Indholdsfortegnelse for Your Happy Houseplants i Your Happy Houseplants

Do you know what I love about house plants? There’s something for everyone. Whether you’ve got a sunny windowsill, a humid bathroom or a shady corner, there’s a house plant to fit the bill and breathe life into your space. From big, bold foliage, guaranteed to make an impact, to compact blooms for brightening any spot, the world of house plants includes it all. Never grown a house plant before? Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of varieties on these pages that are hassle-free and perfect for beginners. There’s also lots to choose from if you’re up for a bit more of a challenge. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to add living style to your home. You'll find all the expert advice and inspiration you could ever need……

Dypsis lutescens Add this palm to your house to provide instant impact in any room. It likes bright, indirect light, is easy to look after and grows up to 8m (although it’s slow growing), making it perfect for rooms with high ceilings and corners that need a bit of a lift. H x S 8m x 4m Yucca elephantipes The yucca has always been a popular house plant. This one is known as the spineless yucca. It is hardy and unfussy about humidity. Best grown in a very well-lit sunny position, a conservatory will be an ideal home. H x S 2m x 30cm Draceana fragrans ‘Massangeana’ Bring a corner to life with the corn or happy plant. Not only does it have attractive leaves but they are said to…

a … is for Airplants A quirky addition to any home, these attractive, intriguing plants are the ideal first foray into growing indoors. Compact and easy to care for, they will adorn your rooms like little gems of living art. Airplants come originally from Mexico and South America, where they grow perched on tree branches, rather than in the ground. With little or no roots, they absorb moisture and nutrients through their leaves, so are grown without soil. This lets you get creative with your displays, even if you like a minimalist look. Most like indirect light and a spot where they won’t be in a draught. The key is to water correctly and position them in the right spot. Thinner leaved airplants will dry out more quickly than those with…

There are few indoor plants that lend as much elegance to a room as orchids. Their exotic flowers last for several weeks, which make them excellent value for money, and their wide availability means they’re now more affordable than ever before. Orchids are one of the largest families in the plant kingdom, living in a variety of climates, both temperate and tropical. Many grow on trees (epiphytes), but others grow on the ground or in rock crevices (lithophytes). You may have eaten the seeds of the only edible species Vanilla planifolia, which gives its name to the flavouring. By far the most popular orchids on sale today are phalaenopsis, or moth orchids, which are epiphytes, but there’s many others to choose from depending on your experience and how much maintenance…

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Desert plants such as cacti and other succulents will enjoy life in a terrarium that is left open. Slow growing, they will mostly look after themselves. For this one, we’ve used a barrel cactus, peacock echeveria and a molded wax agave but you can use any cactus and succulents you like. You will need Cacti and other succulents Cacti and succulent compost Gravel Sand Pebbles Spoon Paintbrush Cork on a stick Tweezers An open glass vessel 1 Clean and dry an open and shallow glass vessel. Gently pour in the gravel – fill up to 3cm high, then level it with your hands. Pour or scoop in slightly moist cactus compost to a depth of 4cm above the gravel and use your hands to level and firm it. 2 Use your fingers,…

Dark-leaved Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ is a dramatic evergreen exotic that stores water in its thick leaves, making it a drought-tolerant house plant. You can propagate it by taking cuttings, which should root in a few weeks. Take the cuttings while the plants are in active growth in spring, to encourage speedy rooting. Select young, slender shoots as propagation material. These will root more easily and have more vigour than older, thicker shoots. After you’ve followed the steps below, leave your cuttings uncovered and keep them at 18-20°C indoors, on a sunny windowsill. Water sparingly until they have rooted, taking care not to water directly onto the leaves. Aim to keep the compost barely moist at all times. When using this method on leafier house plants, you may need to remove the…

A key lesson for ensuring success when dividing plants is to try to secure as much root as possible on each new piece of plant, or at least some of the root-plate tissue (the stubbly-looking area where roots emerge from). Always remove offsets with a sharp, clean knife, and remember that the less root the separated piece of plant has, the fewer leaves it will be able to sustain, so do not hesitate to remove some lower leaves if the roots are small, before potting it up and placing it on a shady windowsill. For some plants, division involves detaching offsets (as pictured, below) but other plants, such as Boston fern may need splitting in half (see opposite). You can use this method on: Boston fern Dumb cane Kentia palm…

1 Fill a tray with peat-free multi-purpose compost and firm using the base of another tray to create an even surface. Leave a gap of about 1cm between the compost and top of the tray. Soak the tray in a sink of shallow water for 10 minutes then leave to drain. 2 Take a stem that is still attached to a healthy ivy plant and pin it to the compost using a couple of 10cm pieces of wire bent into U shapes. Keep damp and after a few weeks, new roots will form and you can cut the stem away from the mother plant.…

Get your watering right because few house plants can tolerate waterlogged roots. Except when it’s really hot in summer, you shouldn’t need to water more than weekly – and more likely fortnightly when reduced light and temperature levels mean that your plants are hardly growing. Push your fingertips into the compost to assess whether the plant needs watering. Watering can be done on top of the soil, underneath from a saucer or by drenching the plant and allowing excess water to run off. Match watering frequency/amounts to the plant’s needs and growth patterns. More house plants die from overwatering than any other cause. When you overwater, the soil gets so soggy that oxygen cannot reach the roots. Roots then die and begin to rot. If in doubt, watch for wilting…

