The third week of September is National Houseplant Week! According to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture, having plants indoors can be helpful. Please enjoy this article about houseplant aesthetics from one of our UC Master Gardeners.

You might live in a manse or cottage. You might consider yourself a minimalist or mid-century modern. Traditional labels become a verbal veneer when arranging houseplants. This article's focus is not on the care* of house plants or their cultural requirements. Rather it concentrates on the art of displaying house plants effectively. It reflects a potpourri of aesthetics, functionality, style, elegance, and personal preference.

Prior to entering your abode, carefully inspect the plant for potential problems. Co-mingling with existing plants comes after the plant is isolated for 2 plus weeks. During this time check for “unwelcome varmints.” Once it is determined the plant is pest free, visualize a striking and aesthetically pleasing location.

Fundamental design principles are interrelated to create harmony and cohesiveness. Emphasize the importance of a focal point in a visual arrangement. Spacing plants by focus allows a contrast in proximity, size, color, texture and shape. Just as gardeners are differentiated by appearance, plants and their containers offer varied perspectives by how they look and feel. Texture contrast is found on the leaf, the plant itself, the container and the stylistic home décor to which it enters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gardeners come in all shapes and sizes. When thinking of a house plant, choose a plant for leaf shape and the plant's configuration itself. Uneven lines of plants, whether vertical, descending, fleshy or sprawling, are softened by the design and type of container used.

In your home you may discover an empty white space with no visual elements. These visual blank canvases allow a grouping of plants to showcase their distinct beauty while maintaining ordered space between specimens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with gardeners, opposites attract. Contrast plants by differentiating color, texture, shape, and size to achieve subtle drama. Repeating patterns in both species and containers creates cohesiveness, balance, and unity. Without variety, gardens and indoor décor could become stodgy and dull. Intermingling differing objects with indoor plants achieves unexpected creativity.

Just as gardeners prune and cull their homes and gardens, the same principle holds true for indoor plants and creative objects nestled close by. The professional interior designer admonishes the use of three objects in group settings.  Arranging plant varieties by growth habits, size, light and water requirements, temperature and humidity maximizes congruity and harmony.

Beauty is indeed reflected in the eyes of the beholder. Eclectic beauty moves side to side, up and down, chunky to narrow, trailing to vertical. Choice is freedom to create a unique, personalized aesthetic enhanced by house plants.

*To learn more about houseplants and download and/or print a handout on them, visit https://cestanislaus.ucanr.edu/Gardening_Publications/ and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Martha Martin has been a UC Master Gardener since 2022. 

 

 

The deadline to apply to become a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Stanislaus County has been extended until September 1, 2023! Do the following descriptions sound like you?

• Interested in helping others and giving back to your community.
• Excited about gardening and meeting other like-minded volunteers.
• Interested in learning science-based information about gardening.

If so, consider applying to our program for 2024. To learn more details and apply, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Become_a_UCCE_MG/ 

As summer winds to a close, it's the perfect time to save seeds from your garden for next year. Although the actual process of saving seeds is easy, there are a few important things to know in order to be successful.

Join Heidi Aufdermaur, UC Master Gardener and experienced Seed Saver for this class and learn:

• What types of seeds to save and the difference between heirloom and hybrid seeds.
• How flowers are pollinated and how seeds develop.
• How far apart to plant varieties of vegetables to ensure seed purity.
• How to save seeds and how long saved seeds last.

Diced tomatoes ready for seed saving.

Registration Details:

Date: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: Online
Register:  https://ucanr.edu/seedsaving/2023
Link: you'll be sent a link to log in with before the class. Please register at least one hour before the class.

This free class will be available the following week on our YouTube Channel at http://ucanr.edu/youtube/ucmgstanislaus Subscribe to our channel to be notified when the class has been posted.

Heidi Aufdermaur has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2019.

Even though your tomato plants and other warm season vegetables are still producing, now is the time to start planning for your fall vegetable garden! Our class will focus on growing vegetables so you can create your own "Salad Bar" at home.

Learn about planting leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, and root vegetables like carrots, beets and radishes. Not to mention broccoli and cauliflower. All of these vegetable plants can be grown in the ground or in containers. Great class for beginning gardeners.

We are excited to say that our classes are at nine Stanislaus County Library Branches! We hope to see you there.

August 2023 Library Branch Schedule

• Tuesday, 8/1 at 6:00 p.m. - Salida 
• Saturday, 8/5 at 2:00 p.m. - Empire 
• Tuesday, 8/8 at 6:00 p.m. - Oakdale
• Thursday, 8/10 at 1:00 p.m. - Patterson
• Saturday, 8/12 at 2:00 p.m. – Riverbank
• Monday, 8/14 at 6:00 p.m. – Ceres
• Tuesday, 8/22 at 2:00 p.m. - Waterford
• Wednesday, 8/23 at 6:00 p.m. - Turlock
• Monday, 8/28 at 5:30 p.m. - Modesto