Guides / Houseplants
Houseplants
Plants for windowsills, shelves and shaded corners. Each guide covers light, watering, feeding, and common problems such as yellow leaves and brown tips.
A
African Milk Tree
Euphorbia trigona
Practical guidance for growing African milk tree, Euphorbia trigona, including its caustic sap, upright ribbed stems, low water needs, safe handling, and repotting a top-heavy plant.
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthus
How to care for Streptocarpus ionanthus. Light for flowering, watering from below, avoiding leaf spots and understanding the name change.
Air plant
Tillandsia xerographica
How to care for Tillandsia xerographica. Soaking, drying the rosette upside down, mounting without glue and propagating after flowering.
Aleutian Maidenhair
Adiantum aleuticum
How to grow Adiantum aleuticum, the Aleutian or western maidenhair fern, a cool woodland fern with fan-spread fronds on black stems.
Alocasia
Alocasia amazonica
How to care for Alocasia x amazonica. Recognising winter dormancy rather than death, getting the watering right, treating spider mite, and why it drips water.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
How to grow aloe vera indoors. Watering, light, dividing the pups, the difference between the gel and the yellow sap, and whether it is safe for pets.
Aluminium plant
Pilea cadierei
How to care for Pilea cadierei. Light, watering, pruning leggy stems, keeping the silver markings clear and replacing old plants.
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum vittatum
How to grow amaryllis, Hippeastrum vittatum. Planting the bulb half exposed, getting it to flower a second year, and the dormancy that most people skip.
Amazonian Zebra Plant
Aechmea chantinii
How to grow Aechmea chantinii. The silver-banded rainforest tank bromeliad whose cup shelters tree frogs in the wild, and needs warmth, humidity and care with its spines at home.
Angel Wing Begonia
Begonia coccinea
Practical guidance for growing angel wing begonia, Begonia coccinea, including cane stems, silver-spotted wing-shaped leaves, watering, humidity, pruning, and toxicity to pets.
Angel Wings
Caladium bicolor
How to grow angel wings, Caladium bicolor. Why losing every leaf each year is dormancy rather than a dying plant, keeping the tuber dry through its rest, and the mouth pain calcium oxalate crystals cause if a leaf is chewed.
Areca palm
Dypsis lutescens
How to care for Dypsis lutescens. Watering a palm sold as a clump of seedlings, why the tips go brown, treating spider mite, and never cutting the growing point.
Arrowhead plant
Syngonium auritum
How to grow syngonium, Syngonium auritum. The arrowhead plant, why the leaf shape changes as it matures, and keeping it bushy rather than climbing.
Arrowhead vine
Syngonium podophyllum
How to care for Syngonium podophyllum. The plant that changes leaf shape as it climbs, why the arrowhead you bought turns into something else, and how to keep it compact.
Asparagus fern
Asparagus setaceus
How to care for Asparagus setaceus. Light, watering, humidity, toxic berries, its false leaves and its weed risk in warm climates.
Aucamp's Living Stone
Lithops aucampiae
How to grow Lithops aucampiae, a brown-red living stone with stone-mimicking paired leaves, yellow flowers and once-a-year leaf renewal.
Australian Pitcher Plant
Cephalotus follicularis
How to grow Cephalotus follicularis, a pitcher plant restricted to a small corner of Western Australia, whose lid confuses prey with false windows of light.
Autumn Lady's Tresses
Spiranthes spiralis
How to grow Spiranthes spiralis, autumn lady's tresses, a small hardy grassland orchid with a spiral of tiny white flowers in short turf.
Azure Halopegia
Halopegia azurea
How to grow Halopegia azurea, the azure halopegia, a tall prayer-plant relative with rare blue flowers that needs wet soil and warm, humid air.
B
Baby rubber plant
Peperomia obtusifolia
How to care for Peperomia obtusifolia. Light, watering, dry rooms, propagation and avoiding root rot.
Balloon Cactus
Parodia magnifica
How to grow balloon cactus as a houseplant. Its dense golden spines, ring of yellow spring flowers, and how it clusters as it ages.
Baseball Plant
Euphorbia obesa
How to grow baseball plant, Euphorbia obesa. Why it is mistaken for a cactus despite being a euphorbia with irritant sap, why a lone plant never sets seed, and why underwatering is by far the safer mistake.
Beaked Yucca
Yucca rostrata
How to grow Yucca rostrata, the beaked yucca, a trunk-forming desert species with a powder-blue globe of fine leaves and hard frost tolerance.
Bear's Paw
Cotyledon tomentosa
How to grow Cotyledon tomentosa, the bear's paw succulent, with chubby furred leaves tipped in red claws. It is toxic if eaten.
Bear's-Foot Fern
Humata tyermanii
How to grow bear's-foot fern, Humata tyermanii. Rhizomes covered in silvery-white fur that creep over the pot rim, and how to tell it apart from Davallia.
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae
How to grow Strelitzia reginae. Light, watering, the cool winter rest, slow flowering and the bird-pollinated flower structure.
Bird's nest fern
Asplenium nidus
How to care for Asplenium nidus. Watering around the rosette, humidity, scale insects and protecting new fronds.
Bishop's Cap Cactus
Astrophytum myriostigma
How to grow bishop's cap cactus, Astrophytum myriostigma. It has no spines at all, propagates only from seed since it never offsets, and low light fades its silvery flecking to plain green.
Black Gold Philodendron
Philodendron melanochrysum
How to grow Philodendron melanochrysum, the black gold philodendron, with long velvety near-black leaves veined in gold and a need for a moss pole.
Black Velvet
Alocasia reginula
How to grow Alocasia reginula, the Black Velvet alocasia, with near-black velvety leaves and silver veins, and how to keep it from rotting or going dormant.
Blue Agave
Agave tequilana
How to grow Agave tequilana, the blue agave behind tequila, with narrow steel-blue leaves. It is the crop of the fields of Jalisco.
Blue Hesper Palm
Brahea armata
How to grow Brahea armata, the blue hesper palm, a slow desert fan palm with steel-blue leaves, long arching flower plumes and drought and cold tolerance.
Blue star fern
Phlebodium aureum
How to care for Phlebodium aureum. The blue-grey epiphytic fern that forgives dry air where a maidenhair would not, why the furry rhizome must stay on the surface, and the best first fern to try.
Blue Vanda
Vanda coerulea
Practical guidance for growing blue vanda, Vanda coerulea, including basket culture, bare roots, daily watering, strong light, a cool winter rest, and the true blue flower colour.
Blushing Bromeliad
Neoregelia carolinae
How to grow Neoregelia carolinae. The centre that blushes red before flowering, bright light for colour, the cup as its main water source.
Blushing philodendron
Philodendron erubescens
How to care for Philodendron erubescens. The red-stemmed climber behind 'Pink Princess' and 'Red Emerald', why it needs a pole to make big leaves, and what the red pigment is for.
Boston Fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
How to grow a Boston fern, Nephrolepis exaltata. The humidity it demands, why fronds shed in winter, propagating from runners, and the Victorian craze that made it famous.
Bottle Palm
Hyophorbe lagenicaulis
How to grow bottle palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. The whole wild population survives on one island off Mauritius, and while an established plant tolerates drought, salt and wind, any real frost does lasting damage.
Brahmi
Bacopa monnieri
How to grow Bacopa monnieri, the creeping marsh herb sold as brahmi. Growing it in an aquarium or a wet pot indoors, and the two different plants that share the name.
Brain Cactus
Stenocactus crispatus
How to grow brain cactus as a houseplant. Its wavy, convoluted ribs, and why strong light keeps the folded pattern tight and pronounced.
Brazilian Waterweed
Egeria densa
How to grow Brazilian waterweed, Egeria densa, as an oxygenating pond and aquarium plant, and why it is banned or restricted in many countries.
Broadleaf Maidenhair
Adiantum latifolium
How to grow Adiantum latifolium, the broadleaf maidenhair fern, a vigorous tropical fern with broad diamond pinnae and a colony-forming habit.
Bulbophyllum
Bulbophyllum lobbii
How to grow Bulbophyllum lobbii, with single round pseudobulbs on a creeping rhizome, star-shaped flowers, and a place in the largest genus in the orchid family.