Tackle mealybugs These insects look like tiny pink or white woodlice, but at first you’re unlikely to see the creatures, just the waxy powder they use for protection. It coats crevices in the plants, such as leaf axils or cracks in stems, and hides the insect’s tiny eggs. Mealybugs suck plant sap for food and excrete sticky honeydew, which in turn can attract sooty mould. It’s difficult to control. There are biocontrols that work from May to September, or organic sprays, which need careful use. Physical removal of the wax and the mealybugs with a cotton bud can work but needs repeating often, and as you’re unlikely to get rid of them completely, some gardeners prefer to bin infested plants. Check regularly for pest outbreaks. As our homes can quickly…

Phaleanopsis The ever popular, long-flowering moth orchid provides months of flowers and it’s easy to grow. Place on an east- or west-facing windowsill for exotic blooms. See p40-41 for growing advice. Flowers It can flower at any time of the year Height x Spread 60cm x 30cm Kalanchoe This is a succulent plant, also known as Flaming Katy, with tiny, colourful flowers that can be yellow, orange, white or magenta. They are low maintenance and like a bright, sunny spot. F Feb-May H x S 20cm x 20cm Streptocarpus Cape primroses are easy to look after and come in a range of colours including pink and purple. They provide months of colour and like a sunny spot. See p124 for more information. F Mar-Nov H x S 35cm x 30cm…

Tillandsia stricta This one is perfect for those who want a colourful air plant. In the summer it produces flowers that can be pink, red, purple or blue. These only last a day, but the leaves are equally striking. F Jun-Aug H x S 20cm x 20cm Fittonia albivensis The nerve plant has vibrant leaves and a compact habit, which makes it ideal for those with limited space for plants. It does like to be in a humid spot so it’s best kept in a bathroom or kitchen. H x S 12cm x 10cm Echeveria elegans If you’re tight on space and time try a succulent. They don’t need much care and come in attractive shades of blues, greens and grey. The Mexican snowball is a lovely variety and the…

Cacti are exciting to grow from seed – their plump seedlings appear quickly and they’ll begin to develop their characteristic spines in under a year. Cactus seeds are available from seed merchants and specialist societies, but if you know someone with a fruiting plant, then you can get yours for free. Another option is to buy dragon fruit from a grocer – these exotics contain thousands of small seeds that will develop into vine-like cacti. Source seed now, ready to sow in late February or March. You will need Plastic pots or seed trays (these must be sterile, so use new pots or ensure reused pots are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected) Cactus compost (or any soil-based mixture) Grit or perlite Cactus seeds Vermiculite or sharp sand Clear plastic bag or…

If you’re looking for a quick gift for a friend in the festive season, or to take as a ‘thank you’ when you go out to a party, try something more inventive than a box of chocolates or a scented candle. The fact is, you can never go wrong with a house plant. In the ‘season to be jolly’ a plant shows that you care, and it will last a lot longer than a bunch of flowers. It will often be appreciated far more and for far longer than the usual offerings. There’s something to suit everyone, whether you’re giving a festive plant as a present or looking for one to cheer up your own home. Poinsettias are perhaps the most familair Christmas gift plant but why not try something…

In some parts of the world, plants have to cope with arid conditions, often not just dry but hot too. One of the adaptations plants use in these challenging conditions is to store water in their leaves. They go by the name of succulents from the Latin word ‘sucus’, meaning sap or juice. Succulents belong to many different plant families but share the common device of using their leaves and, in some cases, their stems as reservoirs so that in times of drought they remain turgid and can survive. Most cacti don’t have leaves and it is their stems which act as reservoirs/water storage tanks. Remember, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti! The main group of succulents are tender and cannot tolerate frost. This whole group…

Planting up a container is a lovely way to bring cheer to your garden, but the same principles can be applied to an indoor pot bursting with interesting house plants. Choose a smart and attractive container and include a mix of taller plants, trailing specimens, and a range of leaf colours and textures. A pot like this one will look great throughout the year. When the plants eventually outgrow their space, you can pot them up into bigger containers. Choose house plants that enjoy the same conditions – there’s no point in planting a sun-loving, drought-tolerant cactus with a moisture-loving, shade-tolerant fern. The plants in this container will all enjoy bright, indirect light and compost that is kept moist, but not wet. You will need spiderplant artilleryplant…

Jungle-like plants with lush, green leaves will love a closed terrarium and once sealed shut, you won’t even need to water it. We used Calathea ‘Blue Grass’ and a pink and white fittonia, but you can choose your own favourite humidity loving plants. You will need Humidity-loving plants House plant compost Carpet moss Activated charcoal Gravel Small pebbles Spoon Paintbrush A cork on a stick Tweezers Funnel A sealable glass vessel, with a glass or cork lid Once your terrarium is sealed shut you won’t even need to water it 1 Use a funnel to fill a clean and dry jar with a 2cm layer of gravel. Add a dessertspoon of crushed charcoal on top and spread evenly with a stick or the back of a narrow paintbrush. Add 6cm of…

