Houseplant Care Guide

Choose houseplants that will fit your home's conditions

With our display house full of flowering and foliage houseplants, sometimes it can be tough to choose which ones will work for you. The most important thing to remember when selecting houseplants is to choose plants that will be suited to the light levels and temperatures of your home.

Most houseplants require little attention apart from regular watering and feeding, so for the most success, choose houseplants that will fit into your conditions. With that in mind, here are a few general guidelines to follow:

Light

A moderate amount of bright, filtered light is best for most plants. Low light levels can lead to a decline in health as insufficient food is produced to replace older leaves as they die, leaving pale stunted plants. On the other hand, too much light can lead to scorching of the foliage with many tropical houseplants.

Temperature

Although many houseplants require warm rooms, they generally prefer an even temperature. In winter this becomes a problem when central heating creates large fluctuations between day and night temperatures. Avoid placing plants near radiators, in draughts, or on windowsills at night.

Water

Indoor plants more commonly die of over-watering than from drought. Overwatering eventually leads to root death and collapse of the plant. Try to keep your plants moist and avoid letting the compost dry out completely. Water from below allowing the plant to take up water as it is needed, but allow excess to drain away. Brown tips and margins of the leaves often indicate that the compost or atmosphere is too dry. Always use tepid water to prevent temperature shocks to the roots.

Feeding

Liquid feeds are generally the best for houseplants. Choose one high in potash for flowering pot plants, a more balanced one for foliage plants, and use a special fertilizers for certain groups of plants such as orchids.

Repotting

After a year or two plants may need repotting into a larger container to maintain healthy growth. Choose a clean pot one or two sizes large than the old one, then water the plant before potting and allow to drain. Repot using a similar type of compost to the old one.

Fall Watering

Evergreens shedding their needles is normal this time of year, but monitor their water amounts

Autumn is a time to enjoy all the colors that our plants have to offer but don't forget that it's also a time to continue watering those plants, especially the evergreens.

Evergreen trees, both broadleaf and needled, shed some of their older foliage in the fall, just like deciduous trees drop all of their leaves. Most pine trees lose 3-5 year old needles, but white pine (Pinus strobus) only retains its needles for one year. Arborvitaes also keep their leaves for only one year, but spruces and firs can keep their needles for as long as 5-7 years.

Broadleaf evergreens vary as well. Rhododendrons usually shed 1-2 year old leaves throughout the growing season, often during a dry spell. Hollies shed their one year old leaves in the spring. So, don't be alarmed when you see the inner needles on your pine tree or the lower leaves on your rhododendron turn orange, yellow or brown and then drop off. If you suspect secondary issues, please feel free to call or bring in a cutting for our knowledgeable staff to take a look at.

If the foliage is turning brown on the new growth from the past growing season, then that's the time to consider stepping up the watering a bit. Although other issues could be the cause, lack of water is usually the number one culprit. Your newly established plants still need to be watered during the fall. Evergreens that have been in your landscape for only 1-3 years should be included on this list, since adequate watering helps evergreens maintain and survive through harsh winter weather.

Deciduous plants that are newly established should also be watered well in the fall, as well as 1-3 year old deciduous shrubs and trees. Watering both evergreens and deciduous plants about twice per week (whether it rains or not) until the ground freezes sometime around December should do the trick.