Some Wisdom On Colorful House Plants From A Five-Year-Old

Add Colorful House Plants to Your Home

Bring some color into your home without having to rely solely on flowers. These houseplants that have colorful leaves are easy to grow.

Pinstripe plants are closely related to the philodendron, also known as snake plant. They have bands of color on their long leaves. These tropical houseplants thrive in low light conditions.

Croton

The bright, varied markings of croton leaves add visual interest to any room. This exotic houseplant is famous for its fiery colours, but its variety of shapes and sizes make it stand out.

This exotic plant enjoys light and indirect sunlight. It can be grown indoors or outdoors. The narrow leaves of this Croton are strewn with red, green, yellow, and purple, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.

Bring it inside during cold snaps. The croton is susceptible to lose its color if exposed to cold temperatures or drafts. It is also susceptible to pest activity so be sure to check it often and spray with a horticultural insecticide when needed.

Fittonia

Fittonia is a striking, deep-green foliage that is adorned with white, pink or red veins. It can brighten up a dark area and looks particularly mesmerizing when placed in an planter.

Like many tropical house plants, it thrives in warm conditions and high humidity. Place it in a warm space, away from cold windows and heating devices that could dry the air.

It is necessary to repotted every year. Trim the tips when it appears straggly, to encourage bushier growth.

Like most tropical plants, nerve plants require a regular application of liquid fertilizer formulated for houseplants during the growth season. A balanced fertilizer 5-5-5 diluted to half strength is effective. It also thrives in humid environment, so mist the leaves or set up a humidity tray to maintain the humidity levels around it.

Calathea

If you choose to go with the bright green pin-stripe or the peacock plant with its dark purple, dark green and silver brush marks, these exotic house plants look stunning as centerpieces for your table. Their large oval leaves make excellent floor plants when placed on low plant stands. Calatheas like moist air (between 50 and 80% humidity) however, they are not able to thrive in moist soil. They thrive in a potting mix of 2 parts coco coir, 1 part peat, and a bit of orchid bark.

Water calatheas is once a week when the soil's top inch is dry to touch. Using filtered or rainwater instead of tap water will help prevent the accumulation of salts and other chemicals from the water that can cause damage to the plant. This is especially important during the winter when growth slows for plants. It's also a good time to feed your plants with liquid houseplant fertilizer, dilute to half strength.

Red-edge Dracaena

The Red-edge Dracaena can give your home a tropical look. The plant is often mislabeled as to be a palm. It has slim stems and multiple canes with clumps that are long thin green leaves, which are trimmed in dark red or yellow.

Like all dracaenas it thrives as an indoor houseplant and is easy to grow. They prefer indirect light that is bright but are tolerant of less light conditions. They do best in a well-drained potting soil. However, they might require periodic fertilization. Common problems are root mold, brown edges or tips and insects.

low light houseplants  are well-known for their ability purify the air. According to NASA's Clean Air Study they are especially effective in removing the benzene (produced by cigarettes, synthetic materials and car exhaust) as well as formaldehyde, xylene and trichloroethylene from the atmosphere. They are also very easy to propagate from cuttings that can be done anytime during the growing season, by dipping into rooting hormone, then placing them in a pot of moist soil.

Aluminum Plant

Pilea cadierei, also referred to as an aluminum plant or watermelon pila, is a tropical indoor houseplant that forms a mound of safflowering green leaves that have silver stripes. It's a beautiful and easy to grow, but it can also be susceptible to infestations of spider mites.

It favors moderate humidity and indirect warm light. The temperature should be between 60-75 degrees F (16-23 degrees C).

It is a low-maintenance plant that prefers moist soil, however the top quarter of an inch of soil should dry before watering it again. In the growing season that is active in summer and spring it is important to water frequently enough to keep the soil damp. In the dormancy season in fall and winter the soil is less watered. A liquid fertilizer is a great option to apply monthly throughout the growing season. Stem cuttings are a simple means of vegetative propagation for this plant. The roots are easily placed in a mixture of peaty and loamy soil.

