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The most important factors to consider for plant care are light, watering and general maintenance
@Kitchissippi kitchissippitimes KitchissippiTimes
15 • April 2020 • HOMES & CONDOS
Picking plants: Trends and tips When selecting indoor plants, it is important to consider safety — Certain varieties may be more toxic for children and pets. For parents and pet-owners, here are a few houseplants to avoid: Azaleas, crotons, dieffenbachias, philodendrons, yuccas, aloe plants, jade plants and pothos plants. Some houseplants that are safe include Boston ferns, burro’s tail, fittonias, Christmas cacti, ponytail palms, phalaenopsis orchids, spider plants, prayer plants and polka dot plants. Any plant can be toxic in larger quantities, so Elizabeth advised that buyers consult with an expert if questions arise.
But what is popular in the plant world? A few years ago, succulents seemed to rule the indoor garden game. Different types of cacti and echeveria plants could be seen all over social media channels. Recently, Elizabeth said she’s seen other fan favourites emerge. “People are really liking the monsteras, monstera philodendron,” she said. “They are still really liking, for a large floor plant, the ficus lyrata. As far as low-maintenance, but still great for cleaning the air, the sansevierias are really big as well as the zz plants.” By far, sansevieria and zz plants are some of the easiest to take care of, Elizabeth added. If you work a lot and have a darker condo, those could be the plants for you. “They can go up to six-weeks without water, they are very, very drought tolerant, they can go from full bright light to very shady areas as well. And they can go indoors or outdoors for the summer. “They are very forgiving,” she added. Elizabeth has a favourite this spring but novice gardeners beware. “My favourite plant right now is the maiden-hair fern, which is stunning but very, very finicky. It’s like one of those exoctic beauties that you don’t want to look at the wrong way,” she said, laughing. “But it’s absolutely gorgeous.” Connect with Flowers Talk Tivoli to learn more about building an indoor garden. The local company has plant profiles and tips on its website flowerstalk.ca as well as a team of plant pros.
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to the sink or bathtub, give it a “really good soak” and then let it dry out completely. “Plants don’t like little top ups of water here and there. They like a really, really good drink and then let them dry out between watering.” For fertilizing, be aware of the “dormant” seasons. The best times for both fertilizing and repotting are the spring and summer. “They say it’s best to not fertilize between November and April,” Elizabeth said. “Usually, that’s when plants are dormant. So you don’t want to fertilize or repot between those times. We do have less light in our homes at that time, it’s also a lot drier, so the plants are already going through some stress.” Get to know your plant and its needs — don’t wait for signs of stress before repotting or fertilizing.