Bunny Ears Cactus
Opuntia microdasys
Practical guidance for growing bunny ears cactus, Opuntia microdasys, including glochid safety, paired pads, bright sun, dry roots, and mild toxicity.
Burro's Tail
Sedum morganianum
How to grow burro's tail, Sedum morganianum. Why its leaves detach at the lightest touch, a normal trait rather than a problem, siting it somewhere nothing brushes past it, and rooting the fallen leaves into new plants.
Butter Tree
Tylecodon paniculatus
How to grow Tylecodon paniculatus, the butter tree or botterboom, a caudiciform succulent with a swollen yellow trunk and a summer-deciduous habit.
Button fern
Pellaea rotundifolia
How to care for Pellaea rotundifolia. The New Zealand fern with round leathery buttons instead of lace, why it takes drier air than other ferns, and the one thing it will not forgive.
Button Plant
Conophytum calculus
How to grow Conophytum calculus, the button plant, a tiny living stone with a near-perfect grey-green sphere that grows in winter.
C
California Fan Palm
Washingtonia filifera
How to grow Washingtonia filifera, the California fan palm, a desert-tough palm with large thread-fringed fans and a petticoat of dead fronds.
Callosum Slipper Orchid
Paphiopedilum callosum
How to grow the callosum slipper orchid as a houseplant. Its mottled leaves, pouch-shaped flowers, and why it should never dry out completely.
Campos-Portoana Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis campos-portoana
How to grow Rhipsalis campos-portoana, a fine-stemmed trailing jungle cactus with a soft feathery cascade and tiny white flowers.
Canary Island Ivy
Hedera canariensis
How to grow Hedera canariensis, the Canary Island ivy, with large glossy leaves on wine-red stems. It suits a cool room and has an irritant sap.
Candelabra Tree
Euphorbia ingens
How to grow Euphorbia ingens, the candelabra tree, a giant African euphorbia with four-angled branches and dangerously caustic sap.
Canyon Dudleya
Dudleya cymosa
How to grow Dudleya cymosa, the canyon dudleya, a Californian succulent with small rosettes in rock crevices and vivid red and orange flowers.
Cape Sundew
Drosera capensis
How to grow Drosera capensis on a windowsill. Sticky tentacles that bend around trapped prey within the hour, and why it needs no winter rest.
Carrion Flower
Stapelia grandiflora
How to grow Stapelia grandiflora, the carrion flower, with huge hairy star flowers that smell of rotten meat to draw flies and finger-like stems.
Cast iron plant
Aspidistra elatior
How to care for Aspidistra elatior. The Victorian parlour plant that survives dark corners and cold hallways, why it grows so slowly, and the two things that kill it.
Cathedral Bells
Kalanchoe pinnata
How to grow Kalanchoe pinnata, cathedral bells, with scalloped leaves that sprout new plants from the notches. It is toxic if eaten.
Caucasian Stonecrop
Sedum spurium
How to grow Sedum spurium, the Caucasian or two-row stonecrop, a hardy carpeting succulent with scalloped leaves, pink summer heads and rich winter colour.
Chalk Liveforever
Dudleya pulverulenta
How to grow Dudleya pulverulenta, the chalk liveforever, a brilliant-white chalky rosette with tall arching stalks of red hummingbird flowers.
Chandelier Plant
Kalanchoe delagoensis
How to grow Kalanchoe delagoensis, the chandelier plant or mother of millions, with plantlet-fringed leaves. It is toxic and invasive.
Chapistle
Pereskiopsis rotundifolia
How to grow Pereskiopsis rotundifolia, the roundleaf or chapistle cactus, a shrubby leaf-bearing cactus with near-circular green leaves on spiny stems.
Chinese Cymbidium
Cymbidium sinense
How to grow Cymbidium sinense, the Chinese cymbidium, a classic orchid with fragrant winter flowers that needs a cool spell to bloom.
Chinese evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
How to care for Aglaonema commutatum. Why cold does more damage than low light, watering it correctly, and why the pink varieties need brighter conditions than the green ones.
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema nitidum
How to grow Aglaonema nitidum, a Chinese evergreen with broad glossy leaves that tolerates low light. Its sap is toxic.
Chinese Fan Palm
Livistona chinensis
How to grow Livistona chinensis, the Chinese fan palm. Its pleated fan leaves with weeping tips, slow growth as a houseplant, and how to avoid brown tips.
Chinese hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
How to grow Chinese hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Flowers that last a day, why bud drop happens, and keeping it through a cool winter indoors.
Chinese Jade
Sinocrassula yunnanensis
How to grow Sinocrassula yunnanensis, the Chinese jade, a small clumping succulent with near-black rosettes that flowers once and dies.
Chinese Money Plant
Pilea peperomioides
How to grow Pilea peperomioides. Light, watering, why the leaves curl, and how to take the offsets that carried this plant across Europe before any nursery sold it.
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera truncata
How to grow and reflower a Christmas cactus. Why it is not a desert cactus, how to tell it from a Thanksgiving cactus, and what causes bud drop.
Cluster Disa
Disa ferruginea
How to grow Disa ferruginea, the cluster disa, a terrestrial orchid with rusty-orange flower spikes that needs pure water and cool, airy conditions.
Cockleshell Orchid
Encyclia cochleata
How to grow cockleshell orchid, Encyclia cochleata, including its upside-down flower shape, near-continuous blooming, and status as the national flower of Belize.
Coconut Orchid
Maxillaria tenuifolia
How to grow coconut orchid as a houseplant. The coconut scent its flowers release, its cascading pseudobulb habit, and why it needs a real winter rest.
Coffee Plant
Coffea arabica
How to grow coffee plant, Coffea arabica. Why a plant can grow for years without ever flowering, telling a dramatic thirst-wilt from silent root rot, and keeping the caffeine in its leaves and raw cherries away from pets.
Cola de Lagarto
Pereskiopsis kellermanii
How to grow Pereskiopsis kellermanii, the lizard's tail or cola de lagarto, a leaf-bearing cactus of Mexico and Central America with long green leaves on spiny stems.
Coleus
Plectranthus scutellarioides
How to grow coleus, Plectranthus scutellarioides. Pinching out the flowers to keep the leaves, taking cuttings that root in a week, and overwintering it.
Common Groundsel
Senecio vulgaris
Senecio vulgaris, common groundsel, is a fast weed with rayless yellow flower heads. It is toxic, so learn to recognise and control it.
Common Staghorn
Platycerium alcicorne
How to grow Platycerium alcicorne, a staghorn fern with antler fronds and clasping shield fronds, and why it grows mounted instead of potted.
Common Twayblade
Neottia ovata
How to grow Neottia ovata, the common twayblade orchid, a hardy terrestrial orchid with a single pair of broad leaves and a tall green flower spike.
Cooktown Orchid
Dendrobium bigibbum
How to grow Cooktown orchid, Dendrobium bigibbum. Healthy canes with no flowers usually mean too little light or too shallow a dry rest, it flowers on leafless older canes, and it takes almost no cold below 12 deg C.
Cooper's Haworthia
Haworthia cooperi
How to grow Cooper's haworthia, Haworthia cooperi. Why its translucent leaf windows sit mostly buried among grass in the wild, and why it needs far more regular summer watering than a typical succulent.
Coral Aloe
Aloe striata
How to grow Aloe striata, the coral aloe, a spineless aloe with smooth blue-grey leaves edged in coral pink and arching coral-red flowers.
Coral Cactus
Rhipsalis cereuscula
How to grow Rhipsalis cereuscula, the coral or rice cactus, a bushy trailing jungle cactus with short stem segments clustered into coral-like tufts.
Corn Cob Euphorbia
Euphorbia mammillaris
How to grow Euphorbia mammillaris, the corn cob euphorbia, a small spurge with short ribbed clustering stems and caustic milky sap.
Corn plant
Dracaena fragrans
How to grow corn plant, Dracaena fragrans. Brown leaf tips, cane pruning, watering, light and toxicity to cats and dogs.