Waffle Plant

Hemigraphis Alternata, also referred to as a purple waffle plant, has metallic green-purple foliage with a unique puckered surface. It thrives indoors in hanging baskets or in a planter. It can be grown outdoors, but it is less tolerant to cold temperatures than other house plants.

Hemigraphis alternateta thrives in bright indirect light with high humidity, as it is in its native equatorial rain forest. To replicate this environment it is possible to mist your Hemigraphis alternata routinely using distillate water spray or put it in a pebble tray filled with filtered water to increase the humidity.

Hemigraphis Alternata is a good candidate for pruning when it gets excessively crowded. This encourages growth that is bushy and increase the visual appeal. If it is susceptible to mealybugs, apply an insecticide or a mix of warm water and neem oil in order to kill the insects. Hemigraphis Alternata can be propagated from stem tips that measure 4 to 6 inches, taken in the spring and summer.

Rex Begonia

Begonias are hardy plants that thrive indoors, specifically those with showy leaves. Rex begonias have distinctive veining and ruffling, with streaks and splotches in an assortment of greens, white silver, reds and pinks.

These beautiful plants require a regular watering routine. Water the plant whenever the soil's top inch feels dry to the touch, and avoid pools of water that could cause root rot.

Make a mixture of 50% standard potting soil and 25 percent peat moss, orchid bark or coco coir to give a light, porous texture to the soil. This mix will also aid in retaining water. If you notice a problem with mildew that is powdery, reduce the amount of water that your begonia is receiving and move it to a brighter place to rid it of the mold. You may also see mealy bugs on your begonia. Soaking a cotton ball in alcohol can help to eliminate them.

Alocasia

Alocasia ‘Black Velvet’ has bold, greenish-black leaves that are adorned with prominent veins, resembling scales. The leaf undersides have a whitish or purple tint, which creates a striking contrast to the foliage. This variety is suitable to be grown indoors all year long or outdoors during summer in zones 4 to 8.

This tropical beauty thrives in bright indirect light that prevents scorching of the leaves. A bright and sunny window is ideal, however many varieties will tolerate filtered light or even dappled shade.

The soil should feel damp but not spongy. Every month, a weak all-purpose fertilizer should be applied. Avoid feeding the plant in winter when it is entering dormancy. Be on the lookout for the appearance of brown or mushy roots which could indicate a nutrient shortage. Alocasia is vulnerable to root rot, and it can be fatal.

Bromeliad

Bromeliads can give colour to rooms that are devoid of color. They're tropical in nature and thrive best in humid conditions created. They can be easily cultivated with a regular routine and their vibrant colors can brighten up otherwise dull spaces.

They produce large and vibrant "flowers," called bracts which are actually specialized leaves that attract pollinators. The real flowers of the plant are hidden in bracts and only appear when the flower has been fertilized.

As the plant grows, it will produce offshoots that resemble miniature versions. These offshoots are called pups and can be propagated to create new bromeliad plants. They require the same attention as the parent plant, which includes watering. Avoid using hard tap water as it can cause the foliage to become spotted. Instead using rainwater or filtered water. This is especially important for bromeliads that are in a pot.

Hedgehog

The hedgehog is one of the smallest members of the mammalia class, Animalia. This nocturnal mammal has cool quills that aren't harmful. They have distant ancestry with shrews and pigs and are among the oldest mammals that exist on earth.

In the wild they are omnivorous, eating toads and frogs, as well as grass roots, mushrooms, and fruits. When scared the hedgehog can roll itself into an elongated ball of hairs. Only the most powerful predators can pry the ball open.

If you find an animal on the ground, place it back in its place or cover the area with natural materials. If you need to remove it from its habitat and put it in a large container far from your bedroom. Make sure you provide as much protection as you can. They should be kept in a warm 73-80 degree environment.