Goeppertia orbifolia is a tender plant that produces very handsome, striped leaves with alternate markings in shades of silver and green. These striking plants thrive in a warm and humid environment and make wonderful houseplants in areas that enjoy bright but soft, filtered light. Avoid growing Goeppertia orbifolia in areas with harsh lighting and afternoon sunshine, which tends to be more intense.
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana ‘Perfect White’ is a double-flowered form of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana with fully-double, snow-white coloured flowers. The blooms are beautifully complimented by this plant’s gorgeous dark-green coloured, scallop-edged foliage. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana ‘Perfect White’ is a houseplant that’s available to buy online or from garden centres, nurseries, or supermarkets. In addition to this double-flowered, white form of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana that’s part of my houseplant collection, look out for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana forms with yellow, red, and pink flowers.
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.
Alocasia ‘Ninja’ plants thrive in a very humid environment making these plants ideally suited to growing inside a terrarium, vivarium, or bottle garden. However, terrariums and bottle gardens are not universally the same, different enclosures will provide contrasting growing conditions. When choosing a terrarium and deciding on a location to cultivate Alocasia ‘Ninja’, remember that these plants won’t be happy in a shaded environment – Alocasia ‘Ninja’ require bright but indirect light to be able to thrive.
Pilea hitchcockii is a handsome little plant with attractive pointed leaves in intriguing shades of deep grey and chocolate-maroon, with tints of silver. There’s a real depth to Pilea hitchcockii’s leaf colour; the combination of complimentary colour tones and such delicate and pretty serration along the leaf margins is exquisite. I adore Pilea hitchcockii leaves!
This is a small, clump forming plant that thrives in bright but indirect light.
Asplenium bulbiferum is a very beautiful subtropical fern from New Zealand. I adore the light and airy, carrot top like fronds that Asplenium bulbiferum produces; overall it has a very graceful appearance.
This fern grows as an epiphyte – the ferns grow upon other plants, instead of growing as a terrestrial plant that grows with its roots in the soil. I mount my Asplenium bulbiferum ferns on their own individual pieces of cork bark and gently secure their roots in place with a strip of material cut from an old pair of stockings.
Monstera deliciosa ‘Thai Constellation’ is a form of Monstera deliciosa ‘Variegata’ with splashes of ivory coloured variegation over fresh green leaves. The intensity of the variegation varies both from leaf to leaf and plant to plant, but the foliage usually features thin markings in a pleasing shade of soft white. Let me reassure you, this is not a gaudy looking plant, it’s perhaps a little more demure than you might expect for a variegated houseplant and is certainly not as attention grabbing as some variegated houseplants can be.
Platycerium bifurcatum is also know as the Staghorn Fern; this is a stunning evergreen fern that naturally grows as an epiphyte – establishing itself on the trunks and branches of trees in its native environment in the treetops and rainforests of Java, Polynesia, Australia, and Asia. This is a slow-growing, long-lived fern that will enhance your home when grown as a houseplant.
‘Sweet Crunch’ is an F1 hybrid and a predominantly female cucumber variety that produces half-sized to three-quarter sized cucumbers. In my Cucumber Trials, I’ve found ‘Sweet Crunch’ is a fast grower that rapidly produces a harvest. ‘Sweet Crunch’ cucumbers are crunchy and lovely to eat; they have thin, smooth and glossy skins that are devoid of any spines. These cucumbers have a great flavour and this variety has many good qualities.
Dwarf French bean ‘Mistik’ (known by their botanical name, Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Mistik’) is a French bean that produces short, low-growing plants with attractive purple-lilac coloured flowers and handsome deep-purple coloured French beans. Due to their dark colour, purple ‘Mistik’ French beans really stand out against the plants’ green foliage when you view the plants, which makes finding the beans so much easier at harvest time, compared to French beans with green pods.
