DAPHNE'S HOUSE PLANTS

Good Afternoon to you,

A couple of months ago, I was watching BBC Gardener's World and my ears pricked up when I heard Monty Don say, that houseplants were coming back into fashion.

Now this surprised me, because I had not realised that houseplants had gone out of fashion, never mind coming back into fashion.

Houseplants for me, have always been an integral part of my home.  I cannot remember a time when I have not grown indoor plants.  Admittedly, the style of houseplant  which I grow has changed over the years, as I no longer grow rubber plants, spider plants or cheese plants, but I do grow plants which suit my smaller home.

For instance,

whilst this Clivia is new to my home, the plant itself is not new to me.  

When I lived in Cyprus, my friend gave me a Clivia as a birthday present. It was in full bloom when I received it, and the plant loved the temperature in my home.  It bloomed, just once a year, and always on my birthday, which was really lovely.  I have since heard from Pamela, one of my Instagram friends, that a Clivia will flower at Christmas and also Spring time.... which will be lovely.  Maybe I will be lucky and this Clivia will flower once again on my birthday.... wouldn't that be nice.

If you have been reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! for a while, then you will know how much I love growing orchids.

.... many people think that orchids are a difficult plant to grow, so they avoid them.... and this is such a shame, because by following a few simple rules your orchids will bloom over and over again. I have orchids  blooming in my conservatory that I have been growing for years. When each orchid has finished blooming they are transferred to my kitchen window sill. The orchids are then cut  back, where they will rest, it is then the turn of the orchids on my kitchen window sill to be transferred to the conservatory to spend their time in the spotlight.

I have added as my Featured post this week, the post I wrote a few years ago, on how to care for orchids.  I think once you read the post, you will be surprised to find how easy orchids are to grow and enjoy in your home.

Another plant which I find easy to grow, is the Weeping Fig.... it just needs plenty of light.  I have grown these for years and I have never thought they were difficult.  This Weeping Fig is a plaited standard, and to look after it all I do is make sure it is watered once a week during wintertime, but it does need more water in the summer time. I dust the leaves with a cloth and every now and again I spray the leaves with a fine mist of water. When Spring arrives I start to feed it. The plant does benefit from being placed by a window and turned every now and again to make sure the leaves do not grow towards the light, but other than that I think you will be surprised how easy they are.  Maybe buy a small plant and see how you get on.

.... and I am thrilled to pieces with how this Parlour Palm has settled.  I bought 4 tiny plants for the princely sum of £1 each. I repotted them and cared for them until each one reached a good size, I then potted them on to the next size of pot.  When they were large enough I planted two Parlour Palms into two large pots and I am thrilled to say they are growing so well as they love the warmth of the conservatory.  Admittedly their growth will slow during the winter time, but next year they will put on another spurt and in a few years time I am hoping I will have two large Parlour Palms.  If you were to buy a full grown Parlour Palm I know they can run into over £100 for a large one, so why not buy small, nurture the plants and save yourself a lot of money.

Another favourite indoor plant is this Peace Lily.  Although I grow this one on my windowsill, it is quite happy, because this window does not receive any direct sunshine.... plenty of light.... but no sunshine to scorch the leaves.  I have grown Peace Lilies in the corner of a room and as long as the plant is given some direct light, it will survive quite happily.  You will also be treated to some lovely white flowers which will bloom two or three times a year.  An easy plant to care for and one which will reward you with lush green leaves.

A very old favourite and one which my mother Phyllis has grown for years.... a Christmas flowering Cactus. Actually I am sure this is a cutting taken from my mother's plant. I have to be honest and say, 10 or 11 months of the year, this flowering cactus does look rather boring, but during the run up to Christmas the flowers begin to form and before you know it you have buds all over the plant and when the buds burst into bloom, the plant looks spectacular.  I normally stand this plant in my porthole window, but I could not get a decent photograph to show you, so I moved it onto this shelf. It has now been returned to the window, where it sits quite happily.

.... and I could not leave you without sharing this touch of whimsy.... don't you just love Baby Groot. Whenever I look at him he always brings a smile to my face.  

Baby Groot was part of my birthday present earlier in the year and unbeknown  to me, Baby Groot arrived before my birthday with George being given strict instructions as to the type of plant he had to buy from the garden centre.... and I think he did an admirable job as he found the perfect plant.  To care for the air plant, all I have to do, is pop the air plant into rain water once a week and it is happy.

So if you do not grow houseplants, maybe give it a go... it is lovely to have that touch of greenery around the home and not only do the plants look lovey,  they are also very good for filtering the air.

I would love to know which houseplants you have had success with, as maybe the houseplants which you grow are totally different to mine.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Saturday.

As Always,