Before the lockdown happened and we could roam about freely, I was lucky enough to spend the day wth my parents and daughter at RHS Wisley. My main reason for going was to see a unique exhibition in the Glasshouse. The Great Houseplant Takeover showcased a wonderful mix of houseplants as they rambled through and climbed over the interior of an imagined Victorian Town House.
It didn’t disappoint. To say I was totally inspired would be a understatement. The mix of interesting old furniture and household items provided a stunning canvas for for the array of foliage that weaved its way through or marked its territory by standing proud planted in a cup, or a draw and even shoes.
As you enter you are greeted by an old freestanding coat rack. Complete with flat cap, coat, umbrellas and a climbing Devil’s Ivy. A sideboard and wall clock exploding with plants of different shades of green and different sizes and shapes of leaf. Don’t worry though, you could still answer your circle dialled telephone.
As you work your way through from the entrance hall you enter a tropical world of large leafed indoor palms, monsteras, philodendrons, calatheas all hugging a cactus piece chess board. A drawing room follows with a large dark wood display cabinet showcasing not only books, but more large leaf monsteras and its smaller cousin the Monstera Adansonii Swiss Cheese Vine and the magenta pink of the Philodendron - Pink Princess is a small taste of the colour next to come. Underneath the display cabinet a sea of Alocasia Amazonica start to talk over the writing desk.
You make your way past an old armchair that has succumbed to its invading houseplant, and fireplace no longer with coal and wood but alight with flame red flowers all watched over by an impressive Staghorn Fern. This first area of the exhibition was already getting my creative juices flowing and the stunning display in the bedroom of a four poster bed covered in a duvet of vibrant Bromeliads was simply divine and the posts topped with the most famous variety, the Pineapple.
There is so much to admire and absorb within the displays that you forget you are within the larger Glasshouse. The Kitchen is next and its butler’s sink, pots, pan, racks and scales are providing happy homes for carnivorous plants, spider plants and a selection of mosses that are carpeting work tops.
Everywhere you look there is an area that you see planted and wish you had in your own home. The dining table is a real feast for the eyes as cactus’ and succulents take on the personalities of the family that would living in the house. My personal favourite it the child’s high chair with its prickly pear cactus that looks like a baby waving its arms around. You wouldn’t want to eat the spiky cactus cupcakes but they are just as pretty to look at. The globe drinks trolley containing string of pearls and a selection of succulents, accompanies a rather overshadowed selection of spirits.
One of the most atmospheric rooms was the final space and it was the bathroom. The sink was over flowing with foliage surrounded by Staghorn ferns, so sculptural they look like seaweed. Framed living pictures of various varieties of fern, thrive in the moist setting. Birds of paradise watch on as the bath, full of water loving plants relax under the waterfall shower.
This completed the tour through the house and I have to say I was disappointed that it had ended, I wanted to see more! The whole exhibition, a triumph as it celebrated the humble houseplant, not only inspired but uplifted at the same time. All of these plants I could grow at home, and believe me, I would, if I could fit them all in and keep them safe from inquisitive 2 year old, who incidentally also loved the exhibition too.
I shouldn’t of felt disappointed to leave the exhibition though, the rest of RHS Wisley’s Glass house is truly magical too.
