The Most Popular Houseplants

There are many plants suitable for growing indoors. Growers are usually limited by light conditions and especially space. Some can afford to grow large plants, while others must make do with a few pots on a windowsill. However, with loving care, even a few pots on a windowsill can bring tremendous joy and look spectacular. Owners of larger apartments or family houses with conservatories often grow various species of banana plants, ficus trees, or lemon eucalyptus as houseplants. On a windowsill, you can successfully grow cacti and succulents.

Do you have large spaces? Grow your own bananas.

The banana plant (lat. Musa) is a genus of herbs from the banana family (lat. Musaceae). Due to their size, banana plants are a striking focal point in interiors. Smaller species and cultivars that have been bred specifically for growing in apartments are suitable for indoor spaces. These cultivars reach a height of approximately 170 cm when fruiting. Some purely ornamental species, whose fruits are not consumed, are even smaller. The most commonly grown banana plant in apartments is the Dwarf Cavendish variety, which originates from China and grows to a height of around 100-120 cm. With proper care, you can expect flowers and fruits indoors in approximately 2-4 years. Another dwarf banana plant species suitable for apartments is the Velutina variety, reaching a height of only 120 cm. The leaves of this banana plant are fresh green and slightly waxy. The flowers are pink to orange. The fruits are highly decorative, pink in color, approximately 7 cm in size. These fruits are edible and very sweet.

Growing banana plants indoors

Grow banana plants in well-draining, nutrient-rich soil. A mixture of compost soil, peat, and sand is suitable. Keep the substrate consistently moist, but be careful not to overwater, as the plant could rot. During the growing season, add fertilizer for green houseplants to the water (approximately once every 14 days). Banana plants need higher temperatures year-round for growth, ideally around 25°C and warm substrate (in winter, place the pot with the banana plant closer to heating). In dry apartments, it's advisable to mist the banana plant regularly. Don't forget to provide the banana plant with plenty of light, so place it as close to a window as possible. During flowering and fruit ripening, banana plants cannot tolerate any moving or relocation!

Need to purify the air in your apartment? Grow lemon eucalyptus.

Lemon-scented gum (lat. Eucalyptus citriodora), also known as lemon eucalyptus, contains large amounts of eucalyptus essential oils that are released even with a gentle touch or breeze. Thanks to these oils, lemon eucalyptus creates a microclimate in the apartment that helps humidify the air and has antiseptic properties. Its presence in the apartment will be especially appreciated by asthma sufferers, as it makes breathing easier.

How to Grow Lemon Eucalyptus

Growing lemon eucalyptus is not too difficult. Grow the plant in a bright location, and during the summer period it will benefit from being outdoors. Before the frosts arrive, bring the eucalyptus inside. Since there is a lack of light in winter, it is better to slow down the plant's growth during this period by reducing temperature and watering. This way the plant won't stretch unnecessarily. Eucalyptus needs to be pinched back regularly to prevent excessive growth and encourage branching. Perform more drastic pruning in spring, when it will be necessary to cut back stretched or dried branches. Repot the plant from time to time. When repotting, be very careful, as the plant is very sensitive to root disturbance. A suitable substrate for growing is a permeable, loamy-sandy substrate.

Get a Benjamin Fig! Grow Ficus benjamina.

Ficus (lat. Ficus) comprises around 1000 species, and the most commonly grown houseplant is the weeping fig / small-leaved fig (lat. Ficus benjamina). Ficus plants originate from India and belong to the mulberry family (lat. Moraceae). The weeping fig is a tree-like ficus species with weak branches and leathery, egg-shaped leaves. Weeping figs are very often shaped into indoor bonsai. In indoor conditions, ficus plants grow to heights from 30 cm to 200 cm.

