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Any suggestions on what kinds of plants are best for this?

Huh, so cute. Guess this one only works if you water your plants. I should probably start slow.

Some kinds of ivy live forever and honestly will start growing as a new plant right there in the vase.

I also really like doing this with my herbs. I had a trio of tiny vases at one point that I would keep filled with sprigs of sage, basil, and rosemary. Their different shapes made nice little vignettes together.

The plant in the pictures is a common Pothos also called devil's ivy (http://www.aboutflowers.com/gandb/pothos.html). They are super-hearty and need only a little light and very little water to thrive. You can trust me on this fact because I have 5 in various places around the house and they all look fabulous even though I forgot to water them until they wilt and flop over.

If you like the look of the pothos you could make some teeny little pots of them for places like the bathroom. Most grocery stores even have them for sale.

such a cute idea! love that they'll last a long time.
the herbs sound like a good idea too, thanks!

careinthecity - pothos, like you see there, will last a very long time and will probably grow roots if you include a bit of the main stem. As will philodendron, rubber tree, tradescantia (purple heart/wandering Jew), ivy... quite a lot of things. You can also take a few snippets from nearby trees or the landscaping if you're worried about losing leaves from your plants. Coleus, begonia and sweet potato vine sometimes root.

The (unfortunately) now-defunct Home and Garden magazine had a pretty incredible article on arranging with greenery about a year ago. Just off the top of my head I remember seeing golden hop vine, heuchera, fern fiddleheads, geranium leaves (and an occasional flower head) and a lot more coleus. Wish there was a way I could show this. It was really cool.

I do this with hostas (which, of course, are planted outside). The leaves last at least 3 weeks (even in very shady places) and consume very little water, although they don't seem to sprout roots or anything.

I really like this idea. As you say, buying flowers gets expensive and I kill all of my plants so this is a great way to have some green around. I will just have to go to ChristopherB's to steal some hostas leaves :)

You could do the same sort of thing with some tree leaves. For example, a few leafy fronds from the ubiquitous Ailanthus* trees that pop up in every urban vacant lot would look nice in a small vase.

*also called tree of heaven

Spider plants are great for this.

Love it!

I love the idea, and those are adorable little vases. Any suggestions for places in the city to find cute vessels for flowers? Perhaps some milk glass?

Hey Anne,
Think small and you probably already have some lovely little containers hanging around your house - juice glasses, highball glasses, scrubbed clean salsa jars, anything from the recycling bin, dollar stores, goodwill, michaels, IKEA.

And, for all of you looking for plants - find a green thumbed friend. My plants are constantly out of control and I would love a good source to give away clippings.

Anybody in DC who wants some baby spider plants, or a bit of some kind of super charged ivy that is taking over the plant shelf can let me know.

~k

I have a pothos and a spider both rooting together in a little ... don't know what it was originally - got it at a thrift store because I liked the shape. They look pretty good together so I may plant them together. They're in the bathroom (I'm fortunate to have a window with good light). Also have a couple other pothos and spiders (separately) in water in the kitchen, and the dining room. If you use a container that's big enough, you can leave them in water for quite a long time - just be sure to change out the water once a week or so. Once potted, they make great housewarming gifts for people who like plants.

Re: plant in the bathroom.
Awesome idea. to put a plant near the vanity. The spot with the most light in bathrooms without windows.

But be careful with any haircare products that are spritzed, sprayed or (god forbid) aerosoled. The plant will slowly get a coat on in that will suffocate it.

For a dramatic take on leaves-in-the-house, try buying a monstera leaf and putting it in a larger vase. Dollar per square inch it covers more space than most foliage. http://www.thegardenhelper.com/pixpg/philodendronpix.html