Pocket Guide to Houseplants E-Book

Jack Kramer

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 173

Beschreibung

Looking to make your home greener? The most comprehensive and complete guide to house plants you'll ever need, take this conveniently compact guide with you the next time you feel inspired to bring new plants home to help you decide! With plant descriptions and complete growing and care information per page for 240 popular species, Pocket Guide to Houseplants will show you everything you need to know to incorporate plants in your interior design. Containing over 500 color photographs and illustrations, find inspiration for your home and the perfect plants for any and every space. Author and garden expert Jack Kramer has written over 100 gardening books and makes it enjoyable for you to flip through these beautiful pages to see for yourself all the easy-care possibilities that lie ahead!

Leseprobe

Copyright © 1999, 2008, 2019 Jack Kramer and Creative Homeowner

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Pocket Guide to HouseplantsVice President-Content: Christopher ReggioEditor: Jeremy HauckDesigner: John HochIndexer: Jay Kreider

Print ISBN 978-1-58011-846-0eISBN 978-1-60765-740-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kramer, Jack, 1927- author.Title: Pocket guide to houseplants : over 240 easy-care favorites / Jack Kramer.Description: Mount Joy, PA : Creative Homeowner, 2019. | Includes index. |Summary: “Has a full color guide to most of the houseplants a homeowner or renter is likely to buy. Includes tips on decorating with plants and caring for plants”-- Provided by publisher.Identifiers: LCCN 2019023974 | ISBN 9781580118460 (paperback)Subjects: LCSH: House plants in interior decoration. | House plants. | Indoor gardening.Classification: LCC SB419.25.K73 2019 | DDC 635.9/65--dc23LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019023974

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

Contents

How to Use This Book

Part One: About Houseplants

Chapter 1: Decorating with Houseplants

Use the Elements of Design

Pick the Right Plant for the Right Room

Pick the Right Container

Focus on Form

Upgrade Form into Mass

Leaf Shape and Size

Texture

Scale

Color

Chapter 2: Caring for Houseplants

Soil

Water

Plant Science

Feeding

Trimming & Grooming

When You’re Away

Seasonal Changes

Troubleshooting

Part Two: Plant Profiles

Acanthus Family

Amaryllis Family

Aralia Family

Aroids Family

Begonia Family

Bromeliad Family

Cacti and Succulents

Euphorbia Family

Ferns

Gesneriad Family

Ginger Family

Lily Family and Relatives

Mulberry Family

Orchid Family

Palm Family

Spiderwort Family

Other Families

Glossary

Photo Credits

How to Use This Book

In this book, all plants are listed by common name and scientific (botanical) name. One disadvantage of relying on the common name is that it’s not the most accurate way to find the plant you want. This is because many plants are known by more than one common name and because some vastly different plants share a common name.

To ensure accurate identifications, botanists have adopted a world standard for names. They’ve assigned plants to family trees based mainly on similarities of their reproductive structures. The scientific names are rendered primarily in Latin. So if you know a plant’s scientific name, it’s easier to obtain the plant you want.

This book employs the scientific names used by the Royal Horticultural Society’s Index of Garden Plants, as well as older scientific names that are still widely used in houseplant catalogs. When the scientific name has changed, you’ll find both the new and old names listed, with one of them noted in parentheses and an “aka,” short for “also known as.”

When a houseplant has no common name, the scientific name is coined as the common name, such as in guzmania.

Family. In this book, the family is the largest grouping of plants sharing common characteristics. The scientific family name is written with an initial capital letter, as in Begoniaceae, and is not italicized.

Genus. Normally, the next smaller grouping of plants within a family is the genus, which is written with an initial capital letter and is italicized; the plural for genus is genera. The genus name is usually the first word of a plant’s scientific name, as in Guzmania lingulata.

Species. The second word in the name indicates species, which is a group of related plants that are alike except for small variations. The species name is italicized.

Variety vs. Cultivar. Scientists take nomenclature further by assigning a name if the plant is a variety (a variant of a species that occurs as a result of natural mutation) or a cultivar (meaning a cultivated variety, resulting from human intervention).

The terms variety and cultivar are commonly used interchangeably, even though there is a technical difference. A cultivar will be listed with single quotes. When a cultivar is used as part of the common name, as in the example Camille dumb cane, below, single quotes aren’t usually used.

