As with many children of horticultural parents, our love for plants started at a young age – picking up snails in the garden with our mother, and running around our grandfather’s allotment, eating raspberries and strawberries.
Inspired by this earthy upbringing, I went on to study horticulture, while my sister Alice developed our plant shop, Forest. As this venture grew, so did our fascination and love for houseplants, so we began experimenting with propagation, and took our time researching and reading about the origins of our favourite plants, and how best to keep them at home, based on their natural habitat.
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Since then, the houseplant trend has boomed, and our customers have an ever-expanding interest in unusual cultivars (Alocasia variegata ‘Polly’ is a current favourite), propagation, terrariums and finding new and unique ways to display their houseplants, offering the chance to scratch a botanical and a creative itch.
However, despite a wealth of knowledge circulating on social media and the internet, houseplant hobbyists had endless questions. We found that many of our customers were struggling with basic houseplant care, and this led to us writing a book, but we still get asked the same questions today.
People want to know how often they should be feeding their houseplants, as well as how to and how often to repot them. They ask which plants are the most air-purifying, and whether it’s better to water from the top or the bottom. The answers aren’t always clear cut, and they often depend on the type of plant, the age of the plant, its home environment, how quickly it’s growing and a myriad of other environmental and biological factors.
There’s no one-size-fits-all guide to growing houseplants, because not all houseplants are the same, so we try to encourage houseplant growers to think about where their plants come from? What do their leaves, stems and habit of growth tell you about how to look after them?
What everybody really wants to know is which plants are best suited to the most common problem areas in their homes: cold or draughty spaces, places with dry air, shady and dark areas, a south-facing window – the list goes on.
Luckily, plants are problem solvers by nature, and many houseplants we grow have adapted over centuries to be able to tolerate unfavourable conditions in their natural habitats. Just like with outdoor-grown plants, all you have to do is pick the right plant for the right place – even if that space is indoors and not in a garden.
Houseplants for five common problem places in the home
Sunny windowsill
Windowsills can be problematic for a number of reasons. In the summer months, they may be hot, dry and over-exposed to sunshine. In the winter, the windowpanes make them cold, and through the year
they are likely to be draughty.
Fortunately, arid climates fit this description almost to the letter. During the day, they are scorching hot with drying winds, and at night, temperatures can become freezing cold within hours. Plants that have adapted to survive in these volatile conditions are well suited to survive on a windowsill in our homes.
Cacti and succulents tend to be the plants that fit the bill best – especially those with the thickest succulent leaves. Euphorbias, echeverias, senecios, crassulas, sempervivums, sansevierias, agaves and barrel cacti thrive on hot, sunny windowsills, and can handle cooler winter temperatures as well. They also tend to have small, shallow roots and rarely need re-potting, so you can keep them on your windowsill in small pots for a lot longer than you might think.
Bathrooms
The bathroom is not necessarily a problem area, but it’s still one that we get asked about a lot. Bathrooms can be relatively humid, and rarely bright – so most of the problems that affect our houseplants arise from the way we look after them. First, it is important to pick plants that prefer humidity and low light levels; plants that sit deep in the understorey of rainforests tend to be the best suited to these conditions – and so calatheas, marantas, epipremnums and caladiums should be first on your list.
Once you have the right plant, it’s important to remember that humidity and low light will change the way you should look after your plants. Soil takes much longer to dry out in shade and humidity, and so plants should be watered infrequently, most being left to totally dry between waterings.
Plants also grow more slowly in low- light levels, and so those in shady, humid bathrooms won’t use up nutrients in the soil as quickly, and won’t need re-potting as often as their bright-roomed counterparts.
Shady corner
There are plenty of plants that will grow well in deep shade – both in their natural environment and in your home. Typically, when someone has a shady spot such as the corner of a bathroom, a hallway or a room in which the curtains or blinds are kept closed, we recommend tropical plants including calatheas and marantas (both from the Marantaceae family), aspidistras, alocasias and strelitzias, also known as bird of paradise.
It is important, however, to observe other environmental factors that might have an effect. For example, if you have a shady corner close to a radiator that emits dry heat, it’s best to avoid plants with paper-thin leaves such as calatheas, marantas and alocasias, as these plants are adapted to grow in high-humidity environments and haven’t developed the waxy leaf coating (cuticle) present in many other shade-tolerant species (such as strelitzias, aspidistras and sansevierias) that are more accustomed to growing in windy or exposed areas, and any dry air will quickly turn the leaves crispy.
It’s also important to note that a plant in a shady spot will take longer to dry out between waterings, so it’s important to make sure you’re not overwatering.
Draughty hallway
A hallway is not the ideal spot for many houseplants as it is typically dark and draughty. Aspidistras, Boston ivy and the asparagus fern are good choices for this tricky spot. Or maybe think of styling the area with dried flowers or interesting ceramics instead – or even alongside a houseplant.
Near central heating
In the autumn and winter months, heating our homes often quickly leads to dry air, creating an atmosphere unsuitable for many species of tropical plants. But there are plenty of plants – typically those that have evolved to survive in the harshest of desert plains – that will thrive in dry spots.
Sansevierias, zamioculcas, Ficus elastica and an array of succulents and cacti such as crassulas and agaves and euphorbias are the ones to look to. These kinds of desert dwellers have leaves and stems that are coated in a thick, waxy cuticle, which prevents them from losing all of their carefully collected water to the surrounding dry atmosphere.
It’s important to remember that these habitats also often provide plenty of sunlight, and most would much sooner be in a space with access to plenty of natural light. The exceptions to this are sansevierias and zamioculcas, which can tolerate almost any lighting conditions – just remember to reduce watering in deep shade.
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