Easter is coming our way, and if you’re anything like we are, you love to plan your decorations ahead of time. Like your table centerpiece, for example. While you could go traditional with cut flowers like tulips and daffodils (lovely choice, by the way), why not step outside the norm and use flowering houseplants to spruce up your Easter table?
Blooming Houseplants
There are tons of houseplants that bloom, and most are surprisingly versatile. Here are our faves:
- African violets: These favorite bloomers are right at home on a festive spring table—use what you have or add to your collection to brighten your table.
- Peace lily: Dramatic and timeless, the creamy white blooms above the dark green leaves don’t need a lot of extra décor.
- Easter cactus: An obvious choice this time of year, but often forgotten and placed on a side table. Make it front and center this year!
- Bromeliad: Colorful bromeliads are a more exotic and offbeat choice for the Easter table, but we say anything that blooms and is colorful is absolutely perfect, don’t you agree?
- Oxalis: We love this little charmer! Dark purple leaves with white flowers say fresh and springy to us.
- Orchid: A classic and elegant choice, orchids come in a variety of colors that are perfect for this holiday.
- Kalanchoe: Bright flowers with dark green foliage—you can’t go wrong here.
- Amaryllis: This plant’s only for Christmas, you say? Oh, heavens, no. It takes a number of weeks for an amaryllis bulb to bloom, so start about 6 weeks prior to Easter and they’ll be ready to go by the big day. Choose pinks and whites for that fresh and sweet springtime feel.
- Tillandsias: Air plants are quirky houseplants with unbelievable flowers and textures, and are perfect for tiny accents, place settings, and as a part of a larger arrangement.
Ways to Decorate with Them
Now, we’d never turn down a spectacular single plant in the middle of the table. We mean, beautiful is beautiful, right? But we’ve got more tricks up our sleeves than that, so keep reading.
- Use decorative items to finish: Here’s where you can have lots of fun! Even though this is a “finishing” tip, we’re starting with it because we reference these items in the tips below. Go to the craft store and pick up some bags of green or gray moss (we love the green for springtime), wooden Easter eggs, tiny decorative ducks/bunnies/chicks, and battery-operated fairy lights.
- Create a temporary terrarium: Buy a large glass vessel (or an odd number of smaller ones) at a home goods discount store and place your flowering houseplant(s) inside. Cover the planters with moss or wrap them in seasonal fabric (an Easter-themed or pastel-colored kitchen towel works well) and you’re good to go. Except if you want to add some fairy lights in there as well, then you’re good to go.
- Use as place settings: Oh, this is fun. Scout out smaller versions of your favorite blooming houseplants (African violets and kalanchoe are ideal) and pop one at each place setting. We recommend 4” at the largest, but you can sometimes find them in tiny 2” sizes as well (trust us, they’re out there).
- Repurpose old containers: Get an old wooden toolbox, long and low wooden trough, or an elevated silver chafing dish. Place your houseplants in them and surround with moss to hide the containers for a charming and vintage-looking display.
- Plant Easter baskets: Hippity hoppity! Grab some wicker Easter baskets (all one color, all wicker, or a variety of pastels) and pack your flowering houseplants inside. Go for one big one in the middle of the table, or march 3 of them down the middle with space for food and other dishes in between. One of our favorite looks is to have a larger planted basket in the middle of the table with 2 smaller ones spaced out on either side.
- Add candles: Who doesn’t love candles? But be safe, friends. Use candle holders that keep the flame inside a glass votive or feature a longer stem that pushes down into the soil of the container—whatever you need to do to keep flame out of contact with plants. Better yet, use the battery-operated votive candles and nestle them anywhere you want without fear of burning the house down and taking the Easter bunny with it.
Pro Tip: While you could, in theory, use every flowering houseplant you have (hey, it’s called “eclectic”), a more pulled-together look focuses on one focal point houseplant, 2–3 that complement each other, or mixing with foliage houseplants like ferns. But do what makes you happy; it’s your table!