Leaf cuttings are a quick and easy way to propagate house plants such as watermelon peperomia (pictured), mother-in-law’s tongue, African violets, and the stunning wild cape primroses (streptocarpus) that come in flowers of many colours. The cuttings are best taken in winter, when the plants are dormant. All you need is a single leaf, because this has the ability to produce a new, young plant at its base. Once cuttings have rooted you can pot into individual pots. Keep the compost just slightly moist, as cuttings are prone to rotting if left sitting in very wet soil. In a few weeks, once the new plants are big enough to handle, pot them on into larger pots. You can try this on: African violets Eucomis Mother in law's tongue Sinningia Streptocarpus…

Top tips for healthy house plants ■ Take care where you put fruit in a bowl! Fruits, such as bananas, give off the gas, ethylene, making blooms fade quickly. But it will also encourage buds to open, so can be used to your advantage. ■ Water more frequently as temperatures rise, but avoid overwatering. ■ Include liquid fertiliser in your watering can every week or fortnight over summer. ■ Keep house plants away from south-facing windows because direct sun can scorch their leaves. ■ Replace canes and moss poles on supported plants that have grown too tall, such as monsteras or Ficus pumila. Or you can tie extensions onto existing poles. ■ Give house plants a holiday by leaving them outside in warm weather – they’ll benefit from the natural…

All potted plants eventually benefit from repotting. When their roots fill the pot, gently ease the plant out of its container. If the roots are ‘pot-bound’ – having formed a dense, circling web – gently break and tease out the roots around the sides and base to encourage them to spread outwards when they are in their new pot. Place your plant in a new pot slightly larger than the previous pot. Always use pots with drainage holes in the bottom, because most house plants dislike excess moisture around their roots. Place a little compost in the base of the pot, so the compost surface will be at the same level on the plant as it was in the previous pot. Fill in around the rootball with house plant or…

Monstera adansonii Known as the Swiss cheese plant for its holey leaves, this is a great plant to grow for foliage. It’s dark green leaves are attractive and add a tropical twist to a living space. It’s easy to look after and fast growing too. H x S 15cm x 10cm Begonia ‘Fireworks’ This a showstopper of a foliage plant with large purple and green variegated leaves. It’s perfect for a shady spot and has tiny pink flowers too. F Jan-Dec H x S 35cm x 30cm Tradescantia zebrina If you’re looking for an easy trailing option, try this colourful foliage plant. It has purple, green and silver leaves that will stand out in any room, but it’s best placed in a bright, warm place. H x S 40cm x…

1 YOU’LL SAVE MONEY ON CUT FLOWERS A vase of cut flowers can last a week or two so why not invest in a flowering house plant instead and enjoy greenery year-round with the bonus of flowers. A moth orchid will bloom prolifically in the right position and cape primroses will also flower for months if kept on a warm, but not hot windowsill. 2 YOU DON’T NEED A GARDEN If you don’t have any outside space or can’t get into the garden, you can bring a touch of the outdoors inside with house plants. Why not trying making mini gardens in glass containers with terrariums or get creative and make indoor container displays with a selection of house plants that like the same conditions. For ideas, turn to p62.…

Why not try the enchanting Japanese art of kokedama and use a moss ball as a stylish way of displaying a house plant. This is a great way to give a new look to ivy. In Japan the ‘moss ball’ is also known as ‘poor man’s bonsai’ or ‘string garden’. The rootballs of small plants are wrapped in moss and hung up for decoration. As well as indoors, they could be used to adorn walls, fences, balconies, shady alleys or be hung from trees. A homemade kokedama would also make an original and welcome present. You will need One pot-grown ivy Sheet moss Bonsai compost (if you can’t source bonsai compost, see step 1 below) Multi-purpose compost Garden twine or thin ribbon Scissors Trug, or large saucer, for mixing compost…

It’s great fun perusing house plants in nurseries or online, looking for the perfect varieties to transform your home. They bring freshness and a sense of style to a house, which, in turn, adds so much personality, colour and character. When designing rooms with house plants, you need to consider both the plant’s needs and how it could improve the look of the room. Note where the light falls and the regular temperature of the room to help find the right plants. Here are a few style tips to consider, from how many plants you put in a room, to the types of container you choose to put your plants in. LESS IS MORE If you are choosing plants for small rooms, try investing in fewer plants that will have…

1 Fill 9cm pots with an equal mix of peat-free multi-purpose compost and perlite or grit. Firm it down gently until the compost is about 1cm below the rim of the pot. 2 Select one of the strongest, healthiest leaves on your begonia. Detach it from the plant by cutting through the base of the stem using a clean, sharp knife. 3 Use a dibber or pencil to make a hole in the compost, in the centre of the pot. Gently insert the leaf stem into the compost, all the way up to the leaf itself. 4 Firm the compost in around the stem, then water using a fine rose attachment on your watering can or hose. Let the water drain away, then put in a warm, well-lit spot indoors.…