I’ve been a very bad Urban Jungle Blogger! Not only have I not posted a plant-based blog post in a while, quite a few of my plants have died a slow death this winter… Slap on the wrist for me. But, with the theme this month of Jungle Animals, and a certain cheeky chappy coming to stay, it was the perfect opportunity to snap some new plant additions in a corner of my home.
Meet Harry, a little miniature dachshund who is sure to melt hearts. I look after him every so often when I work from home. I really, really, really want a dachshund of my own, but until then, this is my borrowed jungle animal… With his expressive little eyes and tiny paws, he’s an absolute cutie. He likes to sit on my lap when I work on my computer and is always after attention. But, it seems not when the camera’s on! It took some persuasion to get him to sit still and stop wriggling about, I’m sure in the picture above he’s thinking ‘now, when can I jump off this chair? I’m not used to this limelight!’. So there’s only a couple of images where he’s not a complete blur…
I decided to place his royal highness in my favourite corner of my home, if you follow me on Instagram you will know that I post this cosy nook ALOT. I love arranging my favourite design books out on display, and complimenting the (slight) hints of colour with plants and little treasures. Handily, it’s also right by the french doors to the balcony, so perfectly sunny for plant friends. I love sitting here on a cold night with a blanket and candles, or equally on a summers day with the doors open, the breeze coming in and a good book to hand.
I’ve recently bought two new plant additions (in the vintage terracotta pots) from my new favourite flower shop Botanique on Exmouth Market in London. They’re called Nerve Plants or Fittonia verschaffeltii and come from South America. I love their strong veins, especially the bright red and pink colours of the darker varieties. They like a lot of humidity so are perfect for terrariums too, or you can simply mist it every day and place it on a dish with wet pebbles. Let’s see how long these ones last!
The beautiful red veins of the Nerve Plant pick up on the reds and soft oranges of the books on display. I often use any old pot or container, from little tea cups and jam jars to these vintage terracotta pots I picked up from Columbia Road flower market.
![Urban Jungle Bloggers: Jungle Animals](https://i0.wp.com/catesthill.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/urban-jungle-bloggers-jungle-animals-5.jpg?resize=900%2C621)
Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series started by two bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month they share ideas on how to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks.
You can find additional inspiration on their Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on their website and Facebook page. If you want to join in just use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram.
All images my own
Pingback: Home is better with U, with Urbanara - cate st hill