As we move through winter and we retreat indoors, being surrounded by plants doesn't have to stop for four months. If you are anything like me you will be out and about in the garden doing things anyway. But I do like my houseplants too, though I am not always successful with them, much less so than out door plants!
I first wrote this blog in 2018, but we’ve moved house
another twice since then, finally settling in our own wee cottage here in the
borders. Some plants I still have but inevitably I’ve added more! I decided to
update this blog as it’s a perfect read at this time of year when we can’t get
out because its too cold or its raining. I also finally have all my gardening
books unpacked and on their new shelves, which reminds me I should write an
updated garden bookshelf blog too.
I thought I'd chat about some of the houseplants I have here at home, most of which I've had for many years, so they are the easy houseplants, success stories and survivors, ironic I know. Happy reading.
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The name of this plant always makes me smile, though it has to be said I have been very lucky with both my mother-in-laws, my first one remains a very good friend. There are about 70 species of Sanseveria and they are a commonly found house plant in shops. They are very easy to grow and I've found they will be happy in a sunny or partly shady spot in the house. Perhaps I've always been successful because it thrives on neglect. Happy in a multipurpose compost it
doesn't need re-potting often, just be careful not to over water as it will suddenly fall over and
you'll find the roots have rotted. This is a good plant for cleaning the air, producing oxygen during the day and removing carbon dioxide at night.
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| Sansevieria Kirkii Silver Blue |
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| Parlour Palm |
Chamaedorea have been popular since Victorian times, thriving in the gloomy poorly lit rooms of that time. They continue to be popular because of their light airy growth habit and tolerance of neglect. They will do well in semi-shade and cope with the lack of humidity in modern houses. If the plant is happy it will flower, these are tiny yellow cream flowers on a many branched stem, they do scatter pollen about so it can be an idea to remove the flower stems. Pot in a multi purpose compost and keep the compost moist (but not waterlogged). Don't prune them as they grow with one terminal bud or single point of growth. It is a good plant for removing chemical vapours from the air.
Tradescantia has a very varied collection of species and cultivars with many different colours of leaves, variegation combinations and leaf size. A houseplant that can be grown in a hanging basket to show off its long beautiful trailing vines, or kept contained and compact in a pot. It is very versatile, very easy and very hard to kill, perfect for this house. Pot in a multi purpose compost and sit in a light place with moist soil rather than too dry. T. fluminensis Variegata is happy in the porch where it gets some shade being lower than the windows. As long as it is kept watered it copes with the heat and sun in summer. The great thing about these plants is when they get too big and straggly they are easily cut back and will recover well, making bushier plants.
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| Cast Iron Plant |
Another Victorian favourite but not often seen these days is Aspidistra elatior, it is another plant that thrives on neglect (do you see a theme here?) Aspidistra will easily cope with neglect, draughts, poor light and withstand periods of drought too. My plant is in the bedroom in the furthest corner from the window behind the door where it is shady. Two things Cast Iron plants don't like are too wet soil and being potted too often, it prefers to be pot bound. There is a variegated cultivar but it's not as tough.
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| Spider Plant |
Chlorophyllum is one of the most commonly found houseplants and one of the first houseplants identified as an air pollutant remover. Easy to grow as long as it isn't left to dry out and will produce young plants along the arching flowering shoots, which start producing roots while still on the parent plant. Perfect for hanging baskets or trailing down from a bookshelf, it looks good and purifies the air in the house. Spider plants will take some shade but do better in some sun and light. Pot into a multipurpose compost and don't re-pot too often.
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| Prayer Plant |
This interesting plant earns it's common name from it's habit of folding up it's leaves vertically as dusk approaches, helping the plant preserve moisture. If your plant does this you can be sure it is happy where it is. They do have flowers which tend to be green and quite inconspicuous. Markings can vary on the leaves but all Marantha have the same requirements. Don't put them in full sun, semi-shade is good and don't splash leaves with water in the sun as it will mark the leaves. Keep moist but not waterlogged and pot into a multi purpose compost. Plants are easily divided once mature.
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| Areca Palm |
A commonly seem palm, graceful in growth and tolerant of indoors conditions. Chrysalidocarpus lutescens releases copious amounts of moisture into the air, in a domestic setting it can transpire up to 2 pints of moisture every 24 hours and and removes toxins from the air. What's not to like? It likes semi-shade and doesn't like to dry out so keep the root ball damp. I have mine sitting on the floor next to the Lounge window where it gets plenty light.
