Still a booming growth industry
The houseplant market continued to flourish during 2019, says LOUISE MIDGLEY
SALES of indoor plants have soared over the past few years and it looks like our fondness for decorating our homes with living greenery will carry on well into the next decade, as many of the best sellers are foliage varieties with a long life expectancy when given the right conditions.
Obtaining information on how best to care for the various plant groups has been made easy by a whole raft of new, informative books written on this broad subject.
However if you prefer to look online for guidance, social media has embraced the houseplant movement with great fervour and enthusiasm and offers heaps of useful information in numerous posts.
Some of the best tried and tested indoor foliage plants such as mother-inlaw’s-tongue, spider plants and cheese plants need minimum maintenance.
On the whole they prefer a cool, shady position in the house. Central heating in winter makes the atmosphere hot and dry, so position them away from radiators and keep a spray bottle filled with water close at hand so you can give their leaves a daily mist. Overwatering is usually the quickest way to kill an indoor plant; the classic sign of yellow/brown leaves can easily be mistaken for a plant that needs water and the problem is further compounded with additional fluid.
Always check the inner pot isn’t sitting in a pool and only water when the top layer of soil is neither dry nor sodden, just barely moist.
It’s time to repot when roots begin growing out of the drainage holes or the pot takes on a distorted shape.
You can make your own free-draining compost by adding vermiculite to peat-free compost in a 50/50 ratio.
FEED plants while they are actively growing, usually in summer, but once again be mean with the feed to prevent the growth of too much soft, lush foliage which will be vulnerable to diseases and insect infestations.
With Christmas just around the corner, sales of flowering houseplants will reach a peak.while some will stand the test of time others are more transient and should be enjoyed for the few months they are in flower.
Christmas cactus will continue to put on a good performance for years but poinsettias need a complicated routine to ensure they produce fresh flowering bracts each year, so are probably not worth persevering with after their beautiful display has faded.
Keep the bulbs of indoor hyacinths after they have flowered, in a cool, frost-free environment and plant in the garden in spring.