Welcome to our page on Types of Indoor Plants. Today there are many types of indoor plants available. The variety is huge: flower and leaf color, architectural shape, plant size, perfume - any of these can be placed by you to create an indoor landscape of great beauty.

You can opt for something simple, like planting something in an old urn or barrel, and using that as a solo focal point. Or you can use a score of plants in as many indoor locations as your place can accommodate. It’s entirely up to you.

There’s a long tradition of decorating rooms from ‘out of the garden; that is, " bringing Nature inside." Now, with the introduction of so many new plant varieties suitable for inside, indoor gardens are becoming even more commonplace. Nowadays, everybody seems to have one- even those with a big back yard. But to mention one particular plant.

The long-proven and tested spathiphyllum with its wonderful cream white flowers, continues to remain a favourite, as do many other ‘old fashioned’ varieties. Some things never change, it seems.

However, Indoor plants do, overall, require a bit more awareness and attention than their outdoor counterparts. Such awareness includes knowing the correct amount of light, humidity, water, fertilizer, potting mix and degrees of warmth. And that’s what will be explained to you here.

A plant generally requires protection while being transferred to its new home, especially in extreme weather. The use of a large plastic bag will create a temporary mini-greenhouse; or simply enveloping the plant in wrapping paper, helps to screen it from the wind and sun. So don’t just throw it in the back of your open trailer and bump home for hours through the hot summer sun. Your new purchase won’t like you for it! It’ll sulk. Worse, it might even die.

Once home, place the plant in its selected position. Next, check to see whether it needs watering. Then cut away any broken pieces that may have been damaged in transit.

All types of indoor plants should receive the same light indoors as it would have in its natural habitat, or its stems may become straggly. It’ll reach for light. Also its variegated leaf colors will probably fade. And almost certainly no flowers will be produced on most types of indoor plants, if light is insufficient.

As we know, the amount of light in the room is affected by the window size and the direction those windows face. For instance, in Australia, a north-facing window receives the greatest amount of direct sunlight. Light intensity also varies according to reflected light, and the positions of outside trees and buildings.

White walls and ceilings reflect the greatest amount of light within a room; dark colors will absorb it. So a creamy-white or flat-white wall will be the most productive in helping abundance of flower growth.

If the light source comes from one window only, rotate your plants daily to keep growth symmetrical. Plants always grow toward the source of the light. Also, be careful not to place any types of indoor plants where they will be standing in the full sun for long periods! Few of them tolerate hot, direct sunlight, especially on new foliage.

Like the brewing of beer,  all types of indoor plants need an even temperature for their well-being. Most plants described in the list below thrive in a comfortable warm room from 18-22Deg C but can tolerate higher summer temperature up to 35deg C, provided the atmosphere is humid.

A night time drop to 2-5 deg C is not usually harmful, and cooler winter conditions bring beneficial resting periods in most evergreen plants grown indoors. However, exposure of warmth- loving plants to prolonged cold conditions is generally fatal.

Don’t leave your plants out on the windowsill in frosty weather. This is especially so if there are curtains which would isolate the plant from the room’s radiant heat.

Just as important: don’t place plants above a radiator (heater) where the air will be hot and dry, or in positions where there are strong breezes, such as in an empty fire place.

Many more types of indoor plants in pots or containers are killed by over-watering than by neglect. When a plant is growing actively, producing new shoots, new leaves or flowers, it needs more water than when it is dormant. However, different plant species require different amounts of water.

A useful gauge in assessing water or moisture content other than the ‘finger test,’ is to use a small wooden skewer or pencil. Push the skewer into the soil, and only the moist potting mix will cling to it when it is withdrawn. Saves you getting your hands dirty, too.

If a potting mix shrinks away from the sides of the container, it is close to drying out completely. Any water poured on top will run down the sides, and out of the drainage holes - almost a complete waste. So if this has occurred, submerge the whole pot in a bucket of water until all the air- bubbles have been forced out. Then lift the pot out and allow it to drain, before placing it back onto its saucer.

HUMIDITY

A steamy atmosphere is essential for tropical plants. So how can we ensure this? There are several ways to increase humidity. One is by fine-mist spraying directly onto the plant. However, wetting the leaves of some plants such as African violets, may cause spotting , fungus and disease. Moreover, mist- spraying may have to be done twice a day in hot dry weather. Quite laborious in a long, hot summer that goes on for many months. Solution?

A constant supply of humidity can be provided by standing the pot on a small upturned saucer or atop some pebbles in a large shallow dish filled with more pebbles and water. As the water evaporates, it supplies a constant humidity that tropical plants enjoy. Your tropical plants will love you for producing such a humid environment. And you’ll get the benefit of their the lovely foliage and flowers without having to water so frequently.

Below is the list you were searching for! Remember, new plants are coming out of wholesale nurseries all the time as new varieties are created for the market. En-quire at your local nursery about these, and ask which ones will perform well in your home.

It is impossible to supply the whole list here. There are far too many. So I’ve listed my favorites; plants that are hardy and perform well indoors.

Aechema- Urn plant/Vase plant

Aeonium- Succulent

Alocasia- Cunjevoi

Anthurium- Flamingo flower

Archotontophoenix- Bangalow Palm/ Alexandra Palm

Aspidistra- Cast iron plant

Asplenium- Birds nest fern

Aucuba Japonica- Spotted laurel

Begonia species

Caladium- Elephant ears

Calathea- Rattle snake plant / Zebra plant

Capsicum- Ornamental chilli

Ceropegia woodii- Chain of hearts

Chlorophytum- Spider plant

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens- Golden cane palm

Chrysanthemum

Cordyline- Tree of kings

Crassula- Silver jade plant

Ctenanthe- Never never plant

Cycalemen- hybrids

Cymbidium orchids- hybrid

Dieffenbachia- Dumb cane

Dracaena- Dragon tree

Echeveria species

Ficus- Rubber plant

Hedera- Ivy

Hoya- Wax plant

Hyacinthus- Dutch hyacinth

Livistona- Cabbage tree palm

Maranta leuconeura- Prayer plant

Monstera Deliciosa- Fruit salad plant

Nolina recurvata- Pony tail tree

Peperomia species

Philodendron

Phoenix-Date palm

Portulacaria afra- Jade plant

Primula Polyantha- Polyanthus

Rhapis exhelsa – Bamboo palm

Saitpaulia- African violet

Sanseveria- Mother in laws tongue

Schefflera- Umbrella tree

Schindapsus aureus- Devils ivy

Spathiphyllum

Syngonium- Arrowhead plant

Zygocactus- Christmas cactus

I hope you found this page on Types of Indoor Plants useful. You can find more relative information about these easy-to-grow indoor plants in the reference links below.   Enjoy.  

Happy Gardening,

Marty.