Indoor House Plants No Short Supply

House plants continue to be used indoors with a much bolder and a more generous hand than they were in grandmother’s day. Larger windows, greater expanses of glass have created growing conditions far beyond the window sill.

Today, suppliers of indoor house plants talk about their architectural value and indoor air cleaning potential. In fact, the greatest number of popular indoor plants today are admired for their foliage and structure rather than for leaf color and flowers alone. The large bold leaves of monstera may give a pattern to a blank wall or act as a screen to create an entrance “hall” into the living room.

You cannot go wrong with a ZZ Plant, Mother-in-laws tongue or the Peace Lily - tough and durable.

In the same bold foliage class are the popular philodendrons. Garden centers and nurseries offer various kinds. Some grow like vines on poles or trellises. Others are rosette - like types that spread out like some of the ferns. Leaves vary from strap-like, arrow-shaped, heart-shaped, to lobed, slashed, or polka-dotted with holes (actually monstera).

Two other old-timers that belong in this large scale planting class are the old rubber plant (Ficus elestica), which is really an ornamental fig; and the kentia palm that you’ve seen frequently in the old hotel lobbies.

Others in this large-leaf class are: Fiddle leaf fig - fiddle shaped leaves 10 to 15 inches long; various aralias (closely related to the familiar Fatsia japonica and fatshedera); the Scheflleras - dwarf, tree, braided and many other forms with shiny-leafed plants that need bright light but handle low humidity.

Many house plants have little or no bloom, but provide interest and color with their variegated, color - splashed, or patterned leaves. Some in this class are: the many forms of Dracaenas which look best in filtered sunlight, likes light rich soil and does well in small pots; Aglaonema and Dieffenbachia - large and small varieties with leaves usually variegated in creamy yellow or white; maranta - sometimes called prayer plant because it lifts its leaves in the evening so that they face each other (leaves are velvety green with brownish spots); Caladium bulbs and Coleus are popular because of their acceptance of outdoor conditions in the summer (but needs very bright light).

Then there is the good old standby we hope will always be with us indoors - the African violet.

As you can see there is no shortage of plants for indoor use.

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