Collins - Indoor Plants

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor

Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

www.harpercollins.ca

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

www.harpercollins.com

Acalypha wilkesiana

KEY FACTS

Flowers bright red; intermittently year-round

Foliage green and copper, splashed with red

Site warm light shade

Temperature ensure an even 18C (64F)

Height 200cm

Spread 100cm

CARE: Keep Acalypha warm. Mist regularly and keep soil constantly moist in summer. Keep humidity high. Feed throughout summer. Prune regularly each spring.

The red-hot catstail, Acalypha hispida, is a spectacular flowering plant. Its long, fluffy, feather bower-like catkins dangle down from the leaf joints. Its bright colour and unusual appearance evoke the spirit of the tropics, from where the plant originates.

Unfortunately, Acalypha can be a difficult plant to look after and to keep looking good. In fact, it generally prefers the conditions in a conservatory to those in the house.

Pineapple

Ananas comosus Variegatus

KEY FACTS

Flowers white; last for many months

Foliage spiky, bold and variegated

Site well-lit;some sunlight

Temperature average to high (24C/75F max.)

Height 70100cm

Spread 50cm

CARE: Water Ananas by filling up the vase in the centre of the plant. Try to ensure that this never dries out. Propagate regularly from offsets.

Ananas, or pineapple, is one of the best known bromeliads. The house plant more than lives up to the exotic image of the fruit. Bold, strongly variegated foliage yields a rising spike of flowers that eventually forms a miniature pineapple. Few plants have such broad appeal.

In warm conditions with high humidity, the flower spikes will be produced in late spring to early summer. The fruits will then take up to seven months to mature. They are edible but not tasty.

Rhoicissus capensis

KEY FACTS

Flowers tiny yellow flowers in spring

Foliage unusual shape; climbing habit

Site bright, filtered light

Temperature average to cool year-round

Height 150cm

Spread 80cm

CARE: Water well in summer, sparingly in winter. Provide a good, solid framework for the plant to grow up. A trellis works well, as does an obelisk. Feed monthly when in growth.

Rhoicissus capensis, commonly known as the cape grape, is a beautiful climbing foliage plant. It has evergreen, glossy leaves in deep green and an elegant climbing habit. It is also extremely easy to look after.

R. capensis is the most commonly available. It has small and tough, leathery leaves that are dark green and glossy. The leaves are fan shaped with scalloped edges and they have pale leaf veins.

Rose

Rosa chinensis Mixed Colours

Rosa chinensis

Rosa chinensis

Rosa chinensis var. minimahybrids

KEY FACTS

Flowers red, yellow, pink in summer and autumn

Foliage dark green and glossy; thorny

Site ventilated sunlight

Temperature average to cool year-round

Height 2040cm

Spread 2040cm

CARE: To keep plants flowering, deadhead faded flowers regularly. This will encourage the formation of new buds. Leaves will drop in autumn. Remove any stems that die back.

Roses are such attractive plants, it would be a shame if they were only found in the garden. Rose plants are available with the flower shapes, colours and scents of garden roses, but have been bred to tolerate indoor conditions.

They have also been bred to grow far smaller than other roses and they make good, compact plants for the house. The flowers are also much smaller than those of other roses, but lose little in miniaturization. Many are possibly prettier than their larger relatives.

Roses will bloom from early summer until the end of autumn, and are available in a wide range of colours. Rosa chinensis var. minima (syn.Rouletii) is a particularly small plant with deep pink, double flowers. The flowers of R. Baby Masquerade change colour as they age. The buds are yellow but they turn red as they open, creating a pretty bi-coloured effect over the plant.

All of the roses grown as indoor plants have been bred from garden roses, so they need lots of light in summer. Place them in a sunny spot on a windowsill and give them plenty of ventilation.

In winter, they will need a complete rest. Keep them cool and cut back on watering.

African violet

Saintpaulia ionantha

KEY FACTS

Flowers year-round whites, pinks and blues

Foliage dark green and fluffy with tiny hairs

Site bright, indirect light

Temperature average but constant; no changes

Height 1015cm

Spread 1015cm

CARE: They need quite a lot of water and humidity. Try not to splash their fleshy, hairy leaves and crowns while watering or misting the leaves.

Saintpaulia is a pretty, compact plant. It is an established favourite among flowering indoor plants and this is partly due to its ability, with the right care, to remain in flower all year round.