Creeping fig
Ficus pumila
How to care for Ficus pumila. The one ficus that takes real shade, why it climbs walls without support, and the adult growth phase that turns a neat green sheet into a coarse shrub.
Crested Coelogyne
Coelogyne cristata
How to grow crested coelogyne as a houseplant. Its cascading white flower spikes, cool winter rest, and why it responds poorly to being repotted too often.
Cretan brake
Pteris cretica
How to care for Pteris cretica. The variegated table fern that outlives the rest of a mixed bowl, why the two frond types look like different plants, and how it seeds itself.
Crimson Cattleya
Cattleya labiata
Practical guidance for growing crimson cattleya, Cattleya labiata, including pseudobulbs, the autumn flowering trigger, bark mix, bright light, and how to avoid bud blast.
Crinkle-Leaf Plant
Adromischus cristatus
How to grow the crinkle-leaf plant as a houseplant. Its felted, wavy-edged leaves, trailing habit, and why it dislikes both deep shade and harsh sun.
Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
How to care for Codiaeum variegatum. Why it drops every leaf when you move it, the light it needs for colour, treating red spider mite, and settling a new plant.
Crown of thorns
Euphorbia milii
How to grow crown of thorns, Euphorbia milii. The caustic milky sap, flowering almost all year in good light, and the spines that make it a poor choice near children.
Crucifix Orchid
Epidendrum ibaguense
How to grow crucifix orchid as a houseplant or in a warm garden bed. Its cross-shaped lip markings, and why it is the parent behind most reed-stem hybrids sold.
Crystal Anthurium
Anthurium crystallinum
Practical guidance for growing crystal anthurium, Anthurium crystallinum, including velvet foliage, silver veining, humidity, chunky compost, watering, and mild toxicity.
Cylindrical Snake Plant
Dracaena angolensis
How to grow Dracaena angolensis, the cylindrical snake plant, with stiff round spear-like leaves that thrive on neglect but rot if overwatered.
Cymbidium Orchid
Cymbidium ensifolium
How to grow Cymbidium orchid, Cymbidium ensifolium, including its grassy foliage, semi-terrestrial roots, cooler winter rest and centuries of Chinese scholar cultivation.
D
Dancing Bones
Hatiora salicornioides
How to grow Hatiora salicornioides, dancing bones or drunkard's dream, a small Brazilian jungle cactus with bottle-shaped joints and yellow flowers.
Dancing Lady
Oncidium flexuosum
Practical guidance for growing dancing lady orchid, Oncidium flexuosum, including branching flower sprays, pseudobulb watering, moderate cold tolerance, and mounting versus potting.
Darwin's Orchid
Angraecum sesquipedale
How to grow Darwin's orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, including its 30 cm nectar spur, waxy white star-shaped flowers, and the moth prediction it made famous.
Deer-Apples
Ibervillea tenuisecta
How to grow deer-apples, Ibervillea tenuisecta, a desert caudiciform with a swollen water-storing root, thread-fine leaves and red berries.
Desert Rose
Adenium obesum
Practical guidance for growing desert rose, Adenium obesum, including the swollen caudex, dry dormancy, bright light, sparing water, severe toxicity, and repotting a bonsai-like base.
Desert Savior
Echeveria strictiflora
How to grow Echeveria strictiflora, the desert savior, a cold- and drought-hardy Chihuahuan desert echeveria with a blue-grey rosette and orange flowers.
Devil's Ivy
Epipremnum aureum
How to grow pothos, Epipremnum aureum. Keeping the variegation, propagating in water, why a climbing plant grows different leaves, and the calcium oxalate that makes it toxic.
Disa Tripetaloides
Disa tripetaloides
How to grow Disa tripetaloides, a streamside terrestrial orchid with sprays of white to pink flowers that needs pure running water and cool conditions.
Disc House-Leek
Aeonium glandulosum
How to grow Aeonium glandulosum, the disc houseleek from Madeira, a cliff-dwelling succulent with flat rosettes that press against rock and form mats.
Dog Tail Cactus
Deamia testudo
How to grow Deamia testudo, the dog tail cactus, a jungle cactus with ribbed stems that clamber over trees by aerial roots and big night flowers.
Downy Rattlesnake Plantain
Goodyera pubescens
How to grow Goodyera pubescens, the downy rattlesnake plantain orchid. Its white-netted evergreen leaves, its woodland needs and its hardiness.
Dragon Blood Tree
Dracaena draco
How to grow dragon blood tree, Dracaena draco. Why it spends decades as a rosette before branching into its umbrella crown, the red sap once traded as dragon's blood, and why overwatering is the real risk.
Dragon Tree
Dracaena marginata
How to grow Dracaena marginata. Why tap water browns the tips, cutting a leggy cane to make it branch, and the saponins that affect cats.
Dragon's Blood Tree
Dracaena cinnabari
How to grow Dracaena cinnabari, the dragon's blood tree of Socotra, a rare succulent tree with an umbrella crown, red resin and extremely slow growth.
Dumb cane
Dieffenbachia seguine
How to care for Dieffenbachia seguine. Handling it safely, keeping it from going leggy, air-layering a bare stem, and where the name comes from.
Dutchman's Pipe Cactus
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
How to grow Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the Dutchman's pipe cactus, with huge white flowers that open for a single night on flat leaf-like stems.
Dwarf Chin Cactus
Gymnocalycium baldianum
How to grow dwarf chin cactus as a houseplant. Its ribbed, spineless-looking body, large red flowers, and why strong light matters for both.
Dwarf Palmetto
Sabal minor
How to grow Sabal minor, the dwarf palmetto, a tough trunkless fan palm with stiff blue-green fans, good hardiness and shade tolerance.
Dwarf umbrella tree
Schefflera arboricola
How to care for Schefflera arboricola. The tough bushy shrub that takes hard pruning and medium light, why the leaflets drop, and how to stop it becoming a bare stick.
E
Earth Star
Cryptanthus bivittatus
How to grow earth star, Cryptanthus bivittatus. Why it roots in soil rather than needing a tank bromeliad's water cup, how brighter light deepens its pink-bronze stripes, and why the rosette fades once it has produced pups.
Easter Orchid
Cattleya mossiae
How to grow Easter orchid, Cattleya mossiae. Why a cooler, drier winter determines whether it flowers each spring, and the disturbance that causes a forming bud to yellow and drop before it opens.
Ecuador Philodendron
Philodendron verrucosum
How to grow Philodendron verrucosum, the Ecuador philodendron, with velvety heart leaves, wine-red backs and bristly stalks. It needs humidity.
Elephant Bush
Portulacaria afra
How to grow Portulacaria afra, the elephant bush or spekboom, with tiny round leaves on red stems, edible and a good bonsai subject in bright, dry conditions.
Emerald ripple peperomia
Peperomia caperata
How to care for Peperomia caperata. The deeply corrugated rosette peperomia, why water sitting in the crown rots it, and how to propagate one from a single leaf.
Eternal Flame
Goeppertia crocata
How to grow Goeppertia crocata, the eternal flame calathea, a rare calathea with saffron-orange flowers and dark crinkled leaves that needs humidity.
F
Fan Maidenhair
Adiantum tenerum
How to grow Adiantum tenerum, the fan maidenhair fern, a delicate tropical fern with fan-shaped leaflets on wiry black stems that loves warmth.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Ficus lyrata
How to grow Ficus lyrata. Why it drops leaves when moved, telling root rot brown spots from sunburn ones, and how to make a single stem branch.
Fire Star Orchid
Epidendrum radicans
How to grow fire star orchid as a houseplant or in a warm garden. Its reed-like canes, clusters of orange-red flowers, and why cuttings root so easily.
Fishbone prayer plant
Ctenanthe burle-marxii
How to care for Ctenanthe burle-marxii. The toughest of the prayer plant family, why the leaves fold up at night, and how it differs from a calathea in the ways that matter.
Fishtail Palm
Caryota mitis
How to grow fishtail palm, Caryota mitis, as a houseplant. Its ragged, fish-tail-shaped leaflets, clumping habit, and why each stem flowers only once.