Hybrid. A hybrid is a plant that results from the breeding of two genetically different parents. Often written with an ×, a hybrid may differ in significant ways from its parents and even from its siblings. A hybrid is listed like this: Begonia × hiemalis.

Principles of plant naming are illustrated in the name Camille dumb cane (Dieffenbachia picta ‘Camille’).

Part One: About Houseplants

This outdoor garden room springs to life with plants, including gingers and orchids, that thrive in diffused, sunny locations.

Chapter 1: Decorating with Houseplants

Houseplants can do a lot to improve the decor of your home, including enhancing the overall ambiance of the space, cleaning the air, and providing visual accents and focal points. And don’t forget the intangibles of houseplants. Imparting a gardenlike setting, houseplants also can give solace and brighten your spirits.

You can place your houseplants for different purposes: decorating windows, adorning tabletops, creating cascades from hanging containers, hiding unattractive walls, and enlivening plain interiors. Large plants can serve as screens, room dividers, or other architectural elements.

This tropical oasis includes simple elements: a white chair and shades, and houseplants that contrast with them.

Windows are logical locations for houseplants because they let in the light that plants need to grow. Whether on shelves, on windowsills, or in hanging containers in front of windows, houseplants soften hard, structural lines and provide welcome texture and color. You can position large plants on either side of a window to frame an attractive view—or hang basket plants at different levels before a window to create a living screen rather than resorting to curtains or blinds. Even skylights can admit enough light for some plants to grow.

Try to give some thought to plant arrangements, placing them with the same amount of care as you would furniture. After choosing locations for your plants, stand back and survey the overall arrangement. Does the picture say what you want it to? If not, keep moving and arranging plants until you achieve the desired effect. Here are some tips in this chapter.

Classic elements of design are at work in the range of sizes and textures in this eclectic room. Some of the plants here include ferns, bromeliads, and dracaena.

Use the Elements of Design

As with antiques and artwork, you will get the greatest impact from houseplants if you arrange them according to established aesthetic principles. Balance, proportion, and harmony are important. One houseplant in a room can look lonely and out of place, but a well-balanced grouping of three or five plants can become a synchronized team in harmony with its surroundings. Similarly, a five-foot dieffenbachia on one side of a room and a 5 in. (13 cm) begonia on the other side would be out of balance, but repeating these same plants together in other areas of the room can create a sense of rhythm and proportion.

Group Small Plants

Smaller plants gain visual impact when you group several together. When grouping plants, aim for a variety of sizes and a range of textures. Arrange the plants so the change in height or texture is gradual, rather than placing the smallest plant next to the tallest one or placing the boldest, coarsest plant next to one with the smallest, most delicate leaves. Also, try to create some depth. Set some pots in front and others in back instead of lining them up like a row of soldiers.

When grouping small plants, use different heights to promote interest. The poinsettia on the floor anchors the stage for the angel’s wings.

The flowering tuberous begonia is always elegant and looks at home atop this ornate table pedestal.

Use Single Plants as Focal Points

You can turn a favorite specimen into a focal point by displaying it on a stand or pedestal, or on a table or mantel. This will add a welcome burst of color. Houseplants can make dim corners inviting, especially when you place them in attractive ceramic containers or on stands. Orchids and gesneriads displayed this way are particularly breathtaking. In fact, they can be more striking than traditional cut flowers, and they usually last much longer.

Create Transitions

Another technique employs plants to create a transition between an indoor room and the outdoors. If you have sliding glass doors or a large bay window, place houseplants inside that resemble—or are related to—plants growing outdoors. In the Southwest, for example, an outdoor garden could be echoed by potted cacti and succulents indoors. In the Southeast, palms and gingers can create a continuous tropical feeling, both indoors and out.

Bring the outdoors inside with an arrangement of potted plants. The vertical cactus anchors the scene and adds drama, while the varied leaf shapes of the other plants provide eye-catching texture.

Correct plant placement, using balance, form, and texture, is represented in this living room. The fig tree in the corner sets the stage for the other plants, which accentuate, rather than compete with, the green upholstery.

