Bring the tropics indoors to heat up the season
Tropical house plants are hot commodities these days. One of the speakers at a gathering of Garden Communicators last March was a young engineer who had just written a book on houseplants, following his very successful blog on the same subject. Studies show that millennials love houseplants!
Let me step back for a moment, back in the ’70s and ’80s I grew my share of ferns, spider plants, and pothos, with varying degrees of success. Been there, done that — or so I thought.
Armed with an empty wooden planter and a dream of brightening up our kitchen island, I nipped into Mullen’s Garden Market (mullengardenmarket.com) to explore this houseplant craze. What I really was looking for was a slice of the tropics.
What I discovered were tables filled with all sorts of interesting plants, but where to start? I asked Katie Mazi, a floral designer at Mullen Garden Market to help me put together a tropical planter. She suggested I start by going through the shop and getting a feel for the colours and plants that caught my eye — I decided an all green palette featuring dark green and chartreuse, and then started to look for plants that would work together.
Like planning an outdoor planter, you want to choose plants with interesting texture, colour and form. “Include something with a little height, plants to drape over the edge and maybe a flowering element for interest,” Katie suggested. You don’t want too many divas, look for plants that will work together.
For a little height, and to anchor the design, 10-cm pots of Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) with boldly patterned foliage, Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenius nidus) with crinkled, sword shaped leaves, lacy Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum) and green and white striped Calathea were chosen. Lime pothos would be perfect to tumble over the edge of the planter and echo the variegation in some of the other plants. Miniature pots (6-cm) of Calandiva (Kalanchoe) with exquisite white double rosettes, variegated ivy and a single Pilea
(Bertertonia) with velvety green, deeply textured leaves proved irresistible.
Before planting, the potted plants were loosely assembled in the container to see how they fit together. It’s much easier to change your mind at this point if something doesn’t look quite right. Check the plants to see if they need water before planting them.
Next, the planter was lined with a sheet of plastic before filling it with good quality potting soil. The plastic will protect your furniture and will be handy to help lift the soil when the planter needs freshening up in the future.
Start by positioning the larger elements, placing them along the back of the planter.
White and green pinstriped Calathea and Prayer Plant, with boldly patterned foliage, went in first. The delicate Maidenhair Fern created a delicate filler between the weightier Calathea and Prayer Plant. The crinkled, shiny Bird’s Nest Fern, with its vase form and unusual foliage completed the back line. If you wanted a simple planter, with a little elbow room for future growth, you could stop right here.
We were going for a lush, exuberant look, so smaller plants were used to filled in the gaps.
Lime Pothos was positioned front and centre so that its cheerful yellow-green leaves would pick up the chartreuse highlights of the anchor plants — it really seemed to pop. Pothos is one of the easiest houseplants to care for, it is very durable and tough, and looks great tumbling over the edge of a planter. Pilea with green, deeply furrowed leaves, a tiny fern with frosted leaves (name unknown) with an Italian parsley vibe, and variegated ivy were also tucked in. On the end of the planter, a miniature Calandiva with exquisite double rosette flowers with lime green buds opening to white, was tucked under the variegated calathea — a little surprise to find as you explore the design.
When you are almost done, stand back and take a good look at how things fit together. “You can’t be married to a plant in one location,” Katie advised. “You have to be willing to adapt the design. When things come out of their pots you get a different kind of flow happening.”
Some of the plants look better standing tall, others can lean forward to better fill a space.
When you are satisfied with the layout, tuck in extra soil to fill any gaps, and then top dress the soil with a layer of shredded bark mulch. “It gives nice contrast and an earthy look.” The mulch helps to cover up white specs of vermiculite in the potting soil, it allows the water to flow through nicely, and it is inexpensive. You probably have some at home you could use.
Position the planter in a bright room, out of direct sunlight and put it on a regimen of weekly watering. Check for dryness by sticking a finger in the soil, before watering, don’t just add water because a week has gone by. The ferns may need a little drink of water more often than the other plants. Katie recommends spritzing the plants with a fine mist to keep them looking fresh. “These plants thrive on humidity — but don’t over water.”
This container will not drain because of the plastic liner. Final thoughts
When designing a mixed planter, select plants that will have similar light and water requirements, if you are not sure, ask for advice.
This combination of plants is a good investment. They can serve as a spring board for a tropical plant collection, divide the plants and pot them up separately as they mature. The planter can spend the summer on a shady patio or deck (daily watering may be required).
A tropical planter will not need to be tweaked for several months, the calandiva will bloom for 4-6 weeks, stray leaves can be trimmed as required.
I may not be a hip millennial, but I know a good trend when I see one. Tropical houseplants have been proven to improve productivity and, like many of my favourite garden plants, they have the ability to brighten our spirits and give us a positive outlook.
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Theresa Forte is an award-winning columnist, photographer and speaker. You can reach her by calling 905-351-7540 or by email fortegardens@gmail.com