Flame Violet
Episcia cupreata
How to grow Episcia cupreata, the flame violet, with quilted coppery leaves and scarlet flowers. It spreads on runners like a strawberry.
Flaming Katy
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
How to care for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Watering a succulent that is sold in flower, deadheading, and the long dark nights that make it bloom a second time.
Flaming Sword
Vriesea splendens
How to grow Vriesea splendens. The banded vase rosette, the sword-shaped bract spike, cup care and why humidity matters more than feeding.
Flamingo Flower
Anthurium andraeanum
How to care for Anthurium andraeanum, the flamingo flower. Light, chunky compost, humidity, watering and repeat flowering.
Flamingo Lily
Anthurium scherzerianum
How to grow flamingo lily, Anthurium scherzerianum. Why its calcium oxalate crystals cause an immediate burning bite rather than a slow poisoning, the curled spadix that sets it apart from Anthurium andraeanum, and the fluoride-sensitive browning mistaken for underwatering.
Flat-Topped Aeonium
Aeonium tabuliforme
How to grow Aeonium tabuliforme, the flat-topped aeonium, a short-lived succulent whose near-flat plate of leaves forms a perfect spiral.
Flying Goldfish Plant
Columnea gloriosa
How to grow flying goldfish plant, Columnea gloriosa. Why its fish-shaped flowers need brighter light than the foliage alone, and what causes buds to drop before they open.
Forskolin
Plectranthus barbatus
How to grow Plectranthus barbatus, the tuberous coleus behind forskolin. An easy tender perennial for a windowsill, blue flower spikes in autumn, and three names for one plant.
Foxtail Agave
Agave attenuata
How to grow Agave attenuata, the foxtail agave, with a spineless grey-green rosette and a long curving flower spike, the one agave safe to brush against.
Foxtail Fern
Asparagus densiflorus
Practical guidance for growing foxtail fern, Asparagus densiflorus, including plume-shaped stems, tuberous roots, bright light, drought tolerance, and toxicity to cats and dogs.
Fragrant fern
Microsorum punctatum
How to care for Microsorum punctatum. The upright strap fern with no scent despite the name, why the crested forms cost more, and how it grows on bark without soil.
Furry Feather
Goeppertia rufibarba
How to grow Goeppertia rufibarba, the furry feather calathea. Its wavy leaves with fuzzy purple undersides, and how to stop the edges browning.
G
Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
How to care for Gardenia jasminoides. Why the buds drop, the ericaceous compost and rainwater it insists on, and the steady conditions that decide whether it flowers.
Ghost Plant
Graptopetalum paraguayense
Practical guidance for growing ghost plant, Graptopetalum paraguayense, including pale rosettes, leaf propagation, drought tolerance, bright light, and non-toxic houseplant care.
Giant Agave
Agave salmiana
How to grow Agave salmiana, the giant agave or pulque maguey, with a huge dark green rosette and a long history as the source of pulque.
Giant Candelabra Tree
Euphorbia cooperi
How to grow Euphorbia cooperi, the giant candelabra, a bushveld euphorbia with segmented branches and exceptionally dangerous sap.
Giant Chalk Dudleya
Dudleya brittonii
How to grow Dudleya brittonii, the giant chalk dudleya. Its large rosette coated in white chalk, why not to touch the leaves, and its winter growth.
Giant Velvet Rose
Aeonium canariense
How to grow Aeonium canariense, the giant velvet rose, with huge flat rosettes of soft downy leaves. It grows in winter and rests in summer.
Glory of Texas
Thelocactus bicolor
How to grow glory of Texas as a houseplant. Its banded pink and cream spines, large summer flowers, and why it tolerates a range of conditions well.
Golden Barrel Cactus
Echinocactus grusonii
How to grow golden barrel cactus, Echinocactus grusonii. Its entire wild population was flooded by a dam in the 1990s, overwatering is the real risk rather than drought, and most never live long enough to flower.
Golden Shower Orchid
Oncidium sphacelatum
How to grow golden shower orchid, Oncidium sphacelatum. Why a plant kept damp year-round skips its huge branching spray, judging sun by leaf colour, and giving pseudobulbs the dry rest they need to flower.
Goldfish Plant
Nematanthus gregarius
How to grow Nematanthus gregarius, the goldfish plant. Its pouched orange flowers like leaping goldfish, why it suits a hanging pot, and how to flower it.
Green aglaonema
Aglaonema modestum
How to care for Aglaonema modestum. The plain green original of the Chinese evergreens, tougher in shade and cold than the coloured cultivars that replaced it, and why the plain leaf is the point.
Guduchi
Tinospora cordifolia
How to grow Tinospora cordifolia under glass. The vine that drops aerial roots like strings, why Sanskrit calls it the nectar of immortality, and the 2021 hepatitis cluster.
Gymnema
Gymnema sylvestre
How to grow Gymnema sylvestre under glass. The leaf that switches off sweet taste for half an hour, why it needs a heated greenhouse, and what gurmar means.
H
Hairy Philodendron
Philodendron squamiferum
How to grow Philodendron squamiferum, the hairy philodendron, with oak-leaf-shaped leaves on red bristly stalks. It climbs and needs warm, humid care.
Hare's foot fern
Davallia canariensis
How to care for Davallia canariensis. The Mediterranean fern that sheds its fronds in a dry summer and grows them back, why it takes a cold room, and how it differs from the Fijian one.
Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
How to care for Philodendron hederaceum. How to tell it apart from pothos for certain, why climbing gives bigger leaves than trailing, and how it behaves around pets.
Heuffel's Houseleek
Sempervivum heuffelii
How to grow Sempervivum heuffelii, Heuffel's houseleek, an easy, fully hardy alpine mat-former with tight colourful rosettes that divide by splitting.
Holly fern
Cyrtomium falcatum
How to care for Cyrtomium falcatum. The stiff, dark, glossy fern that takes cold halls and dry air, why it looks nothing like a houseplant fern, and where it has escaped.
Horse Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis equestris
How to grow the equestris orchid as a houseplant. Its small pink flowers on branching spikes, and why many miniature Phalaenopsis hybrids descend from it.
Horse's Teeth
Haworthia truncata
How to grow Haworthia truncata, horse's teeth. Its leaves cut off flat in two rows with windowed tops, why it grows half-buried, and how to water it.
Hoya
Hoya carnosa
How to care for Hoya carnosa, the wax plant. Never cutting off the flower spur, keeping it pot-bound so it blooms, and the winter rest that sets the buds.
J
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
How to grow a jade plant, Crassula ovata. Watering a succulent properly, pruning it into a tree, getting red leaf edges, and why it breathes at night.
Japanese aralia
Fatsia japonica
How to care for Fatsia japonica. The big-leaved shade shrub that works as a houseplant and a garden plant, why it hates warm rooms, and what the shiny black berries are.
Jelly Bean Plant
Sedum rubrotinctum
Practical guidance for growing jelly bean plant, Sedum rubrotinctum, including bead-like leaves, sun colour, propagation from a dropped leaf, watering, and low pest pressure.
Jelly Palm
Butia odorata
How to grow Butia odorata, the jelly or pindo palm. Its arching blue-grey feather fronds, sweet edible fruit, hardiness, and need for full sun and drainage.
Jewel Orchid
Ludisia discolor
Practical guidance for growing jewel orchid, Ludisia discolor, including its velvet patterned leaves, shaded position, moist soil rather than bark, low light tolerance, and modest flower spikes.
Joshua Tree
Yucca brevifolia
How to grow Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua tree, a slow-growing Mojave icon with branching arms of stiff spiny leaves. It is toxic and sharp.
Jungle Velvet
Goeppertia warszewiczii
How to grow Goeppertia warszewiczii, the jungle velvet calathea, with large velvety leaves, feathered markings and cream cone flowers. It needs humidity.
K
Keeled Gasteria
Gasteria carinata
How to grow Gasteria carinata, the keeled gasteria, a fan of thick, spotted leaves that tolerates lower light than most succulents.
Kentia palm
Howea forsteriana
How to care for Howea forsteriana. Watering a palm that hates wet feet, why the brown tips appear, never cutting the growing point, and the one island it comes from.
