The Great Indoors

If you had planned a lovely trip over the Easter Bank Holiday that has to be postponed, all is not lost! You can look forward to enjoying a glorious staycation with the weather to match (hopefully). Now more than ever we all crave time outdoors, but having a garden or sizeable outside space to escape to is a privilege. You may not have such a luxury - frustrating, we can relate – but we are here to help with some inspiration to enjoy and explore your very own Great Indoors!

 

Kirsten, from our production team, has shared with us her veritable jungle of indoor plants and it inspired us to make the most of our homes and welcome in some greenery – trust us, the power of nature really does make a difference in your wellbeing. From improving air quality to lifting our moods and producing some tasty, nutritious produce, they look rather beautiful too!

 

 

 

Caring for houseplants can be quite a daunting and confusing prospect. There seem to be so many rules and contradictions, it can be hard to know what’s right and wrong. Following some easy ‘to-do’s’ and picking fuss-free indoor plants should result in happy, healthy and beautiful plants. 

Some basic fool-proof rules.

 

- Most houseplants will do best in bright, indirect light, rather than the sun

- Always use pots with drainage holes - plastic pots with holes can be placed inside decorative pots

- When planting new or repotting, adding a handful of vermiculite (a granular mineral) to your potting soil will improve drainage and help prevent root rot

- Most houseplants need or will benefit from high humidity levels – either use a home humidifier or place trays with pebbles covered with water near plants for evaporation

- Most houseplants will only need watering when the first inch of soil becomes dry 

- you can test this with your finger

- Reduce watering and do not fertilize in winter as plant growth will slow or stop

- Remove any dead foliage to keep plants clean and pest-free

- Remove dust from large leaves with a soft water-dampened cloth

  

 

- Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

- Cast-iron plant (Aspidastra elatior)

- Snake plant (Sansevieria kirkii)

- Chinese Money plant (Pilea peperomioides)

- Pothos (Epipremnum varieties)

- Wandering jew (Tradescantia varieties)

- Prayer plant (Maranta/Ctenanthe varieties)

I like to experiment with plant propagation too – you can get some beautiful, surprising results by experimenting with plant cuttings, seeds and other plant parts.

 

 

- Water propagation is the least expensive and easiest type of propagation

- Trailing plants such as pothos and tradescantia are easily water propagated by taking stem cuttings just below a leaf node

- You can use any small glass container – recycled soda bottles or spice jars are perfect placed in bright indirect light

- When roots are developed they can be dipped in root hormone and transferred to soil in pots

- Spider plant plantlets can be water propagated or planted directly into soil

- Some houseplants such as pilea grow pups from the main root system – these can be cut a few centimetres below the soil and planted in new pots

- Division is a more intensive form of propagation but necessary for some plants like prayer plants – the root ball of the original plant must be carefully pulled or cut apart, then repotted separately as new plants