The latest interior design and color trends have been centered on self-expression and wellness. Soothing tones and spaces with set intentions can be good for the soul. One way to add calmness to your home is to include a few houseplants with sage green leaves. Any room will benefit from the freshness and life that these plants impart. Plenty of houseplants provide a natural source of this mind-quieting color. Select a variety that suits the space where you'd like to enjoy its calming effect. When you pair the light conditions of your space with the plant that thrives there, you'll keep its leaves looking their best.
Air Plant
Growing in unique, whimsical shapes and rich in texture, air plants add instant interest to a room. Perch a trio of them on a tabletop as a centerpiece or place them in clear glass globes that are suspended from a window frame. Air plants don't require soil, but bright, indirect light is essential.
Size: 6 to 8 inches
Light: Bright light
Watering: Soak plants in water every week or every other week.
Arrowhead Vine
Grow this lush houseplant on a tabletop or let it ramble up a trellis. Look for variegated selections of arrowhead vine in shades of white, cream, and silver to get the just-right shade of sage green you want. This plant thrives in low light and is perfect for infusing a bedroom or office with a little life.
Size: 8 to 10 inches, or taller if allowed to climb
Light: Medium or low light, such as a north- or east-facing window
Watering: Water when the soil surface just begins to dry; plant likes to be moist, but not wet.
Bromeliad 'Aechmea Pink'
Bold and stylish, 'Aechmea Pink' bromeliad has strappy silver-green leaves. Once this statement-making plant produces its showy pink blooms, the foliage will slowly decline. Grow bromeliads as short-lived houseplants.
Size: 1 to 3 feet
Light: Bright to medium light
Watering: Water when the soil surface just begins to dry; plant likes to be moist, but not wet.
Chinese Evergreen
Tough yet beautiful Chinese evergreen tolerates low light and long periods of drought. Young plants are slow-growing and well-suited for growing on a tabletop, while older, larger potted plants thrive as accent pieces in a room. 'Cecilia,' 'Golden Bay,' and 'Silver Bay' all have gorgeous sage green foliage.
Size: 1 to 3 feet
Light: Bright to low light
Watering: Water when the soil surface is dry.
Echeveria
A popular and easy-to-grow succulent, echeveria forms a rosette of tidy leaves that come in a range of colors and shapes. 'Deranosa' has exceptional sage green foliage. 'Compton Carousel' shown here, also has sage green leaves set off by white edges. Because these plants are low-growing, they work well as tabletop centerpieces or on a windowsill.
Size: 6 to 8 inches
Light: Bright light
Watering: Water only when the top several inches of soil is dry.
Inch Plant
The fast-growing, trailing stems of inch plant make it a perfect houseplant for hanging baskets. Allow it to cascade down a shelf for a living curtain effect. 'Nanouk' has gorgeous leaves streaked with sage green and white, with stunning magenta undersides.
Size: 10 inches or more; trailing habit
Light: Bright to medium light
Watering: Keep soil moist, but not wet.
English Ivy
Though it's a classic houseplant, English ivy is far from mundane. Varieties come in a range of hues and fascinating shapes. For that trendy sage green tone, try 'Silver Bells' or 'Silver Dollar'. Let the vigorous vines scramble across a tabletop, or suspend your plant in a hanging basket for a curtain of foliage.
Size: 8 inches, and climbs or trails indefinitely
Light: Medium light; east or northwest window
Watering: Water when the soil surface is dry.
Rex Begonia
Spruce up a drab tabletop or desk with a rex begonia. Its variegated leaves give this short-lived houseplant an other-worldly flair. 'Flamenco,' 'Ballet,' and 'Salsa' varieties all sport trendy sage green tones.
Size: 4 to 10 inches
Light: Bright to medium light, such as a south- or west-facing window
Watering: Water when the soil surface is dry.
Sage
Add culinary sage to your kitchen and enjoy the color it infuses into the space, along with the flavor of freshly-harvested leaves. A bright, sunny window and grow lights are often needed for sage to flourish indoors. Snip leaves as needed, and the plant will unfurl fresh foliage.
Size: 6 to 12 inches
Light: Bright, direct light
Watering: Water when the soil surface is dry.
Scindapsus
An elegant tropical plant native to Southeast Asia, scindapsus is closely-related to pothos and philodendron. Scindapsus, also known as silver pothos, has heart-shape green leaves with silvery, sage green variegation. Like its relatives, scindapsus can be grown as a climbing vine or treated as a trailing houseplant.
Size: Can climb 6 feet or more, but easy to keep smaller with trimming
Light: Medium to bright light
Watering: Water when soil is dry.
Snake Plant
The stiff, upright, sword-like leaves of snake plant give it an architectural appearance, which perfectly complements modern, contemporary spaces. Grow it as a tabletop plant, or purchase a large snake plant to anchor the corner of a room. 'Whitney' is a dwarf variety with sage green leaves.
Size: 8 inches to 4 feet
Light: Bright to low light
Watering: Water when the soil surface is dry.
When Sage Green Isn't A Good Thing
A plant with naturally bright-green foliage can take on a muted sage green hue when the plant is not receiving enough light, or is lacking in other essentials such as water. The color change will often be accompanied by droopy or long, thin stems, all indicators of an unhappy plant. Begin by researching the ideal growing conditions for the plant, and then make changes accordingly until your plant produces fresh, bright green leaves again.
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