Indoor plants are certainly rising in popularity again. To quote a prominent interior designer – “they are aesthetically pleasing and bring a sense of life to any space, not to mention that they are good for us and the environment”.
In the open living rooms of our homes, plants with large leaves and eye-catching foliage shapes and colours are seeming to be most popular. Some of the best ones are Philodendron Xanadu, fiddle leaf figs, peace lilies, Zanzibar gem and palms such as Lady palm and Kentia palm.
Plants with hanging or trailing growth habits are very much increasing in popularity- including Devil’s ivy, string of pearls, chain of hearts and Spanish moss. Some of these are particularly suited to hanging pots in bathrooms.
Succulents have always been seen as hardy, indoor options. Mother in laws tongue has strappy, variegated foliage and is very popular. Zygocactus can produce amazingly complex and attractive flowers. On the matter of flowering indoor plants, some of the other best options are cyclamen, kalanchoes and bromeliads.
Caring for our indoor plants can be a challenge. Knowing when to water them seems harder to decide than for plants outside in our gardens! The best practical advice I have seen is to stick your finger into the potting mix-if it feels dry in the top 2cm, it needs watering. If the potting mix feels moist, hold off with the watering. As a general rule, most indoor plants will only need watering about weekly. Keeping the leaves of indoor plants free of dust is a challenge.
Give the leaves a wipe with a soft, damp cloth about once a month or take them outside and spray the leaves with water. Avoid locating plants close to heaters in winter and most indoor plants will do best if they get at least some indirect sunlight.
Fertilise your indoor plants with controlled release, granular fertilizer twice per year (spring and autumn) or maybe every couple of months with a water soluble fertilizer.
Ian Rogan
Millthorpe Garden Nursery