I must confess that I am a little doubtful that my Selaginella plants that you can see in my photograph above are actually true Selaginella apoda. However, for more than three years I’ve seen exactly the same type of Selaginella on sale at various nurseries and chains of garden centres and all of the plants were labelled as Selaginella apoda – and so I may well be wrong and this maybe the correct name for this plant.
I bought this endearing little plant about ten years ago. For me this is a truly charming terrarium plant. I adore Goeppertia micans leaves; their foliage may appear to be lovely, but fairly ordinary, plain green, narrow leaves, but when you touch this foliage it’s a delightful surprise to discover that these leaves are sumptuously soft! The undersides of every leaf are smooth and silky, they feel like the softest velvet.
Juniper is also known by its botanical name, Juniperus communis. Juniperus communis is an evergreen conifer with spiky needles. Plants are very hardy and they flourish in exposed and sheltered locations. These plants need a bright and sunny position; Juniperus communis is happy growing in almost any moist but well-drained soil, including stony ground and chalk. When choosing where to plant Juniperus communis, avoid shaded areas and soils that are prone to water-logging.
Maxillaria acutifolia is a small and compact orchid species from: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Venezula, Trinidad and Tobago. From winter to springtime, mature Maxillaria acutifolia plants produce these very cute yellow-orange coloured flowers, which are fragrant and have a nice scent. The blooms are held low down at the base of the plant, underneath the leaves; however the blooms aren’t completely obscured and the flowers can be easily admired.
Huauzontle (also known by its botanical name Chenopodium berlandieri) is an easy to grow annual from Mexico. Due to their similar appearances, this vegetable is easily identifiable as being a relation of the common weed, Fat Hen (which itself is another edible plant). Huauzontle plants produce edible leaves and teeny tiny flowers, which are eaten as newly formed buds, in a similar way to Broccoli.
French beans (known by their botanical name, Phaseolus vulgaris) are such lovely vegetables to grow. These plants are both productive and decorative, with attractive flowers. French beans are super plants that will truly enhance your garden; the beans they produce taste delicious, too!
Firstly, take care to select the type of French bean you want to grow. There are two types of French beans: tall climbing French beans (often called ‘Pole Beans’) that grow up to 8ft (2.5m) tall (and taller!)
I love growing blueberries! Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium angustifolium) are deciduous shrubs that produce sublime tasting berries. These handsome plants produce tasty fruit but they bring added interest to the garden with their intriguing white, bell-shaped flowers, which are adored by bees in springtime and their vibrant autumn leaves. In autumn, blueberries deliver stunning leaf colours, turning vivid shades of orange and red before falling.
Pilea microphylla is a low growing tender perennial; it’s a native plant of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and nearby countries. A very small-leaved plant, with leaves measuring just 1-2mm (0.04-0.08″) in size; at first glance, Pilea microphylla looks quite similar to mosses or ferns. This diminutive plant would be an ideal choice for an indoor fairy garden!
Plants thrive in a humid environment; Pilea microphylla is an ideal plant to include in a terrarium.
Callisia repens is a low growing, tender herbaceous perennial plant from Mexico, North, Central, and South America. Plants thrive in partially shaded conditions, in shallow, free draining, acid soils. This easy-to-grow plant readily adapts to a range of circumstances; tolerating both brighter and more shaded environments, as well as moist, humid, and drier conditions and neutral compost and soils; making Callisia repens a superb houseplant, thats hard to kill!
Chilli peppers (also known as chillies, chile peppers, and by their botanical names of Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum pubescens, and Capsicum chinense) are a group of tender vegetables that flourish in warm and sunny conditions. Gardeners can grow green, white, red, yellow, orange, purple, black, and indigo, coloured chillies. Chilli peppers are decorative and handsome plants that can enhance your garden as well as producing peppers to compliment your meals.
