I was looking at my Christmas Cactus, which is in the middle of blooming lovely pink and red flowers on my kitchen sink. It gives me a lot of pleasure to look at.
It occurred to me that the reason I don’t have a lot of houseplants is that I associate them with the 1970s. I can’t get it out of my head that houseplants go in spaces that look like this:
Of course, that’s ridiculous. I know that.
I decided the way to cure my houseplant problem is to buy colorful ones. Here are some options I’m considering:
Red: Solenostemon ‘Glory of Luxembourg’
Purple: Oxalis
Pink and Green: Polka Dot Plant
Yellow: Croton
Purple and Green: Purple Passion Plant
Red and Green: Caladium
Purple And Pink: ‘Kingswood Torch’ Coleus
By strategically placing colorful houseplants in various corners of your home, you can effectively maximize space with indoor greenery, transforming dull areas into vibrant, lively spaces.
I adore croton; unfortunately the reds and yellows fade to plain green and it drops leaves unless you can give it pretty much full sun. Caladium will look good until it dies back, then you’ll need to store the rhizome during its rest period before you can replant it again. Coleus is a good bet for low light, but it’s an annual so you’ll be pinching it back a lot to keep it from going to seed, or you can just pitch it and restart from cuttings (it roots fast) or buy new at the garden center in spring. You might also consider African violets — they’re not nearly as touchy as the literature would have you believe — or arrowhead plants (Syngonium).
Good luck curing your issue; I’ve got plants on every flat surface I can spare, and my apartment looks nothing like that house!
Thanks Cassie.