Topic: Hard to kill house plants

[Garden Manager]

Can anyone advise me of an attractive but 'low maintainance' houseplant suitable for a cool/north facing conservatory.  Interest and availability at this time of year would be desirable too, as it may be given as a christmas gift.

I stress 'low maintainance' since houseplants tend to get a bit forgotten in this house!

Any ideas?

Thanks

[sandersj89]

Spider plants are tough as old boots:

http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/popups/spider.htm

Anthurium can also survive a fair bit of abuse in our house.

This site might be of use to you:

http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/index.html

Jerry

[Derekthefox]

We have a parasol plant - Heptapleurum arboricola in a cool corner in our tiled kitchen, it gets very little attention but has been happy for many years now ...

Derekthefox :D

[Marianne]

From all the house plants I had, I took just one onto the boat, and that is a violet.

It seems it is happy with very little attention.  I water it every week (or so ::)) and it flowers all year round.  It really needs repotting but I don't have the time.   ;D :D

[undercarriage plan]

I'm always forgetting to take care of mine too, and the spider plants seem to thrive on it, and strangely enough the orchids! They seem to love the toilet too!  ??? May be worth a go, wait til after Christmas, and they'll come plummetting down in price.
Lottie

[Derekthefox]

Yes that is a good time to buy houseplants lottie, nobody seems to want them then ...

Derekthefox :D

[Garden Manager]

Thanks to those who have replied.

Jerry: Good site there though not knowing names I havent a clue which would be best. I think I am going to have to take down some names and pay a visit to the garden centre.

Spider plants? Been there done that got the t -shirt mate. First plants i grew as a kid. At one time had loads of the things in the house, since they were sooo easy to propagate. Now looking for some thing different!

[Delilah]

Devils Ivy, I've managed to kill one yet ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Aspidestra, mother-in-laws tongue, clivia, cacti.  To be honest, I don't fuss over my houseplants in the conservatory, and they all grow great guns!  This time of year, for something lovely, there is the chrissy cacti.

[Shirley]

I have had a plant for years.  Never knew what it was called. Totally neglected it, left it on a north facing window on the landing, but it flowered every year.  Then recently I decided to post a photo on a newsgroup to see if anyone could identify it.  It turned out to be Haemanthus albiflos or paint brush plant.

[Garden Manager]

Devils Ivy, I've managed to kill one yet ;D

Dont you mean 'NOT managed to kill one yet?'

Would something like Kalenchoe or Schlumbergia (christmas cactus) be a good bet? I have sen these about recently.

Or what about a foliage plant?

[Delilah]

Garden Cadet - Just keeping you on your toes ;D

[undercarriage plan]

PLastic one?  ;)

[Mimi]

Have to agree with Emma on the clivia and the cyclamen.  I bought a cyclamen from Morrisons about 3 years ago and I feed it for a few weeks after flowering stops them I let it dry out and keep it under the bench in the greenhouse until about August.  Then I start to moisten the soil and then  a week or two later  bring it out of the greenhouse indoors.  It has grown and flowered from November into Feb/March each year and looks stunning. 
For a foliage plant .......... dint know if you want a small plant or a large one.  For a small one I would go for a spiderplant.... virtually indestructible.
For a large one go for a Ficus (just keep it out of direct sun and draughts)  Hope this helps.



This is the cyclamen in question

[lorna]

Mimi That is lovely.   Lorna

[Gardengirl]

What a beautiful cyclamen Mimi :)  I have tried these indoors without success.  I have a miniature one which  is 'asleep' at the moment.  Usually bring it back to life just after Christmas in order for it to flower in the spring, but alas have to keep it in the greenhouse as it just gives up the ghost indoors :'(  Maybe it's the central heating.  How on earth do you keep yours going indoors :-\

[Mimi]

Pat, believe me I never had any luck in our last house....... way to hot.  Now I have a lovely conservatory that I only just keep at about 10 degrees.  The cyclamen thrive in these conditions and flower their socks off.  Do cyclamen have socks   ???

[bananagirl]

You could try dragon plants, or monsteras. We have a couple dragons in our house, and they seem to get by quite nicely stuck in a cycle of neglect followed by some guilty care and feeding. My monster plant sits next to a window that is open pretty much all year round, and has grown like the clappers, even though I keep forgetting to water it. It does have a disconcerting habit of turning to face the light though, and it spreads so I'm always having to lift it up to get by, but it's lovely and green to look at. :D