House plants
I love gardening and have grown plants for as long as I've had a garden but for some reason I've never been very successful with houseplants. Actually, I do know the reason- I'm a bit sporadic when it comes to looking after them. They get re-potted and wiped and misted and then I forget to do anything else until it's too late.
I have a begonia with unusual leaves (and insignificant pink flowers) that seems to thrive on neglect that was a cutting from my mum years ago (I think my friend's mum gave it to her) and a Christmas cactus that my friend gave me a few years ago that repays it's occasional watering with a mass of pink flowers but other than that my main success has been my aloe vera plant. It sits on my kitchen window sill and I use it for burns and other skin complaints like eczema and sore or dry skin. Just break off a segment of leaf and apply the clear sap to the area.
I finally got round to giving it some attention and separated 12 babies from it. One is now living in the bathroom and another has gone to a friend. The rest will go to other friends or may be sold at a car boot sale. They're all potted in fresh compost which, with the occasional water, should keep them happy for another couple of years.
But I've decided I'd like more greenery inside my house, especially as so many houseplants are known to clean the air around them, detoxing our homes of chemicals from home furnishings, cleaning products and outside pollutants. Aloe vera helps remove formaldehyde and benzene as well as being useful medicinally.
I've tried to buy the plants from local people on Facebook or from fetes. As well as giving my money directly to a local person, rather than a chain of shops, it means they're generally in reused pots and I know they'll be easy to propogate. From a charity garden party I bought a Mother of Millions (or Thousands, I've seen it called both) (Bryophyllum daigremontianum) and a baby Spider plant (Chlorophytum Comosum).
The spider plant will clean the air of formaldehyde (from floor finishes, varnishes, furnishings and exhaust fumes), xylene (from petrol fumes) and carbon monoxide. It will have it's own babies on long dangling tendrils, so it needs to go on a high-ish shelf or cupboard to show off. In my head it's a very '70's plant so perhaps I ought to macrame a hanging basket to hold it?!
The Mother of Millions has teeny tiny plantlets growing on the edge of it's leaves which root when the fall off, meaning lots and lots of new plants.
I have a begonia with unusual leaves (and insignificant pink flowers) that seems to thrive on neglect that was a cutting from my mum years ago (I think my friend's mum gave it to her) and a Christmas cactus that my friend gave me a few years ago that repays it's occasional watering with a mass of pink flowers but other than that my main success has been my aloe vera plant. It sits on my kitchen window sill and I use it for burns and other skin complaints like eczema and sore or dry skin. Just break off a segment of leaf and apply the clear sap to the area.
But I've decided I'd like more greenery inside my house, especially as so many houseplants are known to clean the air around them, detoxing our homes of chemicals from home furnishings, cleaning products and outside pollutants. Aloe vera helps remove formaldehyde and benzene as well as being useful medicinally.
I've tried to buy the plants from local people on Facebook or from fetes. As well as giving my money directly to a local person, rather than a chain of shops, it means they're generally in reused pots and I know they'll be easy to propogate. From a charity garden party I bought a Mother of Millions (or Thousands, I've seen it called both) (Bryophyllum daigremontianum) and a baby Spider plant (Chlorophytum Comosum).
The Mother of Millions has teeny tiny plantlets growing on the edge of it's leaves which root when the fall off, meaning lots and lots of new plants.
I bought a Mother-in-laws tongue (Sansevieria) for each bedroom from a local buy and sell page on Facebook which should be indestructable. They grow slowly but clean the air of benzene (detergents and plastics), formaldehyde, trichloroethylene (paints), xylene and tolulene (found in petrol and solvents). Unusually, it gives off oxygen overnight, making it an ideal bedroom plant.
My son bought me a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) for Mother's day which helps remove benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene and is sitting in a corner of the living room.
Lots of other plants are effective- English ivy (Hedera Helix), Dracaena and good old Chrysanthemums amongst others. I'll gradually increase my collection as I find plants I want.
Hazel, I am so excited to see your new blog - it looks beautiful! Is that a local view up the top - it is exactly what I think all of England should look like:)
ReplyDeleteLike you I am trying to increase my stock of house plants, mostly by stealth and propagation. Did you know that you can propagate mother-in-law's tongue by slicing a leaf into sections, and planting each section? I am trying to track one down so I can cut off part of a leaf and give this a go. Currently I am also trying very hard not to kill off the plants I have, which is always the first challenge, isn't it? Lovely aloe vera. I am interested to see that the babies are a different colour to the mother.
Thank you :) The view is from the bottom of my garden. I do look at it every day and feel lucky for it. My village isn't a tourist destination (thankfully!) like the Cotswold villages not far from here, but North Oxfordshire is still very pretty. I love watching the view change with the seasons- it's like an animated 'What to Look for in Summer/Autumn' etc Ladybird book that I had as a child!
DeleteI do vaguely recall that about mother-in-laws tongue but I've never tried it. I'll have a go when they get a little bit bigger, thanks (assuming I don't kill them first...)
I think the aloe babies are brown because they've been in the sun outside and the big one has been in the house. I should probably bring the babies in before they get too droopy.