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Keep on reading and you will find information about many different houseplants below. This information will help you choose the plant that is right for you.

Aloe Vera requires bright light to sunlight, and prefers low humidity. It will tolerate temperatures down to 40 degrees F, but can never be allowed to freeze. Aloe Vera or true Aloe is a short stemmed succulent. As well as it’s ability to remove formaldehyde from the air, this houseplant has been used to treat cuts, burns, rashes and insect bites since biblical times.

Areca Palm requires medium -bright to bright lighting and higher than normal humidity. Raising the humidity around this plant can be accomplished in several ways. The Areca Palm has proven to be particularly effective in removing several toxins from the air. They provide a contrasting accent to the other plants in the room. There is nothing like a Palm to create thoughts of the tropics.

Boston Ferns are a happy low light houseplant. They do however require a higher humidity. Boston Ferns, with their stately fronds, add an elegant touch to the room. The Boston Fern can grow quite large and must be given space to grow.

Chinese Evergreen is one of the easiest plants to care for indoors. Its tolerance of low light, drought and low humidity made it an ideal houseplant for many indoor spaces. Its large distinctive leaves and compact shape will accent any room.

Dracaena Marginata is a member of the dracaena family of plants commonly grown as a houseplant. A native of east Africa and Madagascar, Dracaena Marginata is easy to care for. Dracaena Marginata grows a cluster of long, slender, pointed leaves on a thin trunk or cane.

Ficus Benjamin is probably the most commonly grown indoor tree. Despite it’s reputation as being difficult to grow,it’s beauty and versatility makes Ficus Benjamina an excellent choice.

English Ivy is a vigorously growing vine. It’s dark green or variegated leaves may be pruned to keep the plant to the desired size. The vines can also be trained to climb supports or trellises forming a vertical plant. English Ivy will tolerate low light , but the variegated varieties need brighter light to retain their variegation. English Ivy prefers cooler household temperatures, and misting will help provide the humidity this houseplant desires.

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana is the Kalanchoe variety most often found in garden centers. During the winter months, clusters of small bright flowers add a show of color over the deep green leaves of the Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana.

Lucky Bamboo has seen an increase in popularity as a houseplant as more people become interested in and learn about Asian culture and spirituality. In Feng Shui, lucky bamboo is seen as a lucky plant incorporating all five natural elements in a single plant.

The Peace Lily has become one of the most popular houseplants. This easy care houseplant will find itself at home in almost any indoor space. Only moderate light is needed to produce the dramatic white cala like blooms that are it’s feature.

Philodendron prefer brighter light, but tolerate the lower light levels in the home very well. This houseplant will grow well in normal household temperatures, but prefers higher humidity. Philodendron are seen in two basic forms, the vining philodendron like the Heart Leaf Philodendron and the bush philodendron like the Split Leaf Philodendron. The Heart Leaf Philodendron is more commonly grown in homes as the Split Leaf Philodendron can grow very large and is more commonly used in larger offices or public spaces.

Pothos will tolerate lower light but requires medium to brighter light to maintain the variegation of it’s leaves. The Pothos, often mistaken for the vining varieties of Philodendron, will make a showy table or desk plant. They can also be trained up a trellis to form a vertical plant. The Pothos has variegated leaves and may be pruned to retain the desired size and shape.

Ficus Elastica is native to the rain forests of Malaysia, India and South America. As a houseplant, the Rubber Plant likes warm temperatures and bright light to create it’s best show. Rubber Plants tend to drop leaves when they are moved until they become acclimatized to their new location.

Sansevieria also called the Snake Plant displays a shock of sturdy upright leaves. The leaves may be all green, dark green with lighter green or yellow bands or dark green with a mottling of lighter green or yellow. This hardy, easy care houseplant is ideal for beginners.
The Spider Plant also known as the Airplane Plant is a native of Southern Africa. Small white flowers will form at the end of wiry stems. Soon they will be replaced by a small plantlet that looks like a miniature spider plant that hangs over the side of the pot.

