Don’t leaf them out
Bring the outdoors in with Diarmuid’s choice of house plants for the winter
PREPARING the garden for winter I can’t help feeling a little wistful. One of the annual end-of-summer jobs is to roll up the outdoor rugs on the veranda, gather up the cushions and bring my indoor plants back inside.
The plants have enjoyed their summer holidays, flourishing in the higher light levels and fresh air. But they’re all tender and as temperatures start to fall, particularly at nighttime, they need to retreat indoors.
Before bringing them back in I give them a good hosing down to make sure they aren’t carrying any unwanted guests. And as we all begin to spend more time indoors, we can benefit greatly from bringing the outside in.
With plenty of us working from home, some greenery will enliven your office space. Here’s my selection of top indoor plants to brighten up your interiors.
Stromanthe Triostar has colourful foliage – green and cream variegation
with pinky purple undersides – and it makes a lovely decorative feature in the house. Originating from the floors of jungle forests, it doesn’t want direct sunlight and likes to be kept humid.
Asparagus setaceus has the softest airy leaves and is one of the best plants for a bathroom. Known as the asparagus fern, it isn’t a fern at all but like many of them it enjoys indirect light and plenty of misting.
Pilea peperomioides, the Chinese money plant, continues to enjoy huge popularity, especially amongst the ‘hipster’ generation. It has lovely round leaves and is the perfect plant for a bright spot.
Water regularly in summer but allow to dry out slightly between waterings, and then only water sparingly in winter.
It likes being misted and you can pinch it out to maintain its bushy shape or if it gets very leggy, take cuttings which root easily.
Tillandsia, the air plant, is probably the easiest of all the indoor plants as it doesn’t require any growing medium at all – you can hang it from a string or pop it in a glass bowl. To maintain, mist it every few days or if it dries out, completely soak it in lukewarm water (preferably rainwater) and hang it up to dry off as it will rot sitting in water.
Livistona rotundifolia is a gorgeous small palm tree, small enough to have in a pot on a side table. The leaves are pleated like an elegant handheld fan. It hails from the tropics and ideally I would recommend daily misting.
Medinilla, the rose grape, is a really beautiful hanging flower ideal for hanging pots or shelves. It needs to be kept in a warm, bright space and have consistently moist soil.
This is best achieved by standing
the pot in a tray of watered gravel. To achieve yearly blooms, feed monthly with liquid fertiliser.
Kalanchoe Magic Bells is a charming variety of kalanchoe with grape-like bells that dangle from the branches and produce orange flowers. It’s a succulent with fleshy leaves that have the capacity to store water so it won’t mind if you forget to water it every now and again.
When you do water, make sure any excess liquid can drain away and then leave the plant alone and let the soil dry. A bright spot but not direct sunlight is best.
Rabbit’s foot fern, or Davallia fejeensis, is good too – you’ll recognise this fern from the furry rhizomes that protrude, looking a bit like a rabbit’s foot.
It’s a good idea to display this plant at eye level so you can see this feature.
It has attractive fronds and as with most ferns it likes humidity as well as indirect sunlight.