King Anthurium
Anthurium veitchii
How to grow king anthurium, Anthurium veitchii. Why its huge corrugated leaves need far more humidity than an average anthurium, and what a moss pole does for its pendant habit.
L
Lace Aloe
Aloe aristata
How to grow lace aloe as a houseplant. Its dark, white-spotted, softly toothed leaves, and why it is one of the more cold-tolerant small aloes.
Lady of the Night Orchid
Brassavola nodosa
How to grow lady of the night orchid, Brassavola nodosa, including its succulent cylindrical leaves, star-shaped white flowers, and fragrance released only after dark.
Lady palm
Rhapis excelsa
How to care for Rhapis excelsa. The most shade-tolerant palm in cultivation, why it costs what it does, and why a plant that suits cool dim rooms is still sold as difficult.
Laelia
Laelia anceps
How to grow Laelia, Laelia anceps, including its tall arching sprays of pink-purple flowers, close kinship with Cattleya, and preference for more light and less water.
Lanceleaf Liveforever
Dudleya lanceolata
How to grow Dudleya lanceolata, the lanceleaf liveforever, a hill-slope succulent whose narrow green leaves shrivel back in summer drought.
Lavender Pebbles
Graptopetalum amethystinum
How to grow Graptopetalum amethystinum, the lavender pebbles, with plump pastel rosettes that colour pink and lavender in sun.
Leatherleaf Fern
Rumohra adiantiformis
How to grow leatherleaf fern, Rumohra adiantiformis. The tough, glossy foliage behind almost every florist arrangement, and why the fronds outlast most cut greenery.
Lindberg's Mistletoe Cactus
Rhipsalis lindbergiana
How to grow Rhipsalis lindbergiana, Lindberg's mistletoe cactus, a vigorous trailing jungle cactus with long pink-tinged stems and pink berries.
Lipstick Echeveria
Echeveria agavoides
How to grow lipstick echeveria, Echeveria agavoides. Why its pointed leaves look closer to a small agave, what strong sun does for the red leaf-tip colour, and why water pooling in the rosette is the fastest way to lose it.
Lipstick Plant
Aeschynanthus radicans
Practical guidance for growing lipstick plant, Aeschynanthus radicans, including tubular red flowers, dark calyxes, trailing stems, bright light, humidity, pruning, and non-toxic houseplant care.
Little Jewel
Pachyphytum compactum
How to grow Pachyphytum compactum, the little jewel, a compact Mexican rosette succulent with chubby faceted leaves outlined in silver and a powdery bloom.
Living Stone
Lithops karasmontana
How to grow living stones as a houseplant. Their camouflage as pebbles, the annual leaf-splitting cycle, and why watering at the wrong time can kill them.
Living stones
Lithops lesliei
How to grow living stones, Lithops lesliei. The strict watering calendar, why you must not water while it splits, and the annual leaf change.
Living Stones
Lithops optica
How to grow Lithops optica, a windowed living stone from Namibia with translucent lobes and white flowers, and how to time its watering.
Lucky bamboo
Dracaena sanderiana
How to grow lucky bamboo, Dracaena sanderiana. It is not bamboo, why tap water yellows the tips, and moving it from water into compost.
Lycaste Aromatica
Lycaste aromatica
How to grow Lycaste aromatica, a cool orchid with cinnamon-scented yellow flowers, deciduous pseudobulbs and a dry winter rest.
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Madagascar Jasmine
Stephanotis floribunda
How to grow Madagascar jasmine as a houseplant. Its intensely fragrant waxy white flowers, and why it responds poorly to having its pot moved once buds have formed.
Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum raddianum
How to care for Adiantum raddianum. Why it crisps in an ordinary room, the one thing that revives a fern you think you have killed, and how it differs from its near-hardy wild relative.
Maidenhair Spleenwort
Asplenium trichomanes
How to grow Asplenium trichomanes, the maidenhair spleenwort, a hardy little fern with round pinnae on wiry black stems that likes rock and lime.
Mandevilla
Mandevilla sanderi
How to grow mandevilla as a patio or conservatory climber. Its glossy leaves and large trumpet flowers, and why the milky sap needs careful handling.
Many-Leaved Monanthes
Monanthes polyphylla
How to grow Monanthes polyphylla, the many-leaved monanthes, a miniature Canary succulent with tiny rosettes that form mossy green cushions.
Masdevallia
Masdevallia coccinea
How to grow Masdevallia, Masdevallia coccinea, including its triangular waxy flowers, cool Andean cloud-forest origins, and the lack of any pseudobulb to store water.
Medusa Orchid
Bulbophyllum medusae
How to grow Bulbophyllum medusae, the Medusa orchid, an epiphytic orchid with mop-like heads of long thread sepals that needs warmth and humidity.
Mexican Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis
How to grow Pinguicula moranensis indoors. Sticky summer leaves that catch gnats, and the completely different succulent rosette it grows each winter.
Mexican Snowball
Echeveria elegans
How to grow Echeveria elegans. Keeping the rosette tight, why you must not touch the leaves, watering without rotting the centre, and beheading a stretched plant.
Mind your own business
Soleirolia soleirolii
How to care for Soleirolia soleirolii. The tiny-leaved carpet that fills a shaded pot in a season, why it is a nettle without a sting, and why it is hard to remove once loose in a garden.
Miniature Wax Plant
Hoya bella
How to grow Hoya bella, the miniature wax plant, a dainty trailing hoya with clusters of white star flowers that suits a hanging pot.
Mistletoe Cactus
Rhipsalis baccifera
How to grow Rhipsalis baccifera, the mistletoe cactus, an easy trailing jungle cactus with thin green stems and white mistletoe-like berries.
Moon Cactus
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii
Practical guidance for growing moon cactus, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, including grafts, rootstock lifespan, bright shaded light, dry soil, and non-toxic care.
Moonstones
Pachyphytum oviferum
How to grow moonstones, Pachyphytum oviferum. Why touching a leaf leaves a permanent mark in its chalky farina bloom, and what triggers its red-orange flower spikes each winter.
Moth Orchid
Phalaenopsis amabilis
How to grow a moth orchid, Phalaenopsis. Watering an epiphyte, reading the roots, the temperature drop that triggers a new spike, and where to cut the old one.
Mother of thousands
Kalanchoe daigremontiana
How to grow mother of thousands, Kalanchoe daigremontiana. The plantlets that drop off everywhere, the cardiac glycosides that kill livestock, and containing it.
Mottled Spurge
Euphorbia lactea
How to grow Euphorbia lactea, the mottled spurge or dragon bones, with ridged green-and-white stems and caustic milky sap that needs careful handling.
N
Narrow-Leaved Ragwort
Senecio inaequidens
How to grow Senecio inaequidens, the narrow-leaved ragwort, a long-flowering yellow daisy that is invasive and toxic, and how to control it.
Needle Palm
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
How to grow Rhapidophyllum hystrix, the needle palm, a clumping fan palm and one of the world's hardiest, with dangerous needle spines.
Neem
Azadirachta indica
How to grow Azadirachta indica indoors outside the tropics. A conservatory tree that needs constant warmth, why it cannot legally be sold as a pesticide in Britain, and the infant poisoning record.
Nerve plant
Fittonia albivenis
How to care for Fittonia albivenis. The plant that faints when it dries out, keeping the humidity it demands, growing it in a terrarium, and pinching to keep it bushy.
Never-Never Plant
Ctenanthe setosa
How to grow never-never plant, Ctenanthe setosa. Why its leaves fold upright every evening and flatten again by morning, and telling hard-water leaf scorch from simple dry-air browning.
Nidularium
Nidularium innocentii
How to grow Nidularium innocentii. The bird's-nest bromeliad that needs shade instead of sun, with bracts flushing red low in its central cup.
Night-Blooming Cereus
Selenicereus grandiflorus
How to grow night-blooming cereus, Selenicereus grandiflorus, as a climbing cactus. Its huge one-night flowers, and why it needs something to climb.
Nightblooming Cereus
Selenicereus spinulosus
How to grow Selenicereus spinulosus, a nightblooming cereus, a vigorous climbing cactus with slender spiny stems and fragrant white night flowers.
