Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Air-purifying, tropical palm thrives in medium light. Its bold, architectural fronds fit a living room corner preferably, due to its height. The elegant fronds of the Parlour Palm bring peace and zen into any living-room corner. On top of releasing oxygen and attracting good Feng Shui, the Parlour palm also captures suspected household pollutants.
Kentia Palm grows best in low to medium bright light and only needs to be watered once a week – provided that the drainage of the soil is good so it does not cause root rot; when applying water do it generously but make sure that the soil is well-drained so the formation of root rot does not occur.
Aglaonema Silver Bay
Aglaonema Silver Bay (aka Chinese evergreen) shrugs and adds green touches to any home space. Low but luscious, it’s almost indestructible and easy to care for: medium light is best; but bright indirect light is even better! Don’t put in direct sun, or you’ll brown those leaves! Water only as needed (we can’t believe we have to mention this, but please, do not overwater!) Water as needed, but don’t go overboard!
The distinctive feature of most tropical plants is the presence of coloured leaves in every conceivable shade and hue, a world apart from the darker, greyer, and sombre northern-climate fare, which makes tropicals an amazing design choice for a striking visual display. It likes warmth and accepts seasonal temperature swings; low humidity is fine but remove it from drafty windows and airconditioning vents. It should be fertilised regularly, once a month in growing season with a generic houseplant fertiliser, and perhaps less frequently in winter.
Peace Lily
Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum wallisii) are always a great choice as house plants for a reason – they are so easy to care for, which adds a dramatic presence, especially in smaller rooms, and filters our air, while their long splashy green sailed leaves burst into white clouds when they bloom.
Keep in low to medium light (direct sunlight will burn the leaves and destroy the shape) and make sure not to overwater!
Peacle lily prefer to have even moist soil, so make sure to water it regularly. If roots need more moisture, the stem will start to droop a little, but don’t overwater it! It’ll look nice if you prune it often and will thrive best if you repot it once in a while into a slighty bigger container.
Dracaena
Dracaena plants instantly provide any living room with dashing visual drama, their striking green or variegated leaves with different colour palettes, and are sturdy houseplants that do best under warmer conditions but are tolerant to low to moderate lighting levels. Misting the plants and adding pebbles near their soils increase their humidity levels (top tip: wear gloves to prevent sap oozing from the cut leaves from staining the hands).
Feng Shui also claims that the indoor Dracaena Massangeana brings prosperity and tranquillity, its abundant leafy growth softening the hard edges and angles of your room and bringing back harmony to your energy fields. Dracaena plants were later tested as specimens of interior air purifying plants at NASA, filtering the benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene from its airflow.
Find the best Dracaena for your home and learn easy ways to care, so you can stop worrying about your plant parents.
Swiss Cheese Plant
Do you want to add some texture and some dimension to your living room? Look no further than a Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant). Boho lovers love them for the holes in their leaves. But they also look great in any other decor style, too!
As a typical tropical houseplant, they’ll need moderately bright indirect light to thrive; they evolved not to seek light on the jungle floor, but to avoid the harsh glare in the canopy above, so direct sun will burn their leaves. Place them amongst other plants and mist their leaves to raise humidity around them, or place a shallow tray of water under their pot to encourage rapid root growth. Water them only when their soil is parched.
The easiest plants to keep are succulents, although they will grow fast and look straggly if you don’t take off the stems every once in a while. Give them all-purpose liquid fertiliser in spring and summer to keep them looking lush.
Jade Plant
The jade plant (Crassula ovata) or friendship or money plant can be counted on to provide easy green to any room, needing moderate to bright indirect light and watering when the soil is dry.
Another cool way that you could add colour and vibrancy to a living area is with the Dracaena Medallion. This is a year-round tropical houseplant that requires medium to bright indirect light with occasional sun. It should be watered once a week.
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM photosynthesis) allows a plant to store carbon dioxide taken in during daylight hours to last through dark and cool periods. In moderate climates, this hardy succulent grows year-round as a houseplant.
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