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Category: House & Greenhouse plants

Tips on growing indoor plants, conservator, windowsill and greenhouse cultivation

Solanum Winter Cherry

Solanum Winter Cherry

It is the season for houseplants and this Solanum capsicastrum was raised from seed probably in a Dutch hothouse for the UK’s pre Christmas market.

What to do with your Winter Cherry

  • Like most Solanums related to the nightshades these attractive berries are poisonous. Do not confuse them withthe edible  Cape Gooseberries – Physalis peruviana that looks similar.
  • Keep the plants in good light or the berries/fruit will fall off and leave the plant bare
  • If your plant is in flower with insignificant white blossom mist spray to encourage the fruit to set. The green berries will then turn orange-red
  • Keep the plants moist and regularly fed and the berries will remain for many months
  • Compost the plant when the berries drop – they are not worth saving
  • Other common names include Jerusalem Cherry or pseudocapsicum but they are not related to Cherry or Peppers
  • Do not confuse with Indian winter cherry known as Indian Ginseng

Cape Gooseberries Physalis peruviana below

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Spider Plant

Spider Plant

What you need to know about Spider plants

Chlorophytum comosum variegatum

  • Whilst Spider plants are common and oft forgotten houseplants a bit of LTC (tender loving care) will produce grand specimens.
  • Spiders are voracious eaters and that is also true of Spider Plants so give them plenty of nitrogen based fertiliser.
  • Spider plants are also called Chlorophytum comosum variegatum – quite a mouthful or another name is St Bernards Lily. Or you could call it ‘Boris’
  • Healthy leaves look good. Keep plants moist for good foliage
  • The flowers are small often insignificant white blossom.
  • Happy plants produce off-spring in the form of baby plantlets at the end of runners.
  • Runners are easy to put in a pot with compost to grow new plants.
  • Repot in loam and feed the fleshy root system
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Conservatory Plants

Conservatory Plants

November is a great time to plan next years plants for your conservatory. I would go for ‘shock and awe’ with some bold colours.

Lantana camara is worth the space in your cool conservatory where it will bloom from spring to late summer. It is evergreen and flowers best with good light. You will often see it in  Mediterranean gardens. There are numerous colour forms for this plant but my favourite is an orange flower changing to red.

Jasminum polyanthum is a favourite evergreen, twining climber. It has big clusters of white flowers tinged pink throughout summer. The heady scent permiates the conservatory especially in the evenings.

For winter interest Correa harrisii is a small evergreen shrub with an abundance of scarlet flowers during late winter. The leaves are narrow ovals with hairy undersides. Fragrant pink flowers are grown on Luculia gratissima.

Good partners for next summer are Cassia obtusa with deep yellow flowers contrasting with the purple-blue flowered evergreen Brunfelsia pauciflora.

Scented Cut Flowers

Scented Cut Flowers

How do you chose the best flowers to grow for scent? Well if you want good scent in the home I recommend some flowers below that cut and last in a vase and provide nice scent.

Phlox paniculata or Desussata the perennial plant with large heads of flower on 2-3 foot stems is a favourite of mine. The white version above has a sharper scent than the even sweeter smelling pinks and bi-colours.

Roses are the recognised queen of scents in the garden and the strong stems also make them good cut flowers. Mme Hardy is a damask variety with prickly stems that has superlative white blooms. Rose oil or Attar of roses is a perfume distilled from Rose damascena and Rose centifoilia so flowers with this pedigree are likely to be ‘good smellers’.

Carnations used to smell of cloves with a hint of cedarwood but some of the intense breeding for the cut flower industry has reduced the depth of scent in some varieties. The British National Carnation Society has an interesting article on the subject of scent.

Autumn is the season to select bulbs for next year. Why not try more Narcissus for cutting or in a bowl. Yellow Cheerfulness, the single white Actaea or the traditional Pheasant Eye are fragrant choices. The smaller Jonquilla Narcissi are also an interesting and varied group to grow for scent.

Thinking of spring brings me back to my favourite Peonies which carries a sweet scent in a bowl of water or as part of an arrangement. Sarah Bernhardt is the smelly variety below.

