Wonderful houseplants you’ll love to have in your home
Houseplants aren’t there just to look at – they can entertain as well. You can see some move, emit scent when you brush your hands over them, while others will even snap shut if prey lands on their leaves.
Read on to learn more...
Mimosa pudica
Also known as the sensitive plant, it reacts to being tickled, as the leaflets close like dominoes if you run a finger down them or they are exposed to heat, while the whole stem collapses if you touch it firmly. Give it plenty of sun and moderate watering, and you’ll keep it happy.
Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura)
The prayer plant, so called because it raises its leaves in the evening as though it is praying, is a great one to watch.
They are fun for kids, as they’re not toxic and seeing the plant move grabs their interest. It’s easy to care for, but looks stunning and can double in size in a couple of months.
Marantas prefer plenty of light, but not direct sunlight, along with welldrained soil and high humidity.
Calathea
Closely related to the maranta, these exoticlooking plants, often with colourful foliage and striking shape, are also known as peacock plants, and are similar to the prayer plant in that most of them move.
There’s a particular type called the rattlesnake plant, whose leaves open and close every day, because they need sunlight. They close to conserve energy when it’s darker.
They need bright indirect light and watering when the top two inches of soil dry out. Dusty leaves should be wiped with a damp cloth.
Oxalis triangularis
This plant is particularly active because of its reactions to light changes. As it moves in response to light intensity, its look changes dramatically. Film them with a timelapse camera, and you’ll see how much they move towards the sunlight over a 24-hour period
Alocasia
Increasingly popular because of their unusualshaped leaves and distinctive veins, these beauties spring visibly back to life after a good water. There are many unusual ones including the beautiful ‘Pink Dragon’ with pink stems and unusual leaves.
Venus fly trap
The leaves of this carnivorous house plant snap shut when an insect climbs in to investigate and is promptly trapped in its vice-like grip and digested. It’s fussy about its food, preferring spiders, ants, beetles and grasshoppers, with a few flying insects thrown in.
They need direct sunlight, otherwise their leaves become weak and floppy. Plant in a sandy, damp soil and water with rain water, preferably sitting them in about 1cm of water, rather than watering them from the top.
Monstera
A classic, the Swiss cheese plant, should make significant growth if placed in moderate brightness but out of direct sunlight. Winter brightness is essential, otherwise you’ll get spindly stalks and leggy growth.