Nipa Palm
Nypa fruticans
How to grow Nypa fruticans, the nipa or mangrove palm, a trunkless palm whose fronds rise from tidal mud and whose sap is useful.
Noble dendrobium
Dendrobium nobile
How to grow Dendrobium nobile. The cool dry winter rest that makes it flower, why the old canes must be kept, and the keikis that grow instead of buds.
Norfolk Island Pine
Araucaria heterophylla
How to grow Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria heterophylla. Why turning the pot regularly keeps its tiers even, why cutting the leading shoot ruins the shape for good, and telling normal lower-branch dieback from the early signs of root rot.
O
Oblong Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis oblonga
How to grow Rhipsalis oblonga, the oblong rhipsalis, a trailing jungle cactus with flat, leaf-like segmented stems and small white flowers.
Ohio Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
How to grow Tradescantia ohiensis, the prairie spiderwort or bluejacket, a hardy North American perennial with waxy blue-green foliage.
Old Lady Cactus
Mammillaria hahniana
How to grow old lady cactus as a houseplant. Its dense covering of white hair-like spines, ring of pink spring flowers, and how to avoid rot.
Old Man Cactus
Cephalocereus senilis
Practical guidance for growing old man cactus, Cephalocereus senilis, including its protective hair, slow columnar growth, strong sun, dry roots, and non-toxic care.
Orange Snowball Cactus
Rebutia muscula
How to grow orange snowball cactus as a houseplant. Its dense clusters of small, spiny stems, and why offsets root more easily than you might expect.
Ox Tongue Plant
Gasteria bicolor
How to grow the ox tongue plant as a houseplant. Its thick, tongue-shaped, white-spotted leaves, and why it tolerates lower light better than most succulents.
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Paddle Plant
Kalanchoe luciae
Practical guidance for growing paddle plant, Kalanchoe luciae, including flat paddle-shaped leaves, red colour in strong light, flowering stems, drought tolerance, and toxicity to pets.
Panda Plant
Kalanchoe tomentosa
How to grow panda plant, Kalanchoe tomentosa. Why the rust-brown leaf edges are normal rather than a sign of stress, why it rarely flowers indoors, and the cardiac glycosides that make a flowering plant riskier to pets than its leaves.
Pansy Orchid
Miltoniopsis roezlii
How to grow Miltoniopsis roezlii, the pansy orchid. Its flat, fragrant pansy-like flowers, its need for cool, even moisture and humidity, and how to grow this cloud-forest orchid.
Paphiopedilum Lady's Slipper
Paphiopedilum insigne
Practical guidance for growing lady's slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum insigne, including the pouched flower, no pseudobulbs, constant light moisture, cool growing conditions, and handling care.
Parlour palm
Chamaedorea elegans
How to care for Chamaedorea elegans. The Victorian drawing-room palm that still tolerates a dim corner better than almost anything, why it stays small, and the two things that brown the tips.
Parry's Agave
Agave parryi
How to grow Agave parryi, the artichoke agave, a tight blue-grey rosette tipped with black spines and the hardiest of the agaves.
Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii
How to care for Spathiphyllum wallisii. Why it wilts on purpose, what brown tips are telling you, why a shop-bought plant often refuses to flower again, and how it behaves around cats.
Pencil cactus
Euphorbia tirucalli
How to grow pencil cactus, Euphorbia tirucalli. Not a cactus, the seriously caustic sap, and why 'Firesticks' needs full sun to keep its colour.
Pig's Ear
Cotyledon orbiculata
How to grow pig's ear as a houseplant or in a mild-climate garden. Its thick, chalky-coated leaves, red-margined forms, and clusters of dangling autumn flowers.
Pink Rock Orchid
Dendrobium kingianum
How to grow pink rock orchid as a houseplant. Its tough, drought-tolerant canes, why it flowers best pot-bound, and how to tell it apart from other Dendrobiums.
Pink Silver Hoya
Hoya pubicalyx
How to grow Hoya pubicalyx, the pink silver hoya. Its silver-flecked leaves and near-black flowers, why it is an easy wax plant, and how to bloom it.
Pinwheel Aeonium
Aeonium haworthii
How to grow Aeonium haworthii, the pinwheel aeonium, with blue-green red-edged rosettes on branching stems and a winter growing season.
Plush Plant
Echeveria pulvinata
How to grow plush plant as a houseplant. Its velvety, red-tipped leaves, why touching them dulls the surface, and its shrubby, upright habit.
Poinsettia
Euphorbia pulcherrima
How to buy a poinsettia that lasts, keep it alive past January, and get the bracts to colour up again. Plus the truth about whether poinsettias are poisonous.
Polka dot begonia
Begonia maculata
How to care for Begonia maculata. Pruning to stop it going leggy, watering a cane begonia without rotting it, keeping the spots bold, and rooting cuttings.
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
How to grow ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata. The swollen base that stores water, why it needs watering monthly rather than weekly, and its slow growth.
Porter's Pereskiopsis
Pereskiopsis porteri
How to grow Pereskiopsis porteri, a leaf-bearing cactus best known as grafting stock, with thin leafy stems and remarkable speed.
Powdery Liveforever
Dudleya farinosa
How to grow Dudleya farinosa, the bluff lettuce or powdery liveforever, with clustering chalky rosettes that flush pink on sea cliffs and grow in winter.
Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura
How to care for Maranta leuconeura. Why the leaves fold up at night, what causes the crispy edges everyone gets, and one of the few striking houseplants that is safe with cats.
Pride of Table Mountain
Disa uniflora
How to grow Disa uniflora as a houseplant. Its need for cool, moving, mineral-free water at the roots, and why ordinary orchid bark does not suit it.
Princess of the Night
Selenicereus pteranthus
How to grow Selenicereus pteranthus, the princess of the night, a stout blue-stemmed climbing cactus that opens vast, scented white flowers after dark.
Purple Heart
Tradescantia pallida
How to grow purple heart, Tradescantia pallida. Why light matters more than feeding for keeping the purple colour strong, and the sap that can trigger a skin rash even after years of handling it without trouble.
Pygmy Date Palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Practical guidance for growing pygmy date palm, Phoenix roebelenii, including its base spines, slow arching fronds, bright light, steady moisture, and pet-safe care.
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Queen Victoria Agave
Agave victoriae-reginae
How to grow Agave victoriae-reginae, the Queen Victoria agave, a slow-growing compact dome of white-edged leaves with sharp spines.
Queen's Tears
Billbergia nutans
How to grow Billbergia nutans. A very tolerant bromeliad with pendant pink and blue flowers, clumping tube rosettes and light cold tolerance.
R
Rabbit's foot fern
Davallia fejeensis
How to care for Davallia fejeensis. The Fijian fern whose furry rhizomes crawl over the pot rim, why they must never be buried, and how to grow one in a hanging basket.
Rainbow Plant
Byblis liniflora
How to grow Byblis liniflora indoors. Sticky thread-like leaves that flash rainbow colours in sunlight, and why this carnivorous plant lives for one season only.
Raindrop Peperomia
Peperomia polybotrya
How to grow raindrop peperomia, Peperomia polybotrya. Why its thick, teardrop leaves cope better with a missed watering than with compost left wet, and why it is safe for a home with cats, dogs or a toddler who chews everything.
Rat's Tail Cactus
Disocactus flagelliformis
How to grow Disocactus flagelliformis, the rat's tail cactus, an easy hanging-basket jungle cactus with long trailing stems and pink spring flowers.
Red Dragon Flower
Huernia schneideriana
How to grow Huernia schneideriana, the red dragon flower, a small carrion-flower relative with deep-red bell flowers and clustering toothed stems.
Resurrection Plant
Selaginella lepidophylla
How to grow resurrection plant, Selaginella lepidophylla. A desert spikemoss that curls into a dry ball and unfurls green again within hours of rewetting.
Retuse Haworthia
Haworthia retusa
How to grow Haworthia retusa, the retuse haworthia, a star of fleshy leaves with translucent windowed tips that grows well in bright shade.