Other Resources

Royal Horticultural Society RHS ‘Gardening for All’
National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens ‘Conservation through Cultivation.’
Garden Organic National Charity for Organic Gardening.
BBC Gardening

Coloured Leaf and Leaves

Coloured Leaf and Leaves

Before the Autumn leaf colours start to invade our senses I am just recapping on the leaves that have made an impact for me this summer.

Outdoor Leaves

  • Coleus is a colourful exhibitionist of a plant. A whole range of colours can be combined on one or two plants like the assembly in the above plant pot.
  • Cotinus coggygria, the Smoke Bush, has been one of my favourites this summer with the royal purple leaves acting as a back drop to paler coloured leaves particularly of various grey foilaged plants.
  • Cineraria Maritima has provided the grey and blue grey interest for several darker corners. With the poor summer I have not had any of the straggly yellow flowers to steal any thunder.
  • Zonal Geranuims vary in the amount of colouring they carry but some varieties are grown for the shades in the leaf. The plant in the photo below has yellow, bronze and greens in separate banding on the variegated leaves.

gera

Indoor Leaves

  • After many year and too many alcoholic drinks the Apidistra in our local pub has gone to the great brewery compost heap in the sky. Still my wife is Cast Iron in her belief that it was a boring plant.
  • Begonia rex on the other hand have contorted leaves withribs of many colours.
  • Codiaeum variegated plants have come hot foot and hot colours to the fore in recent seasons.
  • It may be cheating to include the coloured bracts in cream, pink and notably red of the Pionsettia but with Christmas coming I do not think you will hold it against me.

Gardeners Tip – Use coloured leaves in some areas as an alternative to flowers when designing your garden layout.
You do not need flowers to produce colour in your houseplants. In addition to Begonia Rex and its relatives why not try growing some Codiaeum, an easy to maintain leafy plant.

Codiaeum

Codiaeums are interesting foliage house plants also called Joseph’s Coat.

Codiaeum Cultivation Tips

  • This variety is called ‘Petra’ but you may also find ‘Eugene Drapps’ with long lance shaped leaves almost entirely yellow.
  • Keep plants moist and in good light with a temperature of at least 60-70° F.
  • Root 6 inch cuttings taken from the top of the plant at 70° with a bit of bottom heat.
  • Plants can be encouraged to branch by pinching out the growing tip.
  • Frequent feeding is needed except in winter when growth slows.
  • Large plants will have lots of roots so it may be worth potting up a size using loam based compost.
  • Red spider mite can be a problem with Codiaeums
  • Without good light but not full scorching sun the colouring will not be as strong and bottom leaves may be shed.

Codiaeum Madiera

Biggest Aspidistra in the Toilet

Biggest Aspidistra in the Toilet

Palma Loo

On holiday in Majorca I spotted this potted Aspidistra plant marking the way to the toilets. It is fitting that it was located at The Banys Àrabs, or Arab Baths.
These baths are a remnants of Palma’s Moorish past and include the lush gardens of Ca’n Fontirroig. Although very small the gardens are home to Sardinian warblers, house sparrows, cacti, palm trees, and a wide range of flowers and ferns.

Aspidistra

  • Aspidistra is a popular foliage plant, grown as a landscape plant in shaded spots in areas with mild winters.
  • It is better known as the middle class Victorian must have as a houseplant.
  • They’re grown for their ability to survive neglect and very shady conditions, indoors and out.
  • In Japan, leaves of this species have traditionally been cut into pieces and used in Bento and Osechi boxes to keep each food separated.
  • I have never seen one in flower but with 90+ species listed in wiki they must reproduce somehow

Also read about Bomb Proof plants
Moorish bath

Odd Aspidistra Facts

  1. Aspidistra elatior can also be called the Cast Iron Plant and was made famous by the Gracie Fields Song ‘The Biggest Aspidistra in the World’
  2. Aspidistra are native to China and Japan but were popular in Victorian England as a house plant amongst the dark and sooty atmosphere
  3. Aspidistra belongs to the lily family
Royal Bridal Flowers

Royal Bridal Flowers

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White was the order of the day for Kate Middleton’s bridal bouquet.

