Des Moines Residence — Whole-Home Plant Design and Concierge Care

The brief

Extend a single coordinated plant program across the whole property — tropical plants and ceramic vessels through the interior, and a designed exterior container scheme at the front of the house and rear deck — and move the client from weekly maintenance to concierge-level care with arrangements refreshed each season.

Conditions

Interior rooms served: entry, living room, dining room, bedroom, basement studio, and family room — a range of natural light conditions across the home, including a below-grade studio. Exterior work covers a front-of-house entry approach and a rear deck with railing-mounted planters, fully exposed to Central Iowa seasonal conditions. Room-by-room light readings, sun orientation, wind exposure, irrigation access, and winter protection not yet recorded.

Design rationale

Placement follows a deliberate scale hierarchy set out in the design plan: the largest vessel anchors the entry, repeated tall Toulan forms establish rhythm along the front elevation, and smaller Lima planters step the sequence down along the approach. Low Tiergarden railing planters keep the rear deck sightlines open from seated height. The gloss red finish is carried across every vessel so the front and rear programs read as one coordinated scheme. The client's own stated reasoning behind the finish and plant selections is not yet recorded.

Materials and specification

Interior: several tropical plants in ceramic planters placed through the entry, living room, dining room, bedroom, basement studio, and family room. Exterior: twelve gloss red fiberglass planters supplied and installed — one Lima Tapered Square 20 x 20 x 20 in (SKU 69305.19-GRD), three Toulan Tall Tapered Square 12 x 12 x 22 in (SKU 69505.11-GRD), four Lima Tapered Square 12 x 12 x 12 in (SKU 69305.11-GRD), and four Tiergarden railing planters 36 x 12 x 10 in (SKU 69761.36-GRD) — plus a seasonal hanging basket. One existing client-owned dark metal planter was retained and planted to match the scheme. Exterior containers are filled with a custom variety of flowers and ferns, refreshed seasonally.

Installation

Interior tropical plants and ceramic vessels were sourced and placed room by room across the entry, living room, dining room, bedroom, basement studio, and family room. Exterior placement was set by an approved planter design plan drawn over the property: the single Lima 20 x 20 x 20 anchors the entry approach, three Toulan Tall Tapered Squares repeat along the front elevation, four Lima 12 x 12 x 12 planters run along the walk toward the paved forecourt, and four Tiergarden railing planters mount along the rear deck. A seasonal hanging basket was installed at the location shown on the plan, and the client's existing dark metal planter at the forecourt feature was kept and planted to match. Interior vessel-by-room assignments, mounting, liner, drainage, and anchoring details not yet recorded.

Technical detail

Planter placement documented in an approved planter design plan (Option 1) rendered over the property, keyed by vessel type and location. Supplied planter counts reconcile exactly with the purchase order: Lima 20 in x1, Toulan Tall x3, Lima 12 in x4, Tiergarden railing x4. The forecourt vessel was already owned by the client and was incorporated rather than purchased.

Ongoing care

Residential Plant Concierge covering both the interior collection and the exterior containers, upgraded from weekly plant maintenance. Includes seasonal container arrangement swaps for spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Outcome

The client renewed weekly plant maintenance, then upgraded to concierge-level care as the engagement expanded from recurring care into whole-home interior plant design and a designed exterior container program.