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My Hoya bella is trailing from the bedroom window, on the north side of the house it gets light but not sun. Happy enough to produce hundreds of flowers earlier this year! Hoya like bright light but not full sun and moist but not waterlogged soil, water less in winter. The plant gets its name from the fascinating flowers, which look waxy and not real!
Peperomia is a large genus of tropical plants that are native to Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. With more than 1,500 known species, they have thick, fleshy leaves that contribute to their drought tolerance and vigor. Leaves can be in so many colours, variegation, shape and size and are easy foliage plants as long as they arent over watered. Flowers are long and thin, growing above the foliage through the year. Grow in light but not full sun as they are tropical jungle floor plants. Water to dampen the compost but not soaked. Peperomia are also good for cleaning the air in your house.
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| Cacti and succulents |
Cacti and succulents were my first plants, taking up the whole window sill in my bedroom and now taking up a third of my big greenhouse. I love the huge range of colours, textures and flowers that they have, as you can see from a few of my collection above. Again they thrive on neglect, requiring very little water and rarely needing re-potted. Their only requirement is sun and being frost free in winter. Grow them on sunny windowsills, in a heated greenhouse (in winter) or put outside in summer for an exotic look (remember to take them in before frost though).
You may have noticed apart from the cacti and succulents, there are no flowering plants mentioned. I'm not very good with them, give me a Poinsettya at Christmas and I'll have it dead before new Year! Although I do have great success with orchids, the standard ones you find in the supermarket or garden centre. I always go looking for the discounted ones, often picking them up at a bargain price and bringing them back to life where they will then pay me back with many flowers every year.
Asparagus ferns have airy and delicate foliage that looks like the leaves of asparagus but arches gracefully, like a fern. They're not ferns, but members of the lily family, and hail from the humid forests of southern Africa. There are two main types of asparagus fern – Asparagus setaceus plumosus (right photo) and Asparagus densiflorus Sprengeri (left photo). They look lovely tumbling from a shelf or plant stand, or in a hanging planter. Mine are on top of the kitchen wall units where they enjoy the humidity of the kitchen and the light but not full sun. They like most but not soggy compost, with less water in winter.
String of hearts plant (Ceropegia woodii) is an attractive houseplant with evergreen, succulent, trailing vines that look good in hanging baskets or pots on shelves or window sills. The plant care is easy, especially during the warmer months. It is long-lived and fast-growing, and the sprawling vines can cascade up to 12 feet once they are mature. I have to give my plant a hair cut every so often. The heart-shaped, fleshy, gray-green foliage has an eye-catching marbled pattern, and the thin, string-like vines are a lovely purple colour. Grow in light but not full sun, and although a succulent it doesn't like to be too dry.
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| Fishbone cactus |
Update November 2024 - the fishbone cactus has flowered this year and they were worth the wait, oh my goodness the smell! The flowers are huge and very very scented, to point I almost had to move the plant out the room they are so strong. So far there have been five flowers with another couple still to come out. I've added in a photo below.
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| One of nine lemons after all those flowers in spring |
Lemon trees can be grown inside the house provided you can give them the right conditions to ensure their happiness. Usually seen outdoors or in a greenhouse or orangery, citrus trees can actually thrive indoors. They have the ability to bring gorgeous fragrance to a space, thanks to their flowers and fruit, and, if you can give them the ideal conditions indoors, a tree is capable of producing fruit throughout the year. The most important part of citrus tree care when growing them indoors is light. Lemon trees want 10-12 hours of sunlight and not to be near any artificial heat sources such as radiators or air conditioning. An ideal location for growing lemon trees indoors is near a south-facing window with ample sunlight. In addition, the temperature should be consistently between 55-85˚F to promote healthy growth. Lemon trees like to dry out and then be watered thoroughly, less in winter though. My plant has flowers on so I am hopeful for lemons next year. The lemons it came with were amazing in flavour, so lemony!
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| Indoor plant books |
While writing this blog post, I had a look through my garden bookshelves to see what relevant books I had. It was quite obvious I hadn't bought a houseplant book for quite some time. The Eco Friendly Houseplant book dates from about 2001 and the Hessayon expert books I bought as a National Trust YTS trainee in 1987! So subsequent to this blog I have since bought the RHS house plant book below.
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