Are you on Unley Road and looking for indoor plants?
Are you new to indoor plants? Are a little unsure of their care? Or just need a refresher on selecting the right plant for the right spot? While indoor plants have seen a resurgence in recent years, those of you who are in their 40s or 50s will remember the luscious fronds of ferns and palms filling timber lined sitting rooms, spider plants hanging in macramé creations or enormous Aspidistra balanced precariously on bamboo plant stands. It’s fabulous to see these beauties make their way back into homes around Australia.
Plants and their benefits are not new to home owners. Plants of course, have sustained generations of people through the years. They sustain us with food, provide shelter and timber, and they help to keep our planet cool. In the home plants are not only pleasant to look at, but they help to improve air quality, and at an emotional level they create feelings of wellbeing and of happiness.
As more of us live in apartments and units, and as our backyards continue to shrink, indoor plants will increasingly provide an essential, and in some cases, the only, connection between people and nature. The tangibility of a plant, the joy in watching it grow and thrive, the softness they bring to a room and the ambiance they create are all so important to our lives.
Some plants grow better indoors than others. So, if you are new to plants, where do you start? If you know your home well, you will understand where the light falls and how much of it there is. You will understand which rooms are hotter or cooler than others, where there are breezes, and in which direction your heater projects it’s warmth … and these are the things we need to know in helping you select a plant that will not only look good, but will thrive for years to come.
Here are five indoor plants worth considering for your home:
- Zanzibar Gem: Amazingly hardy, requiring very little water. Zanzibar Gem is also very tolerant of low light. Be sure to water it only every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Mother In Laws Tongue (Sanseveria): An oldie but a goodie, the Mother in Law’s Tongue, like the Zanzibar Gem is also tolerant of low light and requires very little water (every 6 to 8 weeks) A lovely plant for tight spaces, or where you are looking to get some height.
- Devils Ivy (Pothos): Not everyone is a fan of variegation, but this makes a lovely plant to cascade over a mantle, a book case, or place in a hanger. Super hardy, it’s well worth including in your home. Keep out of reach of small children and animals who are likely to chew the leaves as they are toxic. Devils Ivy will tolerate a range of light conditions. Water it when dry.
- Philodendron: There are many varieties of Philodendron, with a big variation in leaf and plant size. Philodendron are hardy plants. Those with a larger leaf surface do seem to attract dust, so be sure to keep them clean.
- Chinese Money Plant (Pilea Peperomioides): these are the latest must have plant. Water when dry, and be sure to keep turning the plant each week so that you get good even growth (left unturned, the plant will send growth towards the light only). They like good light. If you like quirk you will love the pancake shaped leaves!
A big thanks to Barrow & Bench Mitre 10 for this article. Check them out at 321 Unley Road, they have a team of garden staff who are all qualified horticulturalists! They also have a fabulous range of indoor (and outdoor) plants, as well as pots, baskets and hangers and so much more!
