Top tips from plant stylist Hilton Carter at TPIE

Hilton Carter made a name for his gorgeous plant styling skills with his best-selling book "Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants."

The book led to four more bestsellers and a line of Target-exclusive home goods. 

At TPIE 2025, Carter stopped by a packed Costa Farms booth to impart a little wisdom. Here are some of his thoughts for retailers, plant stylists and plant lovers.

What to give someone new to plants 

Carter suggests that a fiddle-leaf fig is the perfect plant for someone just starting out. It was, after all, the plant he fell in love with (his was named Frank). But it’s not because they are easy — just the opposite.

Carter says unlike a snake plant or ZZ plant, a fiddle-leaf fig challenges new plant people to engage. It’s not a plant that can just sit there and wait for care — and that’s the point. It’s a plant that orients its owners to the kind of care and attention plants will require.

Carter will often gift them to friends.

"They call and say, 'It’s dying,' and I say, 'Of course,'" he explains.

"Give plants that push people to care and engage and listen and watch and connect," he adds.

What to think about before bringing a plant into a home 

Carter says that light needs to be the first concern. Before any plant is styled in a home, you must know the lighting conditions and change them where necessary — or change the plant. It’s all about setting yourself or your client up for success.

After considering light, consider your or your clients' personal history and provide plants that speak to a moment in their lives. Carter says he enjoys plants that remind him of the tropical honeymoon he shared with his wife.

Plants to avoid (and what to consider if you don’t) 

Considering his love of the fiddle-leaf fig, it’s clear Carter loves a difficult plant. But there’s one that he will try to avoid: calathea.

"They are a set-up," he says. "They know they are beautiful. And they know they will die the second you get home."

But Carter notes that won’t stop people from taking a chance on calathea. So, he reminds plant lovers to consider that what they see in the store is the best their plant may ever look.

"You have to love them for what they will become," he says. 

Styling pet-safe plants 

Carter notes that any added difficulty to a plant routine that sets you up for failure is not the best idea. He notes that when it comes to pet-friendly plants, the key is to keep them easy to access for you — and not for the pet.

He suggests considering where the ends of trailing plants will hang if they are suspended to keep them from becoming cat toys. He also suggests crowding sills and flat areas, so cats do not have room to roost among the foliage.

And if it gets too difficult, you may need to cut down on the plants you have.

"It’s all about balance," he says. 

Keeping a room dynamic with styled plants 

Because plants are an investment, it’s not easy to change the style of an indoor plantscape. A plant likes to stay in its ideal spot in the home. But homeowners and stylists can always change the decorative pots.

Carter's biggest tip? Don’t plant into a decorative pot unless you have to. 

Carter keeps plants in their nursery pots and places them inside larger decorative pots. He notes nursery pots were ideal to start the plant and remain ideal for growing in the home. When repotting, use a bigger nursery pot.

If you insist on potting directly into a decorative pot, Carter strongly suggests considering the material of the pot and adjusting the potting mix accordingly. Different container materials will change the way the potting mix behaves, so it has to be dialed in just right.

Trend for 2025 

Carter is big on living walls, and he plans to do far more of them this year. He notes that the technology has come a long way.

At this point, the ease of installation and care has lowered the barrier to having stunning in-home living walls that consumers crave.

Patrick Alan Coleman is editor of Garden Center magazine. Contact him at pcoleman@gie.net.