How To Arrange Plants On A Shelf [A Complete Guide]

In recent years, the indoor gardening industry has really boomed. These days, having a couple of potted plants is a must for anyone who wants to get a touch of style to their home. Of course, potted plants are like potato chips; you can't have just one. Are you curious about what our research revealed about the art of arranging plants on your shelving? You better believe it's interesting!

There is no right or wrong way to arrange plants on a shelf. However, there are certain things you can do to improve your plant arrangement:

• Mixing And Matching Pot Sizing
• Placing Pots In Areas Of Adequate Light
• Adding Accessories

Lining plants up in uniform pots may seem like a good go-to, but the truth is there are other, better ways to make your plant shelf pop. Let's take a look at the details.

How Should You Arrange Plants On Your Shelves?

There is no wrong way when it comes to grouping potted plants. Suppose you want to space them evenly, great. If you want to group them together, go for it. Or, if you want to simply add one plant per shelf, you can do that too. However, some important tips can make your shelf and plants look better. Here are some of the best styling tips.

Mix And Match Your Pots

If there is one thing that our picture frame article taught us, mixing and matching containers is a good idea. It adds dimension to your shelf and prevents your shelf from looking drab. There are two main ways to mix and match your planters. You can either get the same type of planter in different sizes or get a bunch of different planters that complement each other. 

Many planter companies are starting to catch onto the trend of mixing planters or using statement planters. That's why you can find prefabricated planter sets for an affordable price. 

Click here to get a pair of planters from Amazon.

Placing Pots In Adequate Light

This is more for the plants' health than a style issue. If you don't have much light in your home, you need to put your plant shelf near a window. Otherwise, your plants might end up with a shorter than average lifespan.

On a similar note, you can brighten up your plant's shelving by wrapping string lights around the shelf's top or bottom. 

Click here to get string lights from Amazon.

Adding Accessories

Everyone knows that a plant shelf will need plants, but don't let the shelf be entirely devoted to plant life. A couple of cool accessories can add dimension to your shelf and make it more fun. You can use tons of things to accessorize your shelf, including statues, cool books, or decorative signs. It's up to you to pick which one will work best for you. 

Click here for a gorgeous modern statue from Amazon.

Is It Bad to Move Potted Plants Around?

Believe it or not, plants do not like being moved around. This includes moving them to different rooms, different shelves, and different planters. Plants need time to adjust their leaves to the environment around them. If they keep getting moved around, they can't adjust and won't absorb light very well. 

What happens from there depends on how hardy the plants are. If you have very hardy plants, then not much will happen. Average plants might turn yellow or get a little sick. Very finicky plants will die. 

Do Potted Plants Need Saucers?

Saucers are small plates that help catch the excess water from watering your plants and give your planter a way to absorb water slowly through the soil. Whether or not you should use a saucer is up to you. If your planter has a hole in the bottom, then getting a saucer for it is smart. Otherwise, you might not need it. 

It's good to weigh the benefits and pitfalls of saucers before you spend money on them. Having a saucer for your potted plants can help your plants stay more hydrated and can prevent spills. However, they can take up extra space, and many people might find them unsightly. If you want to bunch up your plants together, saucers might make that hard to do. Either way, it's a trade-off.

Saucer Alternatives To Consider

If you need something to catch water or prevent spillage, then having a good alternative to saucers is a must. Some of the more popular options include an absorbent mat, placing all the plants on a long tray, or skipping the watering issue altogether by putting together a hydroponic garden.

Click here to get a beautiful hydroponic garden set from Amazon.

How Do You Train Indoor Vines?

If you have a planter with climbing vines, then trying to get the vines to mold to a certain shape can be challenging. This is especially true if you have an indoor garden. Thankfully, there's a quick and easy way to train your vines --inside or out. Here's how:

1. Place a small wooden moss pole in the planter.
2. Use a thin thread to tie the indoor fine to the pole. 
3. Mist the pole using a squirt bottle whenever you water your plants. This helps the plant take root on the pole. 

Training Your Vine To Climb Up A Wall

If you want to avoid the 'ol pole look, you can also train your vine to climb up a wall. For this, you are going to need nails or adhesive clips, string, and plant ties. Here's what you need to do:

1. Plan out your vine path, using chalk to mark off where you want it to go. 
2. Drive nails into the wall or stick clips along the path of the vine. Use one nail or clip every six inches to a foot.
3. Tie a string to the series of fasteners, affixing the string end to a small peg inside the planter.
4. Use plant ties to tie the vine to the string. As the plant grows, it'll climb up the string.

Additional Tips And Tricks

Getting your planters set up is a great way to add some serious pizazz to your living room wall. We covered a lot so far on this topic. However, other tricks can help you make the most of this endeavor. These tips below can help you get the most from your plant look. 

• If you want to add a more pronounced garden-y look to your home, plant multiple plants in a single pot placed on the shelf.
• Artists might want to decorate plain planters using paint, glitter, and glue.
• Don't worry about color-coordinating your plants to your home decor. It tends to look way too overdone if you do.
• If you cannot care for plants very well, place faux flowers in your planters instead.
• You can never have too many plants. We're biologically wired to feel happy when we see lots of plant life; it's a subconscious thing. 
• Don't be afraid of adding cute accents to each planter's soil, such as colorful stones or a petite sign. 

In Closing

Adding a little bit of plant life to your shelves can be a wonderful way to make sure that your home has a fresher look to it. When it comes to arranging your favorite flowers on your shelf, that tends to be a matter of personal preferences. There are no real rules when it comes to planter arrangement, aside from making sure that your plants are in a place where they'll thrive.