Plants
Macho fern (Nephrolepis biserrata ‘macho’): With its big, arching fronds, this easy-to-maintain plant is sure to make a statement when hung in the home. Light: Choose a spot with filtered to bright light. Avoid areas with very hot afternoon sun. Watering: Aim to water once a week in the warmer months and once a fortnight in winter. Feeding: Fertilise with a slow-release fertiliser once every six to nine months (refer to fertiliser’s packaging for dosage). Feed with a liquid fertiliser once every two to three weeks in the hotter months. Good to know: Ferns typically don’t like drying out. To avoid this, try sitting the plant above a saucer filled with pebbles and water. This will create humidity around the plant and keep the foliage from browning.
Heart-leaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum): An easy-to-care-for plant with beautiful, heart-shaped leaves, shown here to the right of this image. Care tips for devil’s ivy and heart-leaf philodendron: Light: Both of these plants should be positioned in spots with filtered to bright light. Watering: Typically water once a week in the warmer months and once every two to three weeks in winter. Feeding: Fertilise with a slow-release fertiliser once every six to nine months (see fertiliser’s packaging for dosage). In the warmer months, feed with a liquid fertiliser once every two to three weeks.
Ornamental onions (Allium aflatunense ‘Purple sensation’), like all plants of this genus, like light and well-drained soil, and spread naturally in sandy ground. Perched on their 70-centimetre stems, the softball-sized flowers play hide-and-seek with the sun. Like grasses, they bend and sway in the wind, adding movement to the meadow.
LOVE the pot plant stands! How about adding a potted dracaena or fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata) to add height and green to the space. A bookshelf that looks empty and lifeless? Add a philodendron vine to trail down over the shelves. To keep houseplants inexpensive, choose varieties you likely won’t kill, such as nearly bulletproof mother-in-law’s tongue and philodendron, and ask for cuttings or pups (succulent starts) from friends.
Devil’s Ivy Botanical name: Epipremnum aureum There’s nothing devilish about this graceful low-care climber, except its toxicity to animals and little kids and its invasiveness if planted outside. Its charm is in its arrowhead-shaped leaves, sometimes with delicate gold striations. Prefers: Partial all-year-round shade and an occasional water spritz. It really can’t be under-watered, so step away with the watering can unless it’s quite dry. Hates: Draughts, cold.
Lucky Bamboo Botanical name: Dracaena sanderiana An almost foolproof plant, this is not a bamboo but a dracaena that thrives indoors. It’s the Esther Williams of house plants, a water baby that doesn’t need soil to grow. Many come from China twisted into fantastic spirals. Prefers: Indirect average to low light. It’s sensitive to chemicals, so treat it to a few centimetres of filtered water in a tall glass container with a layer of pebbles in the base. Change water once a week and add a drop of liquid fertiliser once a month.
Boston Fern Botanical name: Nephrolepis exaltata A favourite of every mid-century hallway and Victorian era parlour, this is a fern’s fern, quite happy in modern decor. Hang it high, let its elegant arching fronds droop on a stylish plant stand or create a formal arrangement with a pigeon pair flanking a special furniture piece. It’s one of the hardier ferns.
nice tropical plant
Devil's ivy Those looking for an easy-care indoor plant that will cascade and trail, and soften hard edges. It is also ideal for those looking for a plant with health benefits, as devil’s ivy is known to efficiently cleanse the air of pollutants. Avoid if you have house pets, as the plant is highly toxic if any part of it is consumed. Position in comfortable room temperatures between 10 and 27 degrees Celsius year round, and near a window with indirect/filtered sunlight. Growth will slow if you choose a very dark spot, while very bright spots will burn the leaves and eventually kill the plant. It also makes an ideal office plant because it grows well under fluorescent lights.
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