ABSTRACT
The Victorians, however, were devoted to indoor plants—potted palms flanking the mahogany breakfront, fuchsias blooming on the windowsill, vases of bulrushes and cattails, hanging baskets of Boston fern, fragrant jasmine and heliotrope and, everywhere, the hardy aspidistra. It could even be argued that a major asset of large glass areas—that they allow the interior privileged views of nature—is antithetical to the practice of lining the inside of the glass walls with plant material. Living plants can also provide, in a small way, the practical service of purifying indoor air. Plant materials in interiors, special as they may seem, are elements of design like any other, not superfluous to a design concept, but in service to it; their choice and placement should work as an aid in organizing and emphasizing the designer's idea. Appropriate plant size is a fundamental factor in their use, and general plant character another.