Sweet pepper plants (also known as peppers, bell peppers, Capsicums, or by their botanical name of Capsicum annuum) are tender vegetables that thrive in warm, bright and sunny areas. When all risk of frost has passed, sweet pepper plants can be grown outside in the garden, but until then the seedlings need to be grown in a warm, protected environment – a greenhouse or conservatory is ideal.
Courgettes, also known as Zucchini (and by the botanical name of Cucurbita pepo), are tender vegetables that are very productive and rewarding to grow. Courgettes vary from one variety to another; you’ll find seeds of yellow courgettes (like my plant in the photograph above), pale forms of courgette that are such a soft green they’re almost white, as well as light green, very dark green courgettes, and striped courgettes.
Epiphyllum anguliger is quite an extraordinary looking cactus! This plant is also known as the Fishbone Cactus, the Rick Rack Cactus, and the Zig Zag Cactus, due to their absolutely marvellous leaves that display a mesmerisingly wavy, zig zag form. I adore them!
It’s not only this plant’s leaves that are unusual. Epiphyllum anguliger plants are epiphytic. Rather than growing in the soil, or in the sand – which is where we think of most cacti growing, these epiphytic cacti grow at the top of trees, in the deciduous tropical forests of Mexico.
Cosmos atrosanguineus is a summer flowering perennial. Plants produce slender flowering stems, which are each topped with small dusky chocolatey maroon coloured, open flowers. Like other Cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus flowers are popular with bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. Deadhead the flowers as they fade, to prolong your plant’s flowering and help your plant to produce more flowers.
I enjoy growing Cosmos atrosanguineus; this is a lovely plant to have in your garden.
Tradescantia zebrina ‘Violet Hill’ is a tender herbaceous perennial that’s a popular houseplant. With its maroon and silverly grey coloured foliage, this plant is really quite striking and it’s easy to grow, too!
This is a super choice of plant to grow in an indoor hanging basket. It’s also a great plant to cultivate as a container plant, to adorn a medium height or high shelf, where your Tradescantia zebrina ‘Violet Hill’ plant’s trailing stems can drape themselves decoratively around the planter, to enhance the space.
Monstera deliciosa can be found growing in the wild, in the damp, humid rainforests of Panama, and Mexico. The rainforest is a competitive environment. Monstera deliciosa plants grow towards and then climb up nearby trees, to reach the sunlight.
Monstera deliciosa is a tender evergreen climbing plant, that favours growing in a location where it can enjoy bright, but indirect light, or partially shaded conditions.
I love pumpkins! These days there are a fantastically wide range of pumpkin cultivars to choose from. You could grow a small pumpkin that fits in the palm of your hand, or you could grow a pumpkin that is so large, that specialist equipment is required to lift and weigh the fully grown vegetable. Large pumpkins are sometimes hollowed out and used as small boats; this really is an amazing vegetable!
Selaginella pallescens makes a super addition to a terrarium or bottle garden, as this plant is both interesting and beautiful, and it is perfectly suited to the growing conditions a bottle garden provides. Selaginella pallescens requires very humid conditions to succeed. If you’re thinking of growing Selaginella pallescens, you’ll need to provide your plants with an environment where the humidity level won’t fall below 60% RH, so a terrarium, bottle garden, or vivarium, is usually the best location for this endearing plant.
Anthurium ‘Mini Jungle’ is an evergreen perennial. This hybrid Anthurium is a tender plant that can be grown outdoors in a warm climate, or indoors in the cooler regions of the world, where Anthurium ‘Mini Jungle’ makes a fantastic houseplant, or a good choice for a terrarium plant, for an open, drier terrarium.
Anthurium ‘Mini Jungle’ flourishes when it’s grown under bright, but indirect light.
Pilea depressa is a prostrate, mat forming, creeping plant, which produces an array of teeny, tiny leaves. This is an attractive plant at first glance, but when you make time to take a closer look at Pilea depressa‘s miniature leaves, you’ll discover that this plant is quite simply charming! Pilea depressa‘s minuscule leaves feature a delicate scalloped edging, which is utterly divine.
