Add texture with the corduroylike leaves of peperomia, the fluffiness of a fern, the white ribbed leaves of fittonia. Small pots of flowers such as cyclamens, begonias, chrysanthemums or primroses will jazz up a houseplant bouquet temporarily. Combine upright, spreading and trailing plants. But since some vertical plants such as Chinese evergreen, dieffenbachia, aralia or croton grow rapidly, you could start shorter than the rule. Spreading plants such as the prayer plant, holly fern, fittonia, piggyback plant, spider plant or peperomia will fill out the sides of the bouquet, as will fluffy ferns such as the Dallas fern.
Trailers come in many forms, including creeping fig, English ivy, pothos and philodendron.
Various cacti combine nicely, but a desert cactus and a moisture-loving maidenhair fern do not make a happy couple. Nor is an aloe, which demands bright light, content in the dim light a Dallas fern enjoys. Check the tag with the plant or ask the staff at the garden center. Arrange your plants so that the pot looks full, like a bouquet or centerpiece. As plants grow, trim back the leaves or pull a plant out gently and replace it with one the right size.