20
Sep

Our guest blogger this week is Elisa Biondi, of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew

HOUSE PLANT HEROES

Like me, many people nowadays don`t have a garden to grow plants, especially in the cities. But I love those green wonders and I have plenty of them at home. There is a plant for any space and purpose, so here is my list of “plant heroes” to enjoy indoor.

If you don`t have a bright green finger, there are low maintenance heroes for you such as Succulents and air plants. Amongst the first bunch, Cacti are very sculptural, they like sunny spots and they produce short-lived but stunning flowers. They are not very children and pet friendly, though.

Tillandsias attached on bark using tights. They are very resistant and stretchy.

Tillandsias (air plants) are incredibly easy to look after, water them in the shower or with a sprayer once a week and keep them in airy space. They are great hanging off fishing line or attached on branches.

Amongst succulents, lithops (stone plants) are great for small spots, children and pets. If you are looking for something bigger and bolder, Sansevierias are the ones for you. Like Cacti, every succulent can be placed in your bedroom, as they release oxygen at night.

Sansevierias are very architectural plants and are great for bedrooms as they release oxygen at night.

If you are looking for something a bit more challenging, Bromeliads can add a lot of colour into your house. They usually like water from the top and last longer if you cut the spent flowering mother plant and let the “pups” grow.

The stunning leaves of Neoregelia `Mo Peppa Please`, a great hybrid and not too difficult to look after.

In the world of Orchids, Phalaenopsis are very rewarding and easy to look after. They don`t like full sun and should be watered properly once every two weeks.

If you are blessed with big space, then you can look into architectural plants like Palms and big Aroids. Coconut Palm can grow quite fast so tall ceilings are a must, otherwise clumping ones such as Chamaedorea, Dypsis or Rhapis can work in smaller places.

Monstera is a very popular aroid and it is very easy to look after, same for Philodendron and Aglaonema. One negative note about Aroids is that they are poisonous, so keep them off the reach of children and pets.

There are plenty more plants to find out about and look after them so I just suggest to go ahead and find your plant heroes!

Elisa Biondi  – Manager of the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Graduated designer @ LCGD, Plants & animals lover.  Find her on Twitter @BiondiEli and Instagram elisabiondi1