House Plants

Jasmine

I have just picked up a £7 Jasmine house plant for £2.  It has flowers and buds but needs a bit of water and some TLC.  It smells delightful!  They need at least four hours of direct sunlight per day ... especially over winter which is the growing season.  Only water when the soil has dried out. They will survive in a bit of shade but if you want the flowers (and the scent) then they need the sun.  Prune and re-pot in Spring then place  outdoors over Summer and give a liquid feed every two weeks (tomato feed is perfect).  This will ensure strong healthy growth for the following winter flowering.

They can be propagated in Spring by layering - bend a shoot over until it touches the soil and peg it down until it develops its own roots then cut it off from the main plant.

Originally from China.

 

Poinsettia

 
My mother had a Poinsettia for years ... it was always in top condition.  Mine usually drop leaves, look ill and end up in the compost heap.  So what is Mum's secret? Her heating bill is huge!!  She is 92 years old and the heating is on all the time so the room is warm. Poinsettias are from Mexico so they love the heat. They do well on a warm sunny windowsill.  They don't like sitting in water but they do like damp soil so water every day and keep it humid.  Click here to find out how to care for your plant after Christmas.

 

Polka Dot Plant

Hypoestes phyllostachya

This is an increasingly popular houseplant it is also quite quaintly called the Freckle Face Plant! Think I prefer that name.  It is a perennial herbaceous shrub  originally from  Madagascar where it can grow to about 3 feet in height.  Here we tend to grow them in pots placed on window sills so they are considerably smaller. I have a pink/green plant and a lighter  cream/green one but you can find deeper colours with purple or scarlet splashes. 

 

They  thrive in direct or  indirect sunlight with temperatures of 65 - 70 degrees F.  The colours will be deeper in indirect light though.  Keep the soil damp but not wet.  They like humidity. Feed indoor plants once a month and pinch them out to keep them bushy. 

They can be grown outside as an annual in your border over summer.  I have never done this but now I know I can ….

The easiest way to propagate more plants is by taking 2 inch cuttings around Spring to Summer, placing them in moist compost covered with a plastic bag, place in indirect sunlight and keep at 70 - 75 degrees F.   Alternatively collect seeds, use potting compost and follow the same instructions as above.

 

Maiden Hair Fern



Adiantum capillus-veneris)

 

This is one of my favourite house plants but I am very good at killing it! I have two at the moment and they are very forgiving because the leaves have shrivelled on both of them but with a bit of TLC I have managed to get new shoots to appear.  They enjoyed the summer outside and in the greenhouse so they are both quite lush at the moment: I've brought them indoors now so I will have to be vigilant! Apparently they don't like being moved!  They are demanding little creatures.  They like light but not direct sunlight ... a warm windowsill with some thing outside stopping the sun's glare is ideal.  They hate drafts so don't place it near a door that is constantly in use ... the leaves will turn brown believe me!  The soil has to be kept damp, not wet. and it will delight in a liquid feed once a month. 

They grow quite quickly over winter months and produce spores on the underside of the leaves in summer. to propagate snip off a spore laden leaf once the spores are black, place the leaf in a paper bag and wait for the spores to dry out and drop off then scatter the spores over compost. keep them warm and moist.  Alternatively you can divide the plant in Spring.