The new ‘Terrain: The Houseplant Book’ shows us how to smash the expected and break new ground.

Indoor Meadow
Reprinted by permission from Artisan Books

The new Terrain: The Houseplant Book by Melissa Lowrie bills itself as “an insider’s guide to cultivating and collecting the most sought-after specimens,” but I think it’s worth hunting out as a gorgeous coffee table book all on its own. One of my favorite chapters is “Rule Breakers,” which features “a refreshing counterpoint to current houseplant trends.” In other words, there are no monstera or polka dot begonias here. Interestingly enough, most of the rule-breakers are used as outdoor plants, but Terrain tells us how to crack the code and bring them into our homes. The section is so good, in fact, that we’ve excerpted four of the most crush-worthy, non-rule-abiding plants from it. So, if you want to be a houseplant rebel, read on. 

Terrain The Houseplant Book

Cover image used by permission from Artisan Books

Terrain: The Houseplant Book, $30

Rule Breakers 

Excerpted from Terrain: The Houseplant Book by Melissa Lowrie and the plant team at Terrain (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by Kate Jordan. 

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