Pick the Right Plant for the Right Room

When choosing plants and their locations, try to match the visual mass and weight of plants to the size and proportion of the room. For example, it’s usually better to use bigger, bolder plants in a large room. Symmetrical, well-trained plants with large, smooth-textured leaves, such as Dieffenbachia amoena and corn plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’), are highly appropriate for formal rooms. They are often best centrally positioned in front of a large window and become an important design element when repeated. In a large, open, L-shaped room, consider the space carefully and try to imagine groups of plants from all sides. If the room has beams or cornices that make strong horizontal lines, consider a row of plants to carry through the horizontal motif. Rooms with slanted or hipped ceilings look best with groups of plants. If the ceiling is vaulted or cathedral-shaped, you can plant cascading or fountainlike plants, such as philodendrons or arching palms, in hanging baskets to create a harmonious look.

The plants give this dramatic stairway a more appealing, less formidable scale. They also break up the plain expanse of hallway behind the stairs

Large potted plants transform this functional space into an inviting transitional area. Here, large jars and the sand-colored tile floor convey a Southwestern feel.

Halls and Entryways

People form their first impression of your home inside the entry, but in many homes this is hardly a hospitable place for plants. If the space is large enough, a plant on a pedestal can lend an elegant look. If there is a reception table, use a small plant such as prayer plant (Maranta) or a small colorful bromeliad such as Cryptanthus.

If the hall is barren, think about using a single large plant in place of a piece of furniture. Cascading plants placed on tables or shelves in halls will soften the sharp lines of furniture and hardware. Always use appropriate mats, saucers, or other protective devices so that water leaking from drainage holes does not damage furnishings.

Good Plants for Halls and Entryways

•Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant)

here

•Begonia, rhizomatous types

here

•Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant)

here

•Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)

here

•Dracaena

here

•Ficus (fig trees)

here

•Fittonia verschaffeltii (mosaic plant)

here

•Maranta (prayer plant)

here, here

•Philodendron

here

•Syngonium (arrowhead vine)

here

A single arching palm can work wonders for an otherwise sparsely furnished living room. This palm fills the gap between the two sofas, echoes the green in the large painting, and—not least—brings nature indoors.

Living Rooms and Dining Rooms

These generally large rooms tend to be bright with natural light and usually have even, moderate temperatures of 65°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C). Large plants, thoughtfully placed, can lend a sense of organization to the space and direct the flow of traffic. Large plants are generally well suited to spacious living rooms and dining rooms because the plants don’t look out of scale there. If the room is long and narrow, choose an upright plant with slender branches, such as a specimen dragon tree (Dracaena concinna). If the architecture is modern and the décor contemporary, consider a large, sculptural cactus. Such plants are especially striking in modern interiors.

If your floor space is limited, consider hanging baskets of ferns or tropical trailers from the ceiling. For greater impact, try positioning the baskets at three different heights. To break the monotony of walls that are mainly windows, use medium-size plants, perhaps in groups of three, to bring color and life to the blank area. Such plants will benefit from the excellent light.

This dining area needs the low planter near the expanse of windows as much as the flowering plants themselves need to be positioned near the light. The attractive planter does not obscure the view.

Another likely place for plants in living rooms and dining rooms is behind a table and chairs, to supply vertical accents. Instead of placing a long table behind a sofa, try a row of identical plants in identically colored containers. Install lighting fixtures to ensure that the plants receive sufficient light. Once the large plants are in place, add a few complementary table or desk plants to pull the room together. The goal is to balance the large plants with smaller plants placed around the room, not to make your living room look like a plant shop.

Plants in bedrooms improve the air quality while creating a tranquil atmosphere. The fern and the palm in the bedroom lend a sheltered, cozy feel to this space.

Bedrooms

There was a time when people didn’t keep plants in their bedrooms because they believed the plants would deplete oxygen levels and make breathing difficult. Actually, the opposite is true—plants give off oxygen during the day as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Plants also improve air quality by absorbing pollutants, while creating a relaxing ambiance. Graceful palms or ferns on bed tables or in hanging containers are especially fitting.

The ficus tree in this more traditional bedroom adds needed color and visually raises the wall height.

Contemporary bedrooms are often designed for both living and sleeping. In a bedroom divided into sleeping, dressing, and sitting areas, you can use plants in imaginative yet functional ways to create the feeling of an indoor garden. For example, you can place about three tall plants in a row to create a divider or natural screen between the different parts of the room. Keep a watering can in a nearby bathroom so that you can water the plants easily.

