When I first started collecting houseplants I quickly ran into a big problem. Where do I put them all? And how do I display them so they don’t end up looking like a jumbled jungle fighting for space in front of every window? I always wanted my plants to be part of my décor, not just an afterthought tucked into odd spots around the house.

But once I discovered plant stands my horticultural decorating challenges went away. For example, at a local antique store I discovered a three-tiered, wire plant stand, left, that would easily hold at least a dozen plants in a wedding cake-like fashion. Its Victorian style looks great on my porch where I’ve packed it with an assortment of Exotic Angel® beauties such as hoya, ivy, pothos, prayer plant, and spider plant. And, because it has casters I simply roll it indoors when cold weather threatens.

I also found a number of vintage wicker plant stands with metal liners, left, to prevent water from spilling on the floor. Wicker plant stands first appeared in America in the late 1800’s promoted by the Heywood-Wakefield company. These long, rectangular woven stands hold four to six plants, conveniently displaying them at window height. I mainly use mine to house vining plants such as pothos or philodendron but they also look great filled with vertical species such as snake plant, spathiphyllum, or bird’s nest fern. And when Christmas comes, I fill the plant stand with pink, red, or white poinsettias.

Of course, sometimes the simplest plant stand works the best. Old bar stools, for example, do a great job of lifting your favorite plants to new heights. In my kitchen, for example, I use a blue bar stool that creates a stunning stage for plants such as Blue Star fern, Rabbit’s foot fern, Boston fern, or spider plant. My favorite, however, is Hindu rope hoya. I love how its curled bright green foliage gracefully trails down over the sides of the stool.

Whatever style plant stand you choose, you’ll need to protect it from water damage (unless it has its own liner). Always choose pots with an attached saucer to prevent water damage to your floors or furniture.