Group by conditions before colour
Start with the light reaching the position. Two plants with similarly coloured leaves can need different exposures. Identify each species and bring together only those that can reasonably share the location, even if their containers do not form a perfectly matched set.
Moisture in the growing medium is a separate consideration. Keeping individual pots lets you water separately when one species needs to dry more than another. Avoid planting everything in one container merely to achieve a compact display if that prevents appropriate individual care afterwards.
Keep the bases visible
Put tall plants behind shorter ones only if you can reach their containers without knocking the plants in front. Leave gaps to inspect the growing medium, check saucers and remove fallen leaves. A display concealing every pot base can also conceal collected water or a problem developing unnoticed.
Try lifting each pot before considering the arrangement finished. If you have to remove three plants to retrieve one, use fewer pieces or spread the group out. Shelf depth and the stability of a stand matter more than filling every available centimetre.
Raise plants on suitable supports
A stand can improve the view of a small plant, but it must support the actual weight of the watered container. Avoid stacks of books or moisture-sensitive boxes as permanent supports. Check for wobbling feet and protect the floor in a way compatible with its material.
Leave space between foliage and circulation routes. Leaves repeatedly brushed by a door, shoulder or curtain can become damaged. Equally, do not crowd the plants so tightly that inspecting leaf undersides, stems and new growth becomes impossible.
Retain somewhere for a separate pot
Keep an alternative position for new plants or specimens showing suspicious signs. Immediately adding every purchase to a dense display makes observation harder and can allow problems to remain hidden among the foliage.
Review the arrangement as plants grow. A gap that seems generous today may disappear, and moving one pot promptly is easier than correcting an entire display that has become too crowded.
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