Rex begonia
Begonia rex
How to care for Begonia rex. The begonia grown entirely for its leaf, why humidity matters more than light, and how to raise a new plant from a single leaf.
Round-Leaf Calathea
Goeppertia orbifolia
How to grow Goeppertia orbifolia. Humidity, filtered water, leaf movement at night and the Calathea name change.
Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica
How to care for Ficus elastica. Why it drops leaves when you move it, what the red sheath on new growth is, how to stop it becoming a bare pole, and the latex problem.
Ruby Necklace
Othonna capensis
How to grow Othonna capensis, the ruby necklace or string of rubies. Its bean-like leaves that redden in sun, its yellow daisies, and how to keep the colour.
Ruffled Fan Palm
Licuala grandis
How to grow Licuala grandis, the ruffled fan palm, a striking tropical palm with whole, circular pleated leaves that needs warmth and humidity.
Russell's Cactus
Schlumbergera russelliana
How to grow Schlumbergera russelliana, the wild species behind the Christmas cactus, a Brazilian cloud forest epiphyte with magenta flowers.
S
Sago palm
Cycas revoluta
How to care for Cycas revoluta. Watering a cycad that stores its own water, the one flush of fronds a year, treating cycad scale, and why it is lethal to dogs.
San Pedro Cactus
Echinopsis pachanoi
How to grow San Pedro cactus as an ornamental columnar cactus. Its fast growth, cold tolerance for a cactus, and the legal status of its alkaloid content.
Satin pothos
Scindapsus pictus
How to care for Scindapsus pictus. The silver-spotted trailer that keeps its markings in far less light than a variegated pothos, why it is not a pothos at all, and how to stop the leaves shrinking.
Scarlet Star
Guzmania lingulata
How to grow Guzmania lingulata. Bright indirect light, filling the central cup, feeding through the leaves and rescuing the offset after flowering.
Schiller's Moth Orchid
Phalaenopsis schilleriana
How to grow Schiller's moth orchid as a houseplant. Its silver-mottled leaves, dense sprays of pink flowers, and why it needs a large, stable pot.
Shatavari
Asparagus racemosus
How to grow Asparagus racemosus under glass. A thorny climbing asparagus with a hundred roots, scented white flowers, and the berries to keep away from pets.
Showy Lady's Slipper
Cypripedium reginae
How to grow Cypripedium reginae, the showy lady's slipper orchid, a hardy terrestrial with white-and-pink pouched flowers that needs cool, wet, limy ground.
Showy Stonecrop
Hylotelephium spectabile
How to grow Hylotelephium spectabile, the showy stonecrop or ice plant, a hardy border succulent whose flat autumn flower plates attract bees and butterflies.
Silver Lace Fern
Pteris ensiformis
How to grow Pteris ensiformis, the silver lace fern, a compact variegated brake fern with slender fronds banded down the centre in silvery white.
Silver Torch Cactus
Cleistocactus strausii
How to grow silver torch cactus, Cleistocactus strausii. Its high-altitude Andean origin gives it a cold tolerance rare among cacti, strong sun keeps the spines dense rather than sparse, and a tall column can topple without a heavier pot.
Silver Vase Plant
Aechmea fasciata
Practical guidance for growing silver vase plant, Aechmea fasciata, including central cup watering, pups after flowering, silver banding, bright light, humidity, and non-toxic houseplant care.
Sky Plant
Tillandsia ionantha
How to grow Tillandsia ionantha. The small clustering rosette that blushes scarlet before it flowers, dunked instead of soaked, and its rapid pups.
Slender Lady Palm
Rhapis humilis
How to grow slender lady palm, Rhapis humilis, as a houseplant. Its tolerance of low light, clumping habit, and how it differs from the broader lady palm.
Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciata
How to grow a snake plant, Dracaena trifasciata. Watering, light, why variegated cuttings turn green, and what the air-purifying claims are worth.
Southern Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum capillus-veneris
How to grow Adiantum capillus-veneris, the southern maidenhair fern, hardier than the houseplant maidenhairs but needing constant moisture.
Southern Marsh Orchid
Dactylorhiza praetermissa
How to grow Dactylorhiza praetermissa, the southern marsh orchid, a hardy terrestrial orchid with dense purple spikes that loves damp meadow.
Spanish Dagger
Yucca gloriosa
How to grow Yucca gloriosa, the Spanish dagger. Its stiff sword-leaved rosettes, tall white flower spikes, why it is sharp and toxic, and its toughness.
Spanish Moss
Tillandsia usneoides
How to grow Tillandsia usneoides. Not a moss and not Spanish, with no roots at all, misted instead of soaked, and hung instead of potted.
Spatulate Aeonium
Aeonium spathulatum
How to grow Aeonium spathulatum, a small shrubby Canary Islands aeonium with woody stems tipped with tiny sticky rosettes.
Spider Orchid
Brassia verrucosa
Practical guidance for growing spider orchid, Brassia verrucosa, including long trailing petals, the wasp-mimicking flower, pseudobulb watering, bright light, and a warm intermediate climate.
Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
How to grow a spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum. Fixing brown tips, rooting the babies, and whether it is safe for cats.
Spikemoss
Selaginella kraussiana
How to care for Selaginella kraussiana. Humidity, low light, constant moisture and growing it in a closed jar or terrarium.
Spiral Aloe
Aloe polyphylla
How to grow Aloe polyphylla, the spiral aloe, a Lesotho mountain plant with a perfect spiral rosette that needs cool, sharply drained conditions.
Spoonleaf Peperomia
Peperomia magnoliifolia
How to grow Peperomia magnoliifolia, the spoonleaf peperomia or desert privet, a compact semi-succulent foliage plant with thick glossy leaves.
Spotted Dumb Cane
Dieffenbachia seguine
How to grow spotted dumb cane, Dieffenbachia seguine. Why a bitten leaf can swell the tongue enough to affect speech and breathing, and why it needs a shelf out of reach rather than just supervision around children and pets.
Staghorn fern
Platycerium bifurcatum
How to grow staghorn fern, Platycerium bifurcatum. Mounting it on a board, why the brown shield fronds must be left alone, and watering by soaking.
Stanhopea
Stanhopea tigrina
How to grow Stanhopea, Stanhopea tigrina, including its downward-growing flower spike, huge waxy blooms lasting only a few days, and its need for a slatted hanging basket.
Star Cactus
Astrophytum ornatum
How to grow star cactus as a houseplant. Its ribbed, star-shaped silhouette, dense white speckling, and why it needs particularly sharp drainage.
Star Sansevieria
Dracaena kirkii
How to grow Dracaena kirkii, the star sansevieria, a low starry rosette of mottled, wavy-edged leaves that thrives on neglect and rots if overwatered.
String of Bananas
Senecio radicans
How to grow string of bananas as a hanging houseplant. Its curved, banana-shaped leaves, fast trailing growth, and why it is easily confused with string of pearls.
String of Buttons
Crassula perforata
Practical guidance for growing string of buttons, Crassula perforata, including stacked triangular leaves, propagation from leaves, bright light, drought tolerance, and mild toxicity.
String of hearts
Ceropegia woodii
How to care for Ceropegia woodii. Watering a semi-succulent trailer, getting tight leaf spacing rather than bare threads, and propagating from the beads on the stems.
String of Nickels
Dischidia nummularia
How to grow Dischidia nummularia, string of nickels, an epiphyte with trailing threads of round coin-like leaves for a hanging pot.
String of pearls
Curio rowleyanus
How to care for Curio rowleyanus. Bright light, careful watering, shallow pots, propagation and signs of stress in the beads.
String of Tears
Curio herreanus
How to grow Curio herreanus, the string of tears or string of beads, with plump windowed beads on trailing stems, and how to water it without rot.
Succulent Bush Senecio
Senecio barbertonicus
How to grow Senecio barbertonicus, the succulent bush senecio or lemon bean bush. Its finger-like leaves, its scented winter flowers, and why it is toxic.
Summer Torch
Billbergia pyramidalis
How to grow Billbergia pyramidalis, the summer torch bromeliad, an easy tank bromeliad with an upright flame-red flower head.
