Top 10 Indoor Plants
At Grevillea Nursery, you are sure to find the perfect indoor plant for any position in the home or office. The following ten indoor plants have been selected as the ‘best performers' and provide excellent colour and foliage diversity.
1. Bonsai
The word ‘bonsai' comes from the joining of two Japanese words ‘bon' which means ‘shallow tray' and ‘sai' which means ‘plant'.
The art of bonsai miniaturizes trees by controlling their growth in their formative years and has been practiced for more than two thousand years. A true bonsai plant should look natural without outwardly showing the intervention of human hands.
The trimming of roots and limbs whilst confined to a shallow tray creates miniature versions of plants that eventually form a work of art.
Bonsai plants are a popular indoor plant as they provide an interesting architectural element to the home.
2. Bromeliad
Bromeliads would have to be one of the most fascinating and colourful indoor plants. They are thousands of years old and are native to the tropical and warm temperate areas.
Most varieties have a tightly layered leaf formation, which holds water in a ‘well' in the centre of the plant. They require little attention, yet provide the owner with the most spectacular flower display which can last up to several months.
3. Cordyline
The Cordyline is an evergreen in the Agave family and is a common house plant because of it beautiful foliage colours and tough characteristics.
One of the most vivid varieties is Cordyline fruiticosa, a showy plant with its deep green, purple or bronze foliage striped with hot pink detail.
Also known as the ‘good luck plant' in Hawaii and is used traditionally for the hula dancers skirts.
4. Dracaena fragrans Massangeana
Dracaena Massangeana, also know as the ‘happy plant' , is a popular house plant as it tolerates very low-light conditions.
It's long, wide, dark green leaves hang gracefully from the trunk with yellow variegation down the centre of the leaves. They require little water and very rarely suffer from pests and diseases.
Dracaena's make a dramatic addition to any room and can be bought as a low shrub or as an architectural plant with canes.
5. Ficus benjamina
Also known as the weeping fig, Ficus benjamina is an attractive indoor plant with graceful weeping branches and glossy, dark green leaves.
A native to south and southeast Asia and the official tree of Bangkok , but adopted as one of Australia 's best indoor plants.
Relatively easy to care for, Ficus benjamina tolerates the household environment very well and requires moderate watering and occasional pruning.
6. Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum aethiopicum is one of about 200 species of the genus Adiantum, and is the common Maidenhair fern. Maidenhair ferns are distinctive in appearance, with dark branches and bright green leaves which are delicately shaped.
Maidenhair ferns prefer rich, moist, well-drained soil in a position that is warm and free of severe drafts. Originating from America and Europe , Maidenhair ferns make a beautiful addition to the home or office adding a soft, graceful feature.
7. New Guinea Impatient
Also known as ‘Busy Lizzie', New Guinea Impatiens are native to Eastern Africa from Tanzania to Mozambique . The leaves are deep green, sometimes having a burgundy tinge, and the flowers come in a variety of colours including red, white, pink, hot pink, salmon, apricot and are 2 – 5cm in diameter. Easy to care for and flowering profusely, they make an excellent indoor living colour display.
8. Rhoeo spathacea
Originating from the West Indies and Mexico , Rhoeo spathacea is a tough perennial that can be used as a dense groundcover or an attractive feature plant in pots. Also known as ‘Moses-In A-Cradle', ‘Moses-In-The-Boat' and the ‘Oyster Plant', this beautiful plant has deep metallic green strappy foliage with a deep purple underside with the small white flowers produced sporadically all year in boat-shaped bracts. Rhoeo makes a very attractive indoor plant and tolerates the home environment rather well
9. Spathiphyllum
Spathiphyllum, also known as ‘The Peace Lily', are a very attractive indoor plant with large, glossy, dark green foliage and hood-shaped showy white flowers. Originating from South and Central America , they tolerate low-light conditions and adapt to their environments very well. They are easy to care for – requiring little water and fertilization, which is why they are so widely used in home and office situations.
10. Yucca elephantipes
If you are looking for a plant that will give the perfect architectural look for a room, there is none better than the Yucca elephantipes. Native to Mexico and also known as the Spineless Yucca, Yucca elephantipes thrive on next to no water and very little care. Their bluish-green leaves are long and sword-like, adorning the top of their rough, straight cane which gives them their structured look. They perform best indoors in a brightly lit area, but can also be used outdoors either in full-sun or part-shade. Yucca elephantipes can be bought in various sizes including ranging from one foot tall to six feet tall and all adapt to their environments. They are also salt, frost and drought tolerant. |
