© Janet Davis

 

Even though I’ve always been a passionate outdoor gardener, I’ve never quite got into the indoor jungle thing.  Perhaps it’s because I’m too distracted, what with an office competing for my attention in the house.  But the few plants I do grow indoors are no-brainers in terms of their care.  They forgive my distraction and continue to love me, despite occasional neglect.

 

Here are ten houseplants with forgiving natures that will continue to love you too:

 

  1. Arrowhead Vine, Nephythis (Syngonium podophyllum)  Hailing from forests in Central America and Mexico, arrowhead plant – so-called because of its juvenile leaf shape – tolerates low light but prefers rather bright, filtered light.  Light levels vary depending on leaf coloration: too little and the attractive variegation in certain cultivars’ leaves will disappear, too much bright light and the leaves of the green varieties, which appreciate more shade, develop “sunburn”.  Give it moist, rich soil that is allowed to dry out at the surface between watering.  Like most houseplants, the arrowhead you buy in a small pot does not resemble the plant at maturity.  As the plant ages, it develops a vining trunk that can reach 15 feet (4.6 m) and will need some support; the foliage changes too, with leaves on the upper plant featuring a compound shape bearing 3-12 long leaflets

 

  1. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)  Lovely, low-maintenance, low-light foliage plant, often with attractive silver splashes and markings on the long, oblong leaves.  Like arrowhead vine, light levels depend on leaf coloration: variegated plants like ‘Silver King’ and ‘Silver Queen’ need brighter light while all-green varieties require less.  Native to southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Chinese evergreen must be grown in warm temperatures (over 13C - 55F); avoid cool drafts which can cause brown spots to develop on the foliage.  A compact plant, it grows 18-36 inches (45-60 cm).  Let soil dry out between watering; root rot can occur in soggy soil.  To keep the plant leafy at the base, remove the growing canes in the middle.  Plants allowed to grow canes will eventually form a spathe-and-spadix flower, somewhat like peace lily.

 

  1. Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata ‘Tricolor’)  I bought a spiky ‘Tricolor’ dracaena as a tiny plant and tucked it into a clay window box with a few equally tiny (at the time) spider plants.  A few years later, it’s still in the window box, but it’s let me know it wants its own pot -- by covering half the east-facing window on its way to a 9-foot mature height!  Long before then, it will have lost its lower leaves and developed a trunk.  All dracaenas are easy, but this one is a cinch.  Vivid red edges on narrow green leaves.  Best in indirect, bright light.  Adaptable to humidity.  Water weekly (possibly more in very hot weather) but do not let your dragon tree sit in soggy soil.

 

  1. Golden Pothos, Devil’s Claw (Epipremnum aureum)  One of the easiest houseplant vines, this one has glossy, heart-shaped leaves in a lively green with splashes of gold. (‘Marble Queen’ has white markings.)  Likes low to bright, indirect light, but not direct sun.  Again, the amount and brightness of variegation will vary depending on light levels; the more light, the brighter the leaf markings.  A native of the Solomon Islands and the South Pacific, in the wild golden pothos is a vigorous climber or “liana”, winding itself around tree trunks and climbing to the light (epipremnum translates as “upon a trunk”) to a mature height of 20-40 feet, where the leaves can be 18 inches (75 cm) or more.  But don’t worry; this is not likely to happen in a small pot in your kitchen, where the vine will be happy climbing around the window frame.  The sap of golden pothos can cause skin irritation and the leaves contain calcium oxylate and are toxic, especially to leaf-chomping puppies.

 

  1. Grape Ivy, Oak-Leaf Ivy (Cissus rhombifolia)  When I renovated my kitchen, I placed a grape ivy in a ceramic pot in a west-facing window where I had suspended a pretty stained-glass window for privacy, rather than hang curtains.  More than 10 years later, the soil in the pot has not been changed yet the grape ivy is still a 5-foot high (1.5 m) living curtain, the compound leaves closest to the glass occasionally burning in summer and freezing in winter.  But apart from the fact that I have to pick off a few dead leaves occasionally and water it with a weak fertilizer solution from spring to fall, the plant is thriving on a decade of neglect.  Clearly, grape ivy is a survivor.   Though my plant has survived facing west, the best light for grape ivy is bright and indirect.  Allow soil to dry out at the surface between watering. 

 

  1. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.)  With its long, lanced-shapes leaves and lovely, white spathe-and-spadix flowers, peace lily is a popular plant for low light areas (east or northeast windows).  Native to damp rainforests in southeast Asia and Central and South America, peace lily grows slowly to 3 feet tall (30-90 cm) tall and prefers evenly moist soil, especially when temperatures are warm in summer. In winter, it can be watered less frequently.  Flowers best when pot-bound.  Sap can cause skin irritation and foliage is mildly toxic if ingested.

 

  1. Philodendron (Philodendron spp.)  Some philodendrons are large, upright plants that support themselves; others are vines (philodendron means “tree-loving”) that grow as lianas in tropical jungles of Central America and the West Indies.  Leaves are leathery and can be heart shaped (P. scandens) or  deeply incised “cut-leaf” philodendrons (P. radiatum,  P. selloum and P. bipinnatifidum).  Hybrid philodendrons can be very colorful,  e.g. ‘Prince of Orange’,  ‘Imperial Red’, ‘Black Cardinal’ and ‘Autumn’; garden designers are using these colored-leaf cultivars in pots outdoor in summer.  Easily-grown in low-to-bright light – but not direct sunlight --  they like evenly moist, but not soggy, organically-rich soil and warm temperatures (minimum 18C or 65F).  Clean the leaves with a damp cloth every now and again when they get dusty.

 

  1. Rubber Tree Plant (Ficus elastica)  Remember Frank Sinatra singing about the little ant with a positive attitude in the song “High Hopes”?  “Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant.”  I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, but

 

  1. Snake Plant, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)  Poor sansevieria is the butt of numerous jokes, given its common name “mother-in-law’s tongue”.   Native to India and West Africa, its rigid, sword-like, succulent leaves are very attractive as vertical accents, especially those of the variegated varieties.  Growing 2-4 feet (60-120 cm), it takes any light and prefers dryish soil, especially in winter.  Over-watering will cause root rot.  This is the plant to grow if you have a “black thumb”. 

 

  1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)  Excellent in hanging baskets where the fountain-shaped plant with the grassy leaves can send up its long stems topped by small white flowers.  Eventually, the stems will bend under the weight of tiny plantlets that develop.  In the wild, these would root as they hit the ground.  Indoors, they can be detached to form new plants or left on the stems for effect.  Likes bright light (but not direct sun) and prefers adequately moist, but well-drained, soil.  As with most houseplants, some drying out between watering is better than overwatering.  ‘Vittatum’ has a white central stripe; ‘Variegatum’ has a white margin.

 

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