Dwarf French bean ‘Adoration’ are also known by their botanical name, Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Adoration’. ‘Adoration’ is a French bean that produces short, low-growing plants with pretty white flowers and pale, buttery-yellow coloured French beans. ‘Adoration’ French beans retain all their delightful yellow colour when cooked. Dwarf French bean ‘Adoration’ is also known as a bush bean – bush bean is just another common name for dwarf French beans.
Please don’t be put off by my photograph of sweet pepper ‘Panache’. I share this image to show you just how robust this sweet pepper variety is. This sweet pepper ‘Panache’ plant you can see in the image above was grown in a cut off water storage container filled with some lovely peat-free compost. The plant received attention from slugs and snails, yet despite this my ‘Panache’ sweet pepper plant was incredibly productive and produced an abundance of delicious sweet peppers!
Chilli pepper ‘Draky’ (Capsicum annuum) is a chilli pepper that produces large-sized chilli peppers that ripen from green to red. ‘Draky’ chilli pepper plants are cone-shaped, because of their size and shape, ‘Draky’ chilli peppers resemble a sweet pepper in their appearance. These chillies are an ideal size and shape to be served as a stuffed vegetable; fill the peppers with a range of ingredients from rice, herbs, and spices; or use them to create more unusual dishes.
Chilli Pepper ‘Pepperilli’ (Capsicum Pepperilli™ TZ 5488 F1) is an attractive and productive chilli pepper with large-sized chillies that ripen from green to red. ‘Pepperilli’ makes a superb container plant for planters filled with peat-free growing media, but in summertime ‘Pepperilli’ plants can also be planted out in garden beds and borders as well as in allotments and raised beds.
Schlumbergera, are a group of epiphytic cacti that are more commonly known as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter cactuses, so called, as these Schlumbergera plants usually flower at these celebratory times of year: in November, December, March, and April, though plants can flower anytime from October onwards. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter cactuses make super houseplants, which thrive inside our homes, flourishing in rooms that offer a range of conditions, from soft, bright but indirect light, to semi shaded, or shaded conditions.
Chilli Pepper ‘Sivri Biber’ (Capsicum annuum) produces long and slender chillies that are a popular ingredient in Turkish cuisine. ‘Sivri Biber’ chilli peppers are blessed with a sweet and mellow flavour. They are usually considered as mild flavoured chillies, but heat levels vary; older ‘Sivri Biber’ peppers and mature peppers that have ripened from green to red can sometimes be surprisingly spicy!
Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Sensation’ is my favourite Peace Lily. This magnificent cultivar is an absolute thing of beauty complete with utterly gorgeous, giant sized, ribbed, glossy green leaves. I’ve been head-over-heals in love with Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Sensation’ since I first spotted this plant – it was love at first sight. My love and affection for this plant has lasted; I adore Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Sensation’ plants just as much today as when I first saw this plant.
Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Bingo Cupido’ (‘Spapril’) (PBR) is a regular sized Peace Lily plant that has been bred to produce larger sized flowers. This plant displays a more floriferous habit with a greater number of flowers held during each flowering period, as well as more frequent flowerings. Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Bingo Cupido’ plants grow up to around 70cm (2.2ft) tall.
Grow Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Bingo Cupido’ in a warm room, where your plant will enjoy stable temperatures that are unlikely to drop much below 15C (59F).
Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Straight’ is a rhizomatous plant from Tropical Africa that has specialised underground storage organs to store water and energy; these reserves enable this species to survive the dry seasons in Sansevieria cylindrica‘s homelands of Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. NB: The correct botanical name for this particular species is Dracaena angolensis, but plants are usually sold as Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Straight’.
Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Nanouk’ is a striking plant with variegated leaves that look as if they have been artistically painted in complementary shades of ivory, green, and pink. Each Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Nanouk’ plant’s variegation will vary according to the lighting and growing conditions the plant experiences. A Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Nanouk’ plant grown in more shaded conditions than the plant would wish for will soon start to produce leaves that have more green in their pigmentation.
