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Indoor Plants

 
The term 'House plants' is not a horticultural term for plants of course. We grow plants inside not only to make us feel good and because they are pretty, but because generally they would not survive our British Isles climate. All these plants grow in the wild somewhere in the world with a climate far more tolerant to their own particular needs than ours. 

The vast majority of indoor plants need more thought and care than those outdoors as you are playing Mother Nature with them. There are a few exceptions to this rule which fall into the category of 'un-killable' but these are the exceptions. Don't think that splashing out on that expensive orchid will guarantee a plant which will live and indeed flower for ever if you don't look after it. It will not, it will die! In order to ensure that your prize purchase does not end up on the compost heap too early, here are a few tips to help you out:
 
  • If you have a space in mind for your new plant, think about where that space is. Is it light, dark, hot, cold, humid etc? Would you plant an oak tree in a courtyard or an exotic orchid in your pond?

  • Read the label and do your research!

  • When you are taking the plant home, wrap it carefully with a bag over the top of it until you get it home, especially in winter. Plants will suffer if you expose them to massive temperature ranges which they are not used to. This applies also to your house: don't place them near an external door which opens on a regular basis.

  • Make sure they are fed and watered according to the label. Most plants are killed by over watering!

  • Deal with any problems a plant might have as soon as possible.  Once diseases and pests take a stronghold it can be very difficult to deal with, especially as they are inside.

  • Give your plants a break.  Not two weeks on a beach in the Algarve, but ease up on the watering and feeding front in winter.  In the wild they would do this anyway but in the house they are reliant on you!
 
As a passing note to the above, if you have cats, it might be worth taking into account the fact that the pollen from species of Lilium can cause kidney failure then death in cats in leaves are eaten or pollen gets on their fur and the ingest it by licking it off. This applies to freshly cut flowers as well as plants. The following varieties are a known danger to cats:

Lilium longiflorum (Easter lily)
Lilium tigrinum (Tiger lily)
Lilium speciosum (Rubrum lily)
Lilium lancifolium (Japanese show lily)
Hemerocallis (Day lily)
Lilly
 
Houseplant