SOME HARDY INDOOR PLANTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 846, 14 December 1929, Page 34

SOME HARDY INDOOR PLANTS

The conditions that exist in rooms are not conducive to the health of plants generally, so that unless they are well cared for their condition will not long remain satisfactory. Plants with ornamental leaves are most suitable for rooms, though certain flowering plants—vallota purpurea, for example—can be made to succeed. The aspidistra is most familiar, while the Indian rubber plant (ficus elastica), aralia or fatsia japonica, auraucaria and grevillea robusta are elegant foliage plants frequently grown in the home. Kentias belmoreana and fosteriana are useful palms, and among ferns, asplenium bulbiferum, adiantum williamsi and pteris cristata, and P. tremula have proved satisfactory. The most important detail in the management of room plants is watering. In winter, when activity is at its lowest, not much water is needed, though if the soil becomes dry the lowest leaves will drop and the plants be rendered unsightly. When water is given, however, it should be sufficient to moisten the whole of the soil. If the soil does not become dry after a reasonable period has elapsed, remove the plant from the pot and after loosening the soil at the bottom, rearrange the crocks. Repotting in the ordinary w-ay should be done in August. Keep the leaves clean by sponging once a week with luke-warm water. By turning the pots round occasionally, all parts of the plants will benefit by being exposed to an equal amount of light. Plants in rooms from which the sun is obscured will be improved by being moved into others more favourably situated. Avoid draughty positions, and keep the foliage of window plants from touching the glass.