House Plants

[fredr123]

Surely there must be a green thumb or two on CP. I'm looking for an interesting house plant for our new house. Probably a rather largish one that can remain in a pot on the floor (though I'm open to other suggestions too). Can't be pokey or toxic because my kid will surely try to touch and/or eat it. Bonus points for a somewhat unique plant.

[CaptainCrunch]

So I guess a grow op in your basement is out.

[SteveToms]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So I guess a grow op in your basement is out.

Just put a lock on the door with a sign in numerous languages "No Entry"

[Barnes]

"Huge bonzai", oxy moron of the day. Go to the garden centres and have a look. Ask questions so you don't end up with a plant that requires you to rub it with prime rib, sing it Bette Midler songs and prune it a 3 am.

[4X4]

Better to be familiar with plant care before getting a bonzai. They're expensive and pretty picky.

I recommend a rubber plant. Super easy to care for and good looking as long as you invest a little effort. I received one as a housewarming gift 11 years ago and now this bad boy (his name is Edgar) is about 5'6" and nicely filled out. Nice corner plant that doesn't need much (if any) direct sunlight. All you have to do is water the thing once a week and when it reaches a height you like start picking off new buds on the top.

[Acid Rush]

I suggest a lucky bamboo... easy to maintain. You can buy some at Ikea.

[The Goon]

What you really need to do is take Indoor Gardening Tips from A Man Who's Very Scared of Plants.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by The Goon

What you really need to do is take Indoor Gardening Tips from A Man Who's Very Scared of Plants.

Walken is gold. LOL. Googly Eyes.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Better to be familiar with plant care before getting a bonzai. They're expensive and pretty picky.

Well, they are expensive because sometimes the large ones are hundreds of years old. And they have to be pruned regularily. Quite often they are a regular kind of tree or bush, say a juniper, and then you just do not let it grow to mature size. They are trained early on with wires, to get the main trunk shape and after that, it is determined what size they are to grow and at that point, prune, shape, prune, shape, prune, shape. And if you get the exotic variety, they soon die in our very dry Calgary climate.

I recommend a rubber plant. Super easy to care for and good looking as long as you invest a little effort. I received one as a housewarming gift 11 years ago and now this bad boy (his name is Edgar) is about 5'6" and nicely filled out. Nice corner plant that doesn't need much (if any) direct sunlight. All you have to do is water the thing once a week and when it reaches a height you like start picking off new buds on the top.

Or you can cut each stalk down at half heighth and then 2 new ones will sprout from the one main one. That encourages it to bush out as well. Otherwise, if you do not pinch the top, or prune from lower down, you will have one tall Edgar that will soon be trying to push through your ceiling.

Quite often, if you want a more "unique" or "exotic" type house plant, it will not do well in Calgary. We have a climate that most house plants do not like, by that I mean, very low humidity. If you can provide a solarium setting, you will be fine of course. Now you can grow some of the "unique" ones, but careful how unique they are. Do you wish to be misting regularily or perhaps providing special soil? Because that is what they will need to thrive.

First of all, determine your light conditions and the room temperature conditions. So south light and hot room, or north room with poor light and cool conditions? You need a plant that matches your growing conditions. Most of the nurseries are very good at helping you choose the right plant for the growing conditions you present them.

Someone mentioned a yucca plant, they are good, minimal care for the Calgary area and they will take some abuse as well (do you forget to water your plants?)


Along these same lines are dracaenas. Some are better for the Calgary area than others. This one does quite well, is similar in appearance to the yucca but with finer leaves



This one, also a dracaena sometimes called the corn plant, is not as good, not that it will not grow, but it is more prone to losing leaves from the bottom



A more unique plant that does well in Calgary is the Norfolk pine, fairly slow growing, can stay in the same pot for quite a long period of time, needs a bit cooler conditions and regular moisture, does not like to be drownded though



Chinese evergreens require almost no care at all and will grow under pretty well any light or room temperature conditions. And they come in various sizes. I have one that looks similar to a small philodendron, sort of like the one below, but with larger leaves. And my leaves are much more abundant, you really cant see the stems or trunk. I think it is called some elephant ear variety. I have had mine for 20 years, only restarted and repotted it once. To restart, just cut off a stalk the right length, stick in a pot of water until it roots and replant. Like I said, extremely easy to grow, takes abuse, mine is between 4 and 5 feet high, fills out a corner very nicely.



You can also grow varieties of "ficus" or fig trees in Calgary but they need to be in a corner where the temperature and light is consistent. More importantly, they do not like drafts.

This is the more common fig plant seen around here



This is another variety of fig tree. This one should have been repotted already. As you can see, the bottom leaves are turning yellow and about to drop off, it's roots are too squished and the pot is not in proportion to the size of the plant.

[sclitheroe]

Norfolk pines are nice.

Braided Figs are nice looking trees that do well indoors. They take a ficus, and braid the individual branches together into a single trunk that fuses together as it grows. They handle mistreatment pretty well too - i've butchered my share of them trying to prune them, and they always bounced back.

Personally, I stay away from the bamboo shootish or palm frond type plants in Calgary's climate - they are either getting dried out too quickly, or drowned in an effort to keep them moist. They really need a higher humidity environment to thrive (like the greenhouse at Sunnyside, but they neglect to mention that, of course)

-Scott

[fredr123]

The room we are thinking of faces south and has a bunch of big windows. I require a low maintenance plant or else it will not survive in my home.

Thanks for all the tips, especially redforever. That was extremely helpful.

[redforever]

If you have hot sunny conditions, I would suggest a jade plant. There are many varieties. Some are very small with very tiny leaves, others will grow 3 or 4 feet tall and about that big around as well. The only problem you might encounter with jade plants are mealy bugs. Get a jade plant from a reputable nursery because the bugs usually they come with the plant. If you do find mealy bugs (look like little blobs of cotton fluff) the only way to eradicate them is to dip a cue tip in rubbing alcohol and touch each bug. Not easy, not fun, and they tend to be a recurring problem in that same plant.

Anyhow, 2 varieties of jade plant that are on a larger scale.



and



And this variety of cacti is very easy to grow in Calgary. I have a girlfriend and she has one, very nice plant, minimal care. Have a look at this one, it does not have the traditional spikey pokey things you are worried about. And nothing wrong with plants with those. Junior will only touch them once or twice, will not be an issue.

[redforever]

And if you have a large corner, I would suggest a grouping of plants, not just one solitary plant. So maybe a tall one that will fill in the corner nicely with time and perhaps two rounder, not tall varieties, to balance out the bottom.

So then maybe a yucca, a jade plant and a pot of succulents?

A pot of succulents is always nice as part of the grouping. These are more desert type plants, take full sun, little watering required. They always look nicer in a pot that is wider in diameter and squattier for heighth. Shallow ones look nice on a coffee table if you have one that gets full light.

When you plant, allow enough space for the plants to spread. They do tend to be more slow growing, but will fill in. And if you get a wide enough pot, add some small rocks, pebbles etc to balance out the look.

These all have a very nice balance of texture and coloring. And the first one is not perfectly symmetrical as well, which is my preference.

An aloe vera plant works well with succulents too, or miniature agaves.