Retro feels
The indoor plant world is bringing back the seventies in a big way – and we’re loving it!
While we can all be distracted with the new… oh, look at that… often the old is worthy of a revisit – or, at least, an acknowledgement. This is the case with plants, those quiet, hard-working plants that just keep on going even though they may be forgotten about or have fallen out of favour.
These are the plants that often form the backbone of a plant collection; plants that provide solidity in amongst the prima donnas. It is heartening to see many of these being rediscovered and made available once again.
There are, of course, fancy ones, but we will start with a few of the hardy souls.
TEST-OF-TIME STALWARTS
I am going to start with one of my all-time favourites, the plain green aspidistra. This plant is on the resurgence radar, just, but I feel it doesn’t quite get the kudos it should, for it is a brilliant plant – able to withstand neglect, get too dry and not die, and grow in dark corners where nothing else could.
A favourite of the Victorians, this plant is a survivor and I wouldn’t be without it. It can even grow outside in some areas, which is something I didn’t know until I changed islands and found a patch of it in my new garden. For extra brownie points, it had also thrown up some variegated leaves.
Hoyas have leapt to the front of the popular queue, ranging from easy-peasy to acquire and grow to those that you have to sell the proverbial kidney for. For retro vibes, grow Hoya carnosa and H. bella.
Palms are able to fill a large gap and can fit in with any décor. One that is back is the kentia palm, Howea forsteriana, which is tough and easy to grow. I was
talking to a person who used to grow plants back in the day, and she made the comment that they used to triple-plant the palms in one pot and didn’t release them until they were a decent size – where is that time machine when I need it!
Begonias in all their various forms are retrochic, and though they can be frustrating at times with mildew and overwatering hissy fits, when you please them they look amazing with their colourful leaves, especially the rex begonias.
A totally different plant, also with colourful leaves, is the caladium. An old favourite, it has come back into favour with gusto.
Neither snake plant nor mother-in-law’s tongue is a very nice name for Sansevieria trifasciata – a plant that can look striking as it matures, adds needed vertical contrast to a group of plants and is hardy-as.
Then there are the aglaonemas and dieffenbachias – both have lush, striking foliage that is often patterned and coloured. I have to admit, I have identification blindness when it comes to these two types of plants and have had to resort to putting a white label in a prominent place to help tell which is which.
For extra crazy leaf colour, you can’t go past a croton. This plant produces unbelievable leaves in colours of yellow, orange, red and purple.
For less colourful but still striking foliage, try an aphelandra. Choose from green with white veins or a milky silver. A plus is the yellow plume-shaped flowers that last for a long time. And another variegated leaf plant that cannot go unmentioned is the ubiquitous spider plant,
Chlorophytum comosum – it is valuable for its ability to grow in nearly any position, even in student flats, and it is one of the ultimate
original retro plants (along with the rubber plant, Ficus robusta).
For long-flowering retro flower-power, there is nothing to beat the African violet (Saintpaulia). Cute, easy to grow and propagate, and readily available, they come in a range of flower colours, with also a choice of leaf colour – green or variegated. Streptocarpus is another group of long-flowerers in a similar colour range.
Ferns definitely give off the retro vibe, including the notoriously tricky maidenhair fern
(Adiantum). For an easier ride, choose a Boston
(Nephrolepis exaltata) or a bird’s nest fern
(Asplenium nidus) instead. The unusual staghorn
OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Add in some cane to your retro plants and boom – you’ve got the look; Easy-peasy plants, tradescantias are back in vogue; Terrariums are back – any size, any shape, any which way; A ceramic pot, a rattan mat and a trailing Philodendron micans – nailed it!; Hanging baskets, this one with a spider plant, are both handy and nostalgic.
fern (Platycerium) is also sneaking back into favour. Good bathroom greenery, ferns!
Large-leaved plants were once a favourite – monstera, philodendron and ficus species were used in both home and office situations. It’s good to see them coveted again.
Hanging plants, such as the string of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) and string of pearls (Curio rowleyanus syn. Senecio rowleyanus), were around when indoor plants became popular in the 1970s. also, the heartleaf philodendron, Philodendron scandens
– what a great plant this is, able to hang or climb and grow in low light situations, and it always looks lush.
Tradescantias have, understandably, come back into popularity – they are easy and fast growing.
COMPLETE THE LOOK
When talking about all things retro, we can’t not mention those accoutrements that enhance our plants, from macramé hangers to containers – those white pots, rattan baskets and funky pottery pots all add to the vibe. Cane furniture and shelving are also a nod to the past. I can even remember a cane monkey hanging from the plant-covered room divider in my parent’s house when I was growing up.
The resurgence of the terrarium and – if you are lucky to get your hands on a big bottle – the bottle garden, are instant theme-setters. I am awaiting the return of the built-in plant window (like a bay window that can be sealed off, just for plants). A bit of a mission to build and set up, but total vintage cool.
Apart from the above, another nod to yesteryear is how plants are displayed. If you look at pictures in old indoor plant books, you will see that they liked to do groupings of plants in large (usually white) containers or troughs. There are a few valid reasons to do this: by grouping plants together, you increase and stabilise the level of humidity; you need less room for those same plants than if they were singly potted; and plants with the same requirements can be grouped together. Oh, and you can have fun with it, either planting all the same plant, or treating it like a large floral arrangement by using contrasting foliage and flowers, and so on.
Indoor plants are still on a strong trajectory in popularity, and while they may appear to be new and modern, you may be surprised to find that many of the common, and not so common, have been around for yonks – a testament to how important an enhancement they are to our lives. Long may their retro vibes reverberate!