to water and it doesn’t require bright light. This just might be the perfect houseplant. Used here in a shallow container, its clean, linear growth habit provides the needed height.

Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)—Crotons are dramatic. With their multicolored foliage, they demand attention, wanting to be the stars of the show. Let them! Yellow, green and red provide the color accents here and the rest of the plants were chosen to be the supporting cast without competing. I used two different varieties of crotons—a wide-leaf and a narrow-leaf (Gold Star), the latter being yellow and green, with no red.

Button fern (Pellaea rotundifolia)—This is one fern that pairs well with succulents, as it can tolerate drier conditions than most of its other fern relatives. Its texture provides a nice contrast with the other plants in this container and the solid green color keeps things grounded.

Echeveria—Fat, succulent leaves tinged with burgundy, continue to echo the reds in its container mates. This is another easy grower that can tolerate a forgotten watering.

Tillandsia—Did I mention easy? Air plants require a minimum of care, needing only to be misted or soaked about once a week or so. This one sports lovely red foliage when it’s preparing to bloom.

Tips for Success
The low-profile container is understated, yet the red color ties everything together. Glossy ceramic composition gives it a touch of class. The entire container is undemanding, but be especially careful not to overwater. Err on the dry side, when in doubt. GP

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Kylee Baumle is a garden writer, blogs at ourlittleacre.com and is co-author of “Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants.” Her newest book, “THE MONARCH: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly,” will be released in April. Contact her at kyleebaumle@gmail.com or on Facebook.