Go ‘low’ when looking for houseplants
As darker, wintry days descend upon us, we might now be taking a look at our interior landscaping. Perhaps it is devoid of plants or, worse yet, harboring a few shabby, dusty ones in need of disposal. Either way, it is time to perk things up, be it in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or home office.
At the nursery, you will find a wide selection of houseplants. Not only are they beautiful, they are also a bit pricey compared to outdoor plants. You could easily spend a couple hundred bucks on a stout, leafy fiddle leaf fig. For good houseplant success, consider what your lighting situation is indoors and whether you are inclined to be extra busy as an indoor gardener.
Fortunately, there are many modestly priced houseplants that are easy to grow. Let’s call them the lows. They are low light, low maintenance and tolerant of low humidity. Here is a list of a few more popular ones: Snake plant is a spiky, upright plant with a stiff appearance. Peace lily has soft green foliage with occasional white “flowers” called spathes. Dracaenas tend to be spiky and dramatic. They can be quite long lived with minimum care. Pothos are grown as hanging specimens or trained upright on a fiber pole. The foliage is often marbled white or yellow. They are very low light tolerant. Heart leaf philodendron has a soft tropical feel with its glossy heart shaped leaves. This one is often trained on a fiber pole or in a hanging basket.
The needs of these plants are minimal, but necessary. Low light plants often require less water, so don’t over water. Let the soil dry out a bit between watering to avoid molds and fungus gnats.
Since these plants will receive less light, they will be slower growing. At least once a month, foliage should be wiped down with a moist sponge or the entire plant placed in the sink and given a shower of lukewarm water spray. Again, be mindful about putting excess water in the soil.
Slow growing, low light plants need just a bit of fertilizer to keep them in shape. The easiest way to do this is to insert fertilizer spikes made for house plants, in the root mass every six to eight weeks.
Houseplants often come in green or terra- cotta colored plastic pots. Placing pots directly in woven baskets is an inexpensive, yet attractive way, to display them. Placing house plants, plastic pot and all, in colorful ceramic pots is awesome. It is best not to transplant directly into ceramic, however. Moving a ceramic pot full of houseplant and soil is cumbersome and heavy when moving it about.