Well-selected plants can thrive under bathroom skylights. And the daily higher doses of humidity in the bathroom can complement good lighting to provide excellent growing conditions.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms can be excellent locations for plants. In fact, many plants grow better in bathrooms than in any other place in a home. The warm, humid conditions there help make tropical plants grow well. Also, many bathrooms have frosted or patterned glass windowpanes, which provide diffused light that is neither too bright nor too dim—exactly what most plants prefer.

Floor plants are ideal for a large bathroom, and there is usually ample space for them. Smaller plants, such as orchids and bromeliads, can suggest the tropics. Vanities and tables offer innumerable places on which plants can be displayed. If your bathroom is small, consider placing a hanging fern or other basket plant near the window or installing glass shelves across the window to create platforms for small plants.

Even though tropical plants are particularly well suited to both the environment and style of many bathrooms, you should be bold in trying all kinds of plants there, including those that aren’t doing well elsewhere. Plants really perk up in the brighter light and higher humidity of the bathroom. The only plants to avoid placing in bathrooms are those that prefer drier conditions, and many of the plants with fuzzy or hairy leaves.

Kitchens become more inviting when decorated with plants

Kitchens

Modern kitchens tend to be large, natural centers of activity often located near a recreation or morning room. There is usually plenty of bright light from windows or skylights and ample humidity from cooking, so plants can do well in kitchens. There, your favorite plants can lend a personal touch and extend a cheerful, colorful welcome to all who gather.

Shelves, cabinet tops, and windowsills are all prime places for small potted plants. Flowering plants such as African violets, geraniums, and miniature begonias grow luxuriantly in bright, humid kitchens. Dozens of medium-size foliage plants, such as prayer plants (Maranta), arrowhead vines (Syngonium), and peperomias, also do well. In a large kitchen where you want a green look, consider a floor plant such as a large lady palm (Rhapis) or sago palm (Cycas).

The upper tier of plants benefits from skylighting, and the flowering plants benefit from artificial light.

White and yellow are two favorite color schemes for kitchens. In a white or yellow room, plants with apple green or variegated foliage look splendid. For a unified look, put all the plants in pots of the same color.

Background photo: Leafy culinary herbs in matching hand-painted pots please both the eye and the palate.

Growing Culinary Herbs Indoors

The best indoor location for herbs is a warm, sunny south- or west-facing window that receives a minimum of six hours of sun a day. Turn the pots every day or two so the stems grow reasonably straight. Most herbs thrive in temperatures of 65°F to 68°F (18°C to 20°C) indoors, with a slight dip at night. Plenty of humidity and good air circulation are also important. If your herbs are on a windowsill, move them back from the glass during very cold winter weather. Fertilize the herbs monthly with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer. Avoid over-fertilizing, or your herbs will grow too quickly and have poor flavor. Herbs don’t like soggy soil. So let the soil dry slightly between waterings, and then water when the soil feels dry just below the surface.

To use herbs in cooking, wait to cut their leaves until the moment they are needed.

It’s a good idea to use waterproof saucers.

It can be a challenge to prevent water from dripping onto woodwork and floors when you water houseplants close to windows. To avoid damage, either place plants over flooring impervious to water (such as tile), carry plants to a sink to water them, put waterproof saucers under the plant containers, or use containers that have attached saucers. Water the plants slowly so that the water doesn’t spill over the container edges and is not too much for the saucers to handle.

Another option is to place pots atop a layer of pebbles in cachepots, most of which do not have drainage holes. Cachepots are decorative pots that hold a plain pot in which a plant is actually potted. The pebbles prevent the bottom of the inner pot from staying constantly wet, thereby helping prevent root rot. Be sure that the drainage water in the cachepot does not rise higher than the pebbles and flood the inner pot.

Pick the Right Container

A well-chosen container displays the plant to its best advantage and becomes a decorative element. Select containers that are in proportion with the plants they display. Also, the texture of the containers should be compatible with nearby plants and the room’s decor. For example, a cachepot looks more formal than a wicker basket, and a terra-cotta pot looks more natural than a colored plastic pot.

When in doubt, it’s always safe to use a white ceramic pot, which complements almost any decor and houseplant.

Plants should be repotted into larger containers as they grow. Here, copper pans disguise plain pots with drainage holes. Although these plants are all about the same size, you could display a small plant on the top step in the smallest pan, a full-grown plant on the bottom in the largest container, with the other transplant sizes in between.

Columnar plants, such as these cacti, add sculptural accents and a Southwestern look to this room.

Focus on Form

One of the most important design qualities of a houseplant is its form