Previous Royal Weddings

  • The Queen chose white Orchids in 1947.
  • Diana The Princess of Wales had Gardenias and Stephanotis the waxy strongly scented white flowers.
  • Princess Anne stepped most out of line with cream Roses, White Heather for luck and Scotland, plus the strongly scented Lily of the Valley.
  • The Countess of Wessex had Arum lilies, Fressias for scent and again Roses.
  • Sarah Ferguson carried a bouquet with perfumed Gardenias, cream Lilies, pale yellow Roses, Lilies of the valley and a sprig of myrtle.
  • Camilla Duchess of Cornwall was slightly different in adding grey and cream Auriculas to a traditional bouquet.

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Turn your arrangements into botanical works of art – here are some examples and clubs you could join.

For a recommendation that is a bit different but scented and locally grow Kate could try Phlox. Something for her future father-in -law to talk too during the lengthy ceremony.
Phlox

Growing Succulents

Growing Succulents

Cacti

What are Succulents

  • Succulents are a wide group of plants that have evolved from ancient tropical forests to combat the feast and famine of water supply.
  • Succus is the latin for juice.  Succulent plants have   stems,branches, roots, stalks, leaves or flowers that are juicy, fleshy or thick to retain moisture.
  • Parts of succulents above the ground act as reservoirs of water.
  • Succulents are varied plants not one or even related groups or families of plants.
  • All cacti are succulents but all succulents are not Cacti.

How do Succulents Preserve  Water

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Pittosporum for Leaves & Flowers

Pittosporum for Leaves & Flowers

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Pittosporum is a large genus of evergreen shrubs or small trees. The foliage is in demand for floristry and the shrubs make an excellent evergreen plant if the conditions are mild.
Most varieties have small scented white flowers and produce better flowers in warm conditions.

Pittosporum are also called Japenese Cheesewood

Cultivation of Pittosporum

  • Pittosporum Dallii and Pittosporum patula and Pittosporum tenufolium are more hardy species in the UK.
  • Pittosporum will grow well in seaside locations if the climate is mild.
  • Most plants originate from Australasia and like hot dry conditions.
  • Some varieties of Pittosporum produce small red berries.
  • Pittosporums can also be grown indoors as bonsai.
  • Larger plants can be used as a climbing-frame for lightweight late-flowering clematis.
  • Pittosporum tenufolium can have leaves with wavy margins and most have interesting colour, from bronzed plum to the bright butter-yellow of `Golden King’.
  • Tenuifolium ‘Purpureum’, has purple-bronze foliage and rapidly makes a decent-sized small tree

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Selected Varieties
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Datura, Brugmansia or Angels Trumpets

Datura, Brugmansia or Angels Trumpets

datura

My Datura last year were a perfect white when in flower and I collected fresh seed in good quantity.
I couldn’t keep the plants frost free so they died. Unfortunately none of the seed have germinated so I am without these large trumpet shaped flowers. I was nearly tempted to buy this pink plant for the green house but resisted to spend the money on something more practical like a new Hoe.

The Brugmansia plant is poisonous and this is reflected in some of the common names; it is know by Devil’s Trumpet, Hell’s Bells, Devil’s Weed, Devil’s Cucumber, Sacred Datura, Angel’s trumpet, Moonflower, Thorn apple, Indian apple, Pricklyburr, and Jimson Weed.

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Don’t let this put you off, Datura look great in a large container in a sheltered sunny spot in the garden, indoors or in the conservatory. The scent is fantastic and the scale extraordinary. Plants 6-8 feet high with 18″ trumpet flowers.

Brugsmansia and Datura are explained in far more detail in this book available from Amazon on this link.
Book Cover

Brugmansia Species

  • Brugmansia ×candida is an evergreen shrub growing 10 to 20 feet tall and has white trumpet flowers
  • Brugmansia arborea (tree)
  • Brugmansia aurea
  • Brugmansia insignis
  • Brugmansia sanguinea
  • Brugmansia suaveolens
  • Brugmansia versicolor
  • Brugmansia vulcanicola

More images

Brugmansia differs from Datura in that it is woody, making shrubs or small trees. Brugmansia have pendulous flowers, rather than erect ones. They are both from the Solanacea family.

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