Sweetheart Hoya
Hoya kerrii
How to grow sweetheart hoya, Hoya kerrii. Why a single heart-shaped leaf sold as a gift can never grow into a vine unless it was cut with a stem node, and why letting the mix dry out fully matters more than any feeding schedule.
Swiss Cheese Plant
Monstera deliciosa
How to grow and care for Monstera deliciosa, the Swiss cheese plant. Watering, light, feeding, common problems, and whether it is safe around pets.
Swiss cheese vine
Monstera adansonii
How to care for Monstera adansonii. The small-leaved monstera with holes and no splits, how to tell it from the plant sold as obliqua, and why the holes only arrive with age.
Sydney Rock Orchid
Dendrobium speciosum
How to grow Dendrobium speciosum, the Sydney rock orchid or rock lily, a hardy Australian orchid with stout canes and long sprays of fragrant cream flowers.
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Ti plant
Cordyline fruticosa
How to care for Cordyline fruticosa. The red-leaved Pacific plant carried across an ocean by canoe, why fluoride in tap water browns the tips, and how much light the colour needs.
Tiger Aloe
Gonialoe variegata
How to grow tiger aloe, Gonialoe variegata. Why it rots more easily than it scorches despite its tough desert look, and how growing beneath low shrubs in the wild shapes its need for some shade rather than full sun.
Tiger Jaws
Faucaria tigrina
How to grow tiger jaws as a houseplant. Its toothed, gaping leaf pairs, autumn daisy-like flowers, and why it needs a proper summer rest instead of a winter one.
Torch Plant
Aloe arborescens
How to grow torch plant, Aloe arborescens. Why it flowers in winter rather than the summer most aloes choose, how it resprouts after wildfire in its native range, and why a plant kept in a small pot may never flower at all.
Tree houseleek
Aeonium arboreum
How to grow aeonium, Aeonium arboreum. The summer dormancy that reverses normal watering, why a flowering rosette dies, and overwintering it outside its own climate.
Tree Philodendron
Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum
How to grow Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum, the tree philodendron. Its huge deeply cut leaves on a thick trunk, why it needs floor space, and its easy care.
Triangle Fig
Ficus triangularis
How to grow Ficus triangularis, the triangle fig, a compact African fig with wedge-shaped glossy leaves that it drops in a draught.
Tropical Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes alata
How to grow Nepenthes alata indoors. Upper and lower pitchers, a slippery rim insects cannot walk on when wet, and why this species tolerates a home so well.
Tuber Sword Fern
Nephrolepis cordifolia
How to grow Nephrolepis cordifolia, the tuber sword fern, with upright sword-shaped fronds and water-storing tubers, and why it can become invasive.
Turtle Vine
Callisia repens
How to grow Callisia repens, the turtle vine, a fast trailing mat of tiny round leaves for a hanging pot. It can irritate skin mildly.
V
Vampire Orchid
Dracula vampira
How to grow Dracula vampira, the vampire orchid, with dark, long-tailed flowers on downward spikes and a need for cold cloud-forest conditions.
Variegated Fig
Ficus variegata
How to grow Ficus variegata, the variegated fig. Its broad leaves, figs borne on the trunk, fast growth, why the sap irritates, and how to grow it indoors.
Velvet Cardboard Anthurium
Anthurium clarinervium
How to grow velvet cardboard anthurium, Anthurium clarinervium. Why its flower barely registers next to the velvety, vein-patterned leaves, and the chunky aroid mix that keeps the roots from rotting.
Velvet Philodendron
Philodendron gloriosum
How to grow Philodendron gloriosum, the velvet philodendron, a crawling plant with huge white-veined velvety leaves that needs a wide shallow pot.
Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
How to care for Dionaea muscipula. Pure water, winter dormancy, full sun, feeding and the trigger hairs inside each trap.
Violet Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis violacea
How to grow the violet Phalaenopsis orchid as a houseplant. Its fragrant purple flowers, mottled leaves, and why it needs less water than most moth orchids.
Virginia Spiderwort
Tradescantia virginiana
How to grow Tradescantia virginiana, the classic garden spiderwort and parent of the border hybrids, a hardy clump-former with violet three-petalled flowers.
W
Wandering Selenicereus
Selenicereus vagans
How to grow Selenicereus vagans, a wandering night-blooming cactus that creeps and roots across the ground as readily as it climbs.
Warming's Lepismium
Lepismium warmingianum
How to grow Lepismium warmingianum, a trailing South American jungle cactus with thin angular notched stems and small pale flowers, in a hanging pot.
Warty Gasteria
Gasteria carinata var. verrucosa
How to grow Gasteria carinata var. verrucosa, the warty gasteria or ox tongue, with dark two-ranked leaves covered in white warts that tolerates low light.
Watch Chain
Crassula muscosa
How to grow watch chain, Crassula muscosa. Why its tightly stacked leaves look like a braided zip fastener, the unpleasant smell its small flowers give off, and why stretched, gappy growth from too little light cannot be reversed.
Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes
How to grow water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, a floating tropical pond plant that is illegal to sell or plant across large parts of the world.
Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
How to grow water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes, on a pond or aquarium surface. Why it needs warmth, and where it is a banned invasive weed.
Watermelon peperomia
Peperomia argyreia
How to care for Peperomia argyreia. The silver-striped peperomia whose markings are structural rather than pigment, why the stalks snap, and how to propagate one from half a leaf.
Wax Vine
Hoya linearis
How to grow Hoya linearis, the wax vine, a cool-growing Himalayan hoya with curtains of narrow furry leaves and scented white flowers.
Weeping fig
Ficus benjamina
How to care for Ficus benjamina. Why it drops every leaf when you move it, settling a new plant, treating scale, and handling the irritant sap when you prune.
Wendland's Gasteranthus
Gasteranthus wendlandianus
How to grow Gasteranthus wendlandianus, a bushy Central American gesneriad with hooded yellow flowers spotted red that needs warm, humid, shaded conditions indoors.
Whale fin snake plant
Dracaena masoniana
How to care for Dracaena masoniana. The single-leaved snake plant that is usually sold as one enormous paddle, why it grows so slowly, and why a whole plant can be one leaf.
Whisk Fern
Psilotum nudum
How to grow whisk fern, Psilotum nudum. A rootless, leafless relict lineage instead of a true fern, and its long history as a Japanese bonsai companion plant.
White Fusion Calathea
Goeppertia lietzei
How to grow Goeppertia lietzei, the White Fusion calathea, with white-marbled leaves and lilac undersides, and how to stop the variegation browning.
White Stonecrop
Sedum album
How to grow Sedum album, the white stonecrop, a hardy bead-leaved carpeting succulent of Europe and western Asia, a classic green-roof plant.
Y
Yellow Lady's Slipper
Cypripedium parviflorum
How to grow Cypripedium parviflorum, the yellow lady's slipper orchid, a hardy terrestrial orchid with pouched yellow flowers and a cool woodland root run.
Yellow Tower Cactus
Parodia leninghausii
How to grow Parodia leninghausii, the yellow tower or lemon ball cactus, a Brazilian cactus with soft golden spines, clustering columns and yellow flowers.
Z
Zebra Alocasia
Alocasia zebrina
Practical guidance for growing zebra alocasia, Alocasia zebrina, including striped petioles, arrow-shaped leaves, humidity, watering, winter dormancy, mild toxicity, and pest control.
Zebra Billbergia
Billbergia zebrina
How to grow Billbergia zebrina, the zebra billbergia, a tall tubular bromeliad with silver-banded leaves, pendent pink flower spikes and a water-holding tank.
Zebra Haworthia
Haworthiopsis attenuata
How to grow Haworthiopsis attenuata, the zebra haworthia. The dark rosette banded with white, why it suits a bright windowsill, and how to water this small succulent without rotting it.
Zygopetalum
Zygopetalum maculatum
How to grow Zygopetalum maculatum, a fragrant cool orchid. Its green-and-maroon flowers with a violet-veined lip, its rich scent, and how to grow this rewarding, easier orchid.
ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
How to care for Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Low light, dry compost, rhizomes, leaflet propagation and the false cancer claim.
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