Bedrooms are meant to be a haven to recharge your battery, and greenery can go a long way in achieving that sense of serenity. Whether your home is flooded with natural light or relies on lamps and sconces for illumination, there is a houseplant that can thrive in your bedroom, freshening it for sounder sleep. 

Peace Lily

Peace lily plants (Spathiphyllum genus) are one of the most enduring and popular houseplants for the bedroom, and for good reason: Its glossy leaves thrive in high- or low-light situations, and the roots tolerate a variety of irrigation habits. Peace lilies take the guesswork out of watering by wilting when they’re thirsty and quickly perk up with a drink.

If your room has a window, situating the peace lily nearby will increase the production of the white flower-like spathes, which endure for weeks. If your room is somewhat and blooming seems unlikely, pick up a peace lily with variegated foliage, such as ‘Domino.’

Searching for plants that grow in full shade is a job filled with challenges. The challenges begin with the definitions of sunlight requirements, so the relevant terms need to be discussed first, starting with the definition of full shade.

The term full shade does not mean no sun. For horticultural purposes, a location is considered to be in full shade if it receives less than three hours of direct sun daily and receives filtered sun the rest of the day. Preferably, the hours of direct sun occur in the cooler hours of the morning with filtered protection from intense sun in the late afternoon.

A distinction should also be made between the terms surviving and thriving. Many plants can survive in full shade, but that is not sufficient for the purposes of most gardeners. Ornamental gardens are meant to beautify a property, and a plant that underperforms (for example, by not flowering as much as it should) is not helping the garden live up to this goal. A plant that is merely surviving is taking up space that is better occupied by a plant that will perform at its best in full shade. Therefore, the best examples of full shade plants cannot just survive in low-light conditions but rather thrive in them.

One of the things we love about landscape design is that no two yards are the same. Just take a stroll through your own neighborhood and you will see an abundance of diversity and creativity. You will also notice that some yards, no matter how lush or minimalist, are more pleasing to the eye.  Are they better maintained? Maybe, but more likely, they have various elements that are simply more interesting to look at.

What makes one yard more interesting than another? Focal points and special features that draw you in and give your eyes a place to linger. Just like a fine painting or a photograph, yards, gardens and sweeping landscapes all benefit from good composition. And good composition – in art and landscaping – includes focal points. Without focal points, the viewer is either left with a chaos of too much to see and therefore nothing is seen, or a scene without purpose, rhyme or reason that is all too forgettable.

So, do you need an advanced degree in fine art to create an interesting landscape? Of course, not! You just need to add a few elements – unusual plants, sitting areas, statues or water features all make great focal points – and follow a few basic rules of thumb, the simplest of which is the old adage “less is more”. To help you out, here are a few of our favorite ways to create focal points and add interest to your yard.