How to choose the right indoor plant for tricky spots
<p>Harking back to the indoor jungles of the 70s, today's homeowners are increasingly choosing to decorate their spaces with all manner of houseplants.</p>
<p>If you don't have green fingers, the thought of introducing life into the trickier corners of your home can be intimidating. But with the right plant choice, it's possible to create a successful indoor arboretum.<br /> <br /> We spoke to the indoor plant experts to find the right plants for your home's needs.</p>
<p><strong>1. I want to have plants in a room that doesn't get any sunlight.</strong><br /> <br /> When it comes to having thriving - or surviving - indoor plants, light is an important consideration. But direct sunlight is not a requirement.</p>
<p>"Most of the indoor house plants don't like the direct sunlight anyway, they want a well-lit room," says Daniel Kubler of Kings Plant Barn, St Lukes.<br /> <br /> When it comes to picking a plant for a "decently" lit room, there's plenty of options. Peace lilies, flamingo flowers and the taller ficus trees, such as fiddle leaf figs, are popular, Kubler says.<br /> <br /> Jess Hatton of California Home and Garden, Wellington, recommends the zanizar gem for darker rooms which might only get light through one window.</p>
<p>It's a plant commonly found in shopping malls because of their ability to grow in dark spaces.<br /> <br /> The cast iron plant is another option, it's a "nice, glossy, dark plant that doesn't need sunlight".</p>
<p>"Total neglect, really, and they'll be fine." </p>
<p><strong>2. I'm terrible at remembering to water my plants.</strong><br /> <br /> Green fingers are not a required for indoor plants, there's some you'd be hard-pressed to kill.<br /> <br /> Homeowners with a penchant for killing off their greenery should look first to air plants, such as the tillandsia and spanish moss, Hatton says.</p>
<p>"With air plants you've pretty much got to mist them now and again and then you're fine."<br /> <br /> Cacti require minimal care, little water and thrive in direct sunlight. In darker rooms, look to the mother in law's tongue.<br /> <br /> "Water it maybe once every two months and it'll just keep going."<br /> <br /> Kubler again recommends the peace lily, because it droops when thirsty.<br /> <br /> "You'll notice when it needs a water, and that will jog your memory."</p>
<p><strong>3. My home isn't consistent – it's hot in the day and freezing at night.</strong><br /> <br /> When assessing the suitability of a room's climate for indoor plants, Kubler has a helpful rule of thumb.<br /> <br /> "If a person is comfortable enough to be inside the house, usually that would be okay for most indoor plants we sell in New Zealand.<br /> <br /> "You don't normally get a frost inside the house and if you do that's another problem entirely."<br /> <br /> Even so, plants with soft leaves, like ferns, can be more sensitive to changes in the environment, Hatton says.<br /> <br /> When looking for plants that will do well next to a window, or in a conservatory, "tougher leaves are a bit more resilient".<br /> <br /> Ficus plants, which prefer a lot of light, and rubber plants, which don't need much light, are both good options.<br /> <br /><strong> 4. I want a plant for my bathroom, but it's so humid.</strong><br /> <br /> While ferns might be ill-placed in rooms with a varied climate, they thrive in a humid bathroom. </p>
<p>"Normally if you have a fern in any other room you'd want to mist it every other day, but in the bathroom with a hot shower that's pretty much doing it for you," Hatton says.</p>
<p>"Another good one for bathrooms are the hanging pitcher plants ... they just love the humidity, assuming it's a decently lit bathroom," Kubler says.<br /> <br /> Hatton says the kitchen - humid but often warmer than the bathroom – is really good for orchids.</p>
<p><strong>5. I don't have much space for a plant.</strong><br /> <br /> When it comes to small plants for small spaces, you would be wrong to head straight for the nearest bonsai.<br /> <br /> "Most of them are conifers ... they need a bit of sunlight and a bit of wind, otherwise they curl up and die," Hatton says.<br /> <br /> African violets are a small plant, but not all that easy care.<br /> <br /> "They stay really tiny but it can be a bit complicated to find the right spot for them sometimes, they need bright indirect light and they need to be watered from below."<br /> <br /> If you're low on space but need some green, consider plants which hang from vertical spaces such as shelfs. String of pearls is an incredibly popular succulent which drapes down from a pot.<br /> <br /> <strong>6. I want a plant for my balcony, but it's really exposed.</strong><br /> <br /> Your options are "almost endless" once you step out onto the balcony or deck, Kubler says. </p>
<p>"You can do anything that doesn't get too big for the pot."</p>
<p>Hatton suggests herbs for small outdoor spaces. </p>
<p>"Really good candidates are things like thyme and rosemary, which do fine in potted containers, and will take just about any weather conditions – and they're useful."</p>
<p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://stuff.co.nz/%20%20"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a> </em></p>
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