Do you have enough houseplants? I don’t know about you, but I’m always willing to make room for more indoor plants. If you’re considering purchasing a new houseplant and you’re keen to make a lasting purchase, hoping for the long-term, leafy love affair we all dream of, then I have some fabulous ideas for you…
Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii is also known as String of Hearts or Hearts Entangled. This really is the perfect name for this plant; its long slender stems are liberally decorated with symmetrical heart-shaped leaves. Each leaf is a work of art, a love heart surrounded by deep green picotee edging, the centre stippled and embossed with silver and green.
This superb houseplant is ideally suited to growing in a hanging basket or a tall shelf that allows the plant’s pendent stems to be displayed to their best advantage. String of Hearts is an idyllic houseplant; it’s drought tolerant, grows happily in bright, indirect light and semi-shaded conditions. Plus, plants root easily from cuttings. Plant in gritty, free-draining, peat-free compost; a cactus compost is ideal.
The majority of houseplants require less watering over the winter months. Check the compost to discover what condition the growing medium is in, before you water. Hold back from re-potting your plants and administering fertiliser until early spring.
If you want to help your plants, why not collect rainwater? It’s so much better for plants than tap water. Decant the rainwater into bottles and bring the containers inside. Ensure your rainwater has reached room temperature, before you water your plants, as they won’t appreciate an icy cold shower!
With the heating on, our homes become dry and warm in wintertime, which works for String of Hearts, Aloe vera, and cacti, but doesn’t suit every houseplant. Many plants, such as Spathiphyllum wallisii (Peace Lilies), Monstera deliciosa, and Chlorophytum comosum (Spider plants), require fewer waterings in winter, but still appreciate being misted a couple of times a week. Grouping plants that thrive in similar environments together makes life easier for you and your plants.
Another superb houseplant that I’m sure you’ll fall in love with is Aspidistra elatior. This is another bomb proof plant! Aspidistras delight in shady corners, thriving in dimly lit, gloomy rooms. With its glossy, bottle-green leaves, this handsome evergreen is strong, robust, and really rather dashing!
Aspidistras are survivors, they sail through all manner of calamities that would eradicate many other houseplants, from irregular watering and drought, to coping with cold, warm, or hot indoor temperatures. Throughout it all, this slow growing plant remains steadfast.
Folks often take hardworking, reliable plants like Aspidistras for granted and chase after elusive houseplants with very specific growing conditions, that are likely to keel over at the first opportunity. However, with handsome dependable plants like these, why would you want to?
This article was first published in the November 2020 edition of Vantage Point Magazine.
Other articles that may interest you……….
For more houseplant ideas, please click here.
For a step-by-step guide on how to create a terrarium or bottle garden, please click here.
For articles about terrariums and bottle gardens, please click here.
For outdoor gardening advice for December, please click here.
For outdoor gardening advice for January, please click here.
For outdoor gardening advice for February, please click here.
For a planting list for terrariums and bottle gardens, please click here.
