THINK DESIGN TIPS

By: Vivian Fuentebella-Sanchez

13 summers ago, as my then fiancée and I were closing escrow on our first home, my mother gave us our very first house plant. Not a fern, mind you but an almost 6 feet tall Raphis Palm Tree. I loved that plant, it complemented my then shabby chic furniture style with its fan like leaves shading my rustic armoire until those darn mealy bugs became uncontrollable that when its last frond fell so did my penchant with palm plants. It took me quite a while to find the right house plant up to the time I walked into this urban garden center and saw a plant hiding in a corner sporting obviously large leaves that was squished by twine. As we unraveled our new purchase at our now second home, the leaves blossomed out grander than I expected, kind of like how Dumbo the elephant’s ears were first revealed to his mother. I was immediately smitten and thus, began my love affair with Ficus Lyrata aka Fig Tree aka Fiddle Tree.

The Fiddle Tree is actually a popular banyan tree in the subtropical and tropical gardens that can grow outdoors up to 40-50 feet tall and though it does produce figs they are not the edible ones. Ficus Lyratas have shiny green leaves that have a broad apex and a narrow middle, the leaves vary in sizes but they all somehow resemble a fiddle and because its large scale leaves can grow up to 15 inches long, the plant makes an excellent home accessory juxtaposed next to a small sized furniture such as an Eames wooden lounge chair. I have seen several photo shoots in magazines and in catalogs featuring this wonderful tree that it has become the “it” plant in home decor. Like any trend that starts at a low inventory and then escalates into the mainstream, the fiddle tree was initially only available in selected local nurseries but since its popularity has soared, this indoor tree is now available at the greater Home and Garden centers such as Lowes and Home Depot. For about $125-$160 a tall fiddle tree can be yours to put at any sunny corner of your home and for less money you can even have a 4 feet mini-tree but I personally prefer these plants high.

But what do you do once you have a fiddle under your roof? You need of course to have an equally amazing container. Depending on your motif and ceiling height, there are several planters to house these ficus plants, DWR.com sells overscaled containers such as the Grand Vas-One  by Luisa Bocchietto and the New Pot 50, 60 and 70 by Paulo Rizzatto. These modern pieces are made of recycled polyethylene that makes the containers lightweight and easy to move around. They make quite an impression because these roto-molded planters are all conventional in style but they are larger than usual in size especially the Grand Vas-One  that is almost 4 feet tall! Another DWR product called the Gratia Planter    by Chris Collard is handmade of natural and synthetic materials and hand polished to achieve a substantial finish, and depending on the salt content in the air (if put outdoors) the bronze pot will form a patina and the black planter will develop a white matte finish. For a more traditional take, SmithandHawken.com is a sure bet, the Terra Blend Planters and the Hexagon Zinc Planters will both contain the fiddle tree nicely. Another website Simplyplanters.com is what it is, planters but definitely not in a simple variety. This website offers containers of different materials and colors ranging from natural, resin, cast stone, ceramic, fiberglass, terracotta and wood. An enormous planter called Ceramic Aegean   could hold your 6 foot plus fiddle tree easily but wieghing at a whopping 115 lbs. you better make sure you like where you put it.

With that said, house plants in general are a great way to bring the outdoors in, they not only filter the indoor air but they also soften the architectural lines of ones home. Ask any Feng Shui expert and he or she will tell you how important a plant is at home because not only will it bring in harmony but it also helps attract the good chi (energy). Who doesn’t want that? Fiddle tree is just one of the many indoor trees out in the green market, I like it for its simplicity, its easy maintenance, and of course, its Dumbo sized fiddle shaped leaves…now, if it can only fly.

Grand Vas-One                          Gratia Planter                        Aegean
 

Author’s Bio
I work for a pan-asian resaurant in the peninsula and I am a wife and mother of 2 girls plus a pug. I love design and style and have a Bachelor of fine arts degree but I equally love writing. Nothing like thoughts put into words. Email:vivsanchez@aol.com