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• Prevents the evaporation of water from the soil.
• Insulates the soil; keeps it cool during the warm summer months and warm during the cold winter months.
• Reduces weed problems. If applied approximately 4 inches deep, the germination of weed seeds will be prevented.
• A thick layer of mulch will smother existing small weeds.
• Ads interest to the garden area.
• Prevents mud from splashing everywhere when you water.

I forgot to mention that it is important that you choose treated woodchips when you plan to buy mulch. I heard that untreated woodchips attract ants and it won’t be good for your plant. Happy mulching

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Poinsettia is the plant of choice during this festive season. It is hard to miss this Christmas plant no matter where you go. Did you know that there are many other colours such as white, yellow, peach and pink other than red. There are some poinsettia with bi-colours!

What is the Poinsettia Plant?

Is it a flowering plant or a leafy plant? It is often thought that the colored bracts at the top of the poinsettia are the flowers. Of course, this is not the case at all. The bracts at the top are actually modified leaves and were green up until the time coloration was initiated by short days. The actual flower is at the center of these bracts and appear as small yellow clusters with reddish tips when young.

How to care for the Poinsettia Plant?

Like most plants, it needs watering but not too much. It is best to keep the soil moist but not wet. Also, be mindful to drain the excessive water from the saucer. Poinsettia needs at least 6 hours of indirect light during the day. Modern homes and offices are quite suitable for this hardy plant.

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All succulent plants such as cacti adapt well to extremely dry climatic zones. If they are not native to the area you will need to reproduce the climate in your cultivation of the cacti. They require very low humidity and actually do very well in the dry air of heated dwellings than most house plants. Just having cacti around and looking at them is well worth the effort and enough reason to cultivate them. The plants themselves are beautiful and the flowers can certainly rival other houseplants in their beauty.

There are some cacti such as Lobivia, Rebutia and Parodia, and of course lots of others that are very easy for even the novice to grow. Sure some are easier to grow in a greenhouse as the cacti who are very sensitive species will grow poorly in a house and won’t bloom but most will

thrive under the right conditions in the home. There are a lot of species that actually place very little demands on us.

We need to have conditions in our home that will most closely resemble the natural habitat of the cacti and care for them very well. Most cacti thrive in an area with very dry periods and light rainfall. The epiphytic cacti of the wet rain forests in Central and South America are exceptions as they do not undergo a dry season.

The cacti will store up water in the fleshy tissues of stems, branches, leaves and roots. There is a thick outer skin covering leaves that are reduced to mere spines and the smallest possible surface areas are factors that minimize evaporation from these plants even when in direct sunshine.

There is a rest season for cacti when they can withdraw into the ground. During this resting time very little needs to be done against their being dry because their growth has stopped. Critical to the welfare of all cacti is this severe change from rest to growth. If you grow cacti without a greenhouse you will need to locate the plants in different places in summer and in winter. During the time the cacti are growing they will need to be in a airy, warm, bright and sunny area. If you might have a garden or patio you would want to keep them in this during the warm period of the year as they will have more light and air than if they are placed in a window. They also need a nightly cooling off period and it is best in the open.

You can have the smaller cacti in water-permeable clay pots and water-tight, plastic containers as both will be suitable. If you put the cacti on a window sill the plastic containers would be best as the soil won’t dry out quickly. If you use clay pots put in peat moss and the pots will not completely dry out as the peat will stay moist.

The soil for cacti such as a potting mix should be loose and porous so that no wet puddles can form. It should also be lime-free and of ample quantity, and not contain too many nutritive materials. Coarse sand, garden soil, rotten leaf mold and friable loam and perlite or pumice-gravel will be excellent. You might even find some special ready mixed soils at your local plant nursery for cacti.

When watering, add a small amount of regular commercial, nitrogen-poor cactus fertilizer, but only a little as too much nourishment would damage the cacti. Soft, lime-poor rainwater is best. When you water, do it heavily as they will store the water for the dry season. Hold off watering again till the first watering has been fully absorbed and the soil feels dry on the surface and also at a depth of at least one inch.

It is much better to water too little than too much for cacti. Put a piece of broken clay from a pot or some gravel in the bottom to keep the drain hole open and prevent plugging.

Remember that healthy, unpampered cacti plants are the least prone to diseases and pests. Good care is the best prevention but still you will need to closely observe your cacti for these problems.

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