INDOOR PLANTS

Technical Name : Alocasia x amazonica

Light Requirements : Bright, but indirect

Blooms : Mid-late Summer

Height Spread : up to 18 inches tall

Plant Type : Evergreen

African Mask is a member of the Alocasia plant family, originating in tropical and subtropical regions from Asia to Eastern Australia. African Mask has a lot of cousins, with over 79 unique native species. Alocasia are very popular as a houseplant and are cultivated all over the world.

African Mask grows from rhizomatous or tuberous roots. While the plants bloom in the wild, the flowers are fairly inconspicuous. It’s pretty uncommon for them to bloom as a houseplant. They’re prized for their gorgeous patterned foliage; their name comes from their beautiful, bold markings.

Technical Name : Fatsia japonica

Light Requirements : Partial sun, shade

Blooms : Fall

Height Spread : 4–5 feet tall, 3–4 feet wide

Plant Type : Shrub

Japanese aralia is a popular houseplant native to the southern Japanese islands, Korea, and Taiwan, where it grows in subtropical conditions. A hardy, upright plant, Japanese aralia can grow up to 16 feet tall outdoors, and about six feet tall indoors, growing at a rate of 8–12 inches a year. Its lush, dark green leaves and ease of care make it a very popular varietal for indoor plant collections, but it's also a staple of tropical gardens and arboretums.

Technical Name : Dracaena trifasciata

Light Requirements : Shade, partial sun

Blooms : Spring

Height Spread : 6 inches to 8 feet tall

Plant Type : Evergreen, Perennial

Dracaena trifasciata, commonly known as the snake plant, is one of the most popular and hardy species of houseplants. Up until 2017, it was botanically classified as Sansevieria trifasciata, but its commonalities with Dracaena species were too many to overlook. The plant features stiff, sword-like leaves and can range anywhere from six inches to eight feet tall. Snake plants can vary in color although many have green-banded leaves and commonly feature a yellow border. These plants are easy to grow and, in many cases, are nearly indestructible. They will thrive in very bright light or almost dark corners of the house. Snake plants generally grow slowly in indoor light, but increasing its exposure to light will boost growth if it receives a few hours of direct sun. Planting and repotting is best done in the spring.

Technical Name : Yucca elephantipes

Light Requirements : Full sun

Blooms : Spring, Summer

Height Spread : 5 feet tall indoors, up to 30 feet outdoors

Plant Type : Evergreen

The spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipesis) a versatile evergreen plant that thrives both in the garden as well as your living room. They boast thick tree-like stalks topped with clean-lined, sword-shaped leaves.

This form of yucca has softer leaves without spines, giving rise to its name. The sword-shaped leaves do not have sharp, hard edges, so it is a bit more user-friendly than other varieties of yucca. However, its leaves do have a pointy end so be careful when walking near it, Brushing against its foliage won't cut you like other varieties of yuca can.

If provided with ideal conditions, the spineless yucca might even bloom. In the spring or summer, it produces a stalk from its center on which clusters of bell-shaped, white flowers bloom. However, flowering usually only occurs on plants growing outdoors in the ground. Spineless yuccas grown in containers or as houseplants rarely produce flower stalks.

Though a slow grower, the spineless yucca grows more quickly when planted outdoors. When given ample room, it can mature at up to 30 feet tall and almost as wide. However, this shouldn’t scare you away from growing one in your living room. When grown in pots and kept trimmed, the spineless yucca normally reaches a height of 5 feet, making it a perfect floor plant. Its height also makes it a good candidate for a taller addition to an outdoor container garden.

Technical Name : Monstera adansonii

Light Requirements : Partial sun

Blooms : Spring (does not bloom indoors)

Height Spread : 3 - 8 feet tall indoors, up to 13 feet outdoors, 1 - 3 feet wide

Plant Type : Perennial

The Swiss cheese plant (Monstera adansonii) gets its common name from its large, heart-shaped leaves that develop holes as the plant ages (in a process called fenestration). This makes the leaves resemble Swiss cheese. Native to Central and South America, the Swiss cheese plant is a tropical perennial that's typically grown as a houseplant. Like its cousin Monstera deliciosa (also referred to as the Swiss cheese plant), Monstera adansonii has a fast growth rate and a vining habit. But it will remain at a manageable size when grown in a container indoors. When cultivated as a houseplant, Swiss cheese plants are typically grown from young nursery plants and can be potted at any time. It's important to note that all parts of Monstera plants are toxic to pets, so be careful when growing them indoors.

Technical Name : Chlorophytum comosum

Light Requirements : Partial sun, shade

Blooms : Flowers regularly

Height Spread : 1 - 2 feet tall and wide

Plant Type : Herbaceous, Perennial

Despite their creepy-crawly name, spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are among the most popular houseplants to grow. When grown indoors, these warm-weather perennials will survive less-than-perfect conditions, and they are stunning if you can closely mimic their native tropical environment by providing warm temperatures and humid air. These plants grow rosettes of slender, gently arching leaves that can stretch from around 12 to 18 inches long. The leaves can be green or striped green and white. Mature plants regularly send out long stems that bear small, star-shaped flowers. If the flowers are fertilized, a small fruit forms. Once the flowers fall off, tiny plantlets form in their place, which ultimately grow their own roots and can be snipped off to create new potted plants.

Spider plants are moderately fast-growing plants that can be planted at any time as long as they are not exposed to frost.

Technical Name : Disocactus anguliger

Light Requirements : Partial sun

Blooms : Late Summer, Fall

Height Spread : 6 inches tall and 3 feet long

Plant Type : Cactus

The fishbone cactus (Disocactus anguliger) isn’t your average cactus. This tropical, epiphytic cactus is native to Mexico, and is perfect for those cactus lovers that don’t have the right conditions to keep the typical desert cacti alive. It does well without direct sunlight, and thrives in humid conditions.

Grown for its unique, angular toothed stems, the fishbone cactus is also commonly referred to as zig zag cactus, ricrac cactus, and the orchid cactus. Display your fishbone cactus in a hanging pot or planter to fully admire its stunning foliage.

Technical Name : Goeppertia insignis

Light Requirements : Partial sun

Blooms : Late Spring

Height Spread : 9 - 20 inches tall and 9 - 18 inches wide

Plant Type : Evergreen, Perennial

Rattlesnake plant (Goeppertia insignis) is a tropical evergreen perennial native to Brazil, commonly grown as an indoor houseplant. It can be tricky to nurture, but if you give it the care it needs, you will be rewarded with an impressive display from the distinctive foliage variegated with shades of greens and a wavy pattern along the edges. Even the undersides of the foliage are eye-catching with their beautiful purplish-red tones.

In its native habitat, rattlesnake plant produces small yellow flowers in late spring. But as a houseplant, it is grown exclusively for its long, elegant, ornamental foliage, as it rarely blooms indoors. Plants typically grow to about 20 inches tall when grown as houseplants. Rattlesnake plant grows at a moderate rate indoors but will slow or stop growing if the plant is in unfavorable conditions.