Growing Ficus

When growing Ficus benjamina you must be careful, because the plant is sensitive to overwatering and drying out, and cannot tolerate sudden changes in temperature, environment, or drafts. If you follow these basic conditions, you will have no problem growing ficus. Grow ficus in a bright location with diffused light, ensure it has enough water (keep the substrate moist, but excess water must not stand in the saucer), it will also benefit from increased humidity. Try not to move the ficus and don't expose it to sudden temperature changes. Ficus experiences a strong shock during sudden environmental changes, which triggers disruption in metabolic processes, as a result of which the plant drops all its leaves and often dies. Even in winter, weeping fig needs a minimum temperature of 15 °C. During the summer season, fertilize the ficus regularly (once every 14 days) with special fertilizer for ficus. Repot ficus plants only when the roots are growing out of the pot. The new pot should be about 2 - 3 cm larger than the original one. You will certainly find the right one in our e-shop. Never choose a pot that is too large, because the root system wouldn't be able to cope with the excess amount of water. For large ficus plants that you don't repot annually, it's advisable to remove at least the top layer of soil and replace it with fresh substrate.

When you can't go to the Canary Islands, bring the Canaries to you. Grow Aeonium.

Aeoniums (lat. Aeonium) are succulent plants originating from the Canary Islands. Most aeonium species grow endemically (only in the Canary Islands). Aeoniums form ground rosettes that differ according to individual species. The most commonly grown aeonium species are Aeonium spathulatum, which grows on dry rocks in forest areas on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. In our conditions, this aeonium blooms in spring with yellow flowers. Another frequently cultivated species is Aeonium tabulaeforme (lat. Aeonium tabulaeforme) forming a completely flat ground "disc" of densely compressed leaves. The rosettes are very attractive, which makes this aeonium a highly valued species. Aeonium ciliatum (lat. Aeonium ciliatum) grows only on the island of Tenerife. The leaves grow in a rosette shape. Depending on the amount of sunlight, they are colored from dark green to yellow-green. The flowers growing on a branched stem are white.

Growing Aeoniums

Aeoniums can be grown as houseplants without any problems. Provide them with a bright location, in summer protect them from midday sun. Harsh sun could burn the plants. Aeoniums require a warm location, the ideal temperature is around 20°C. In winter, you can reduce it to 10-15°C. At the winter location, reduce watering to a minimum to prevent root rot. When watering, be careful not to get water into the center of the leaf rosette, as this could cause the rosette to rot. Repot aeoniums in spring. Shallow clay dishes are more suitable for aeoniums, as they are more stable than plastic pots. Suitable substrate is clay-sandy soil or soil specifically for cacti and succulents. After repotting aeoniums, do not water for at least two weeks to allow wounds on the roots that occurred during repotting to heal. During summer, aeoniums will appreciate staying outdoors.

Want to have a bishop's cap or a sea star on your windowsill? Get an astrophytum cactus.

Cacti are another type of plant that can be easily grown on a windowsill. Suitable genera include Astrophytum, Echinocereus, and Thelocactus. Plants of the Astrophytum genus are very attractive thanks to the white flakes scattered all over the cactus body. Flowers grow from the top of the plant and are mostly yellow with a red or orange throat. The most well-known species are astrophytum asterias, which resembles a sea star in appearance, and astrophytum myriostigma, which is known as the "bishop's cap". The thelocactus genus of cacti originates from Mexico. Thelocactus plants are very attractive in appearance. Some representatives have colorful spines, while others have very long ones. The large flowers growing from the vegetative apex of the plants are also pleasing to the eye. Try, for example, thelocactus bicolor, thelocactus hexaedrophorus, and thelocactus rinconensis. Echinocereus are columnar cacti whose flowers grow from the side of the plant and, unlike many other cactus species, can bloom for up to a week.

Growing Cacti

Cacti are very easy to grow, but for flowering it is important to maintain a regime of summer vegetation and a period of winter dormancy. In spring, place the plants in a bright location (e.g., on a windowsill) and start watering them about once every 14 days, always taking into account the current climatic conditions. The substrate should always dry out completely between waterings. If the cactus has reached flowering size, it should soon set buds as it "wakes up from winter dormancy". Flowering and growth can be supported by fertilizing with fertilizer for cacti and succulents. Keep the cacti in growth regime until approximately the end of September, then gradually reduce watering and fertilization. In October, move the plants from the windowsill to a cooler location with a temperature of around 10 - 15 °C. Cacti overwintered at reduced temperatures need neither light nor water in winter. In spring, move them back to a bright location and start watering them. If you overwintered the cacti in complete darkness, accustom them to light gradually so that the harsh sun doesn't burn them. Grow cacti in well-draining soil or directly in substrate for cacti and succulents.