Bringing The Outdoors In
Bringing The Outdoors In
As the foliage begins falling from shrubs and trees outdoors, it’s time to begin greening the interior of our houses. Some plants have been put outside for the summer and we bring them back inside. (See our post about preventing insect stowaways here.) But many of us are also interested in refreshing or adding to our indoor greenery…and our choices are more colorful and interesting than every before.
One of the hottest plants for indoors is Ficus lyrata. Commonly called the fiddle-leaf fig, this plant thrives in a very bright location so place it near sliders or in a room with skylights.
The Dracena fragrans is commonly called corn plant, and there are new, brighter versions that blend in with any style interior, from modern to Victorian! These like a bright location but don’t need tons of sun.
Aglaonemas come with an assortment of variegated leaves that will brighten your house and contrast well with other plants.
And you know what I say…you can NEVER go wrong with purple. This Cordyline fruticosa, commonly called ti plant, likes a western or southern exposure.
Begonias love a bright location but don’t need direct sun, and most orchids do well with the same amount of light.
These are not your mother’s houseplants, although we certainly have the classic plants your mom raised as well. We hear that tropicals are the new succulents, so our greenhouse has plenty of both. As the days get shorter, you can improve indoor air quality and humidity as well as lifting your mood. Go GREEN!
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It would be helpful to know if any of these plants are cat and dog friendly.
Susan,
If you pets eat a quantity of Ficus lyrata it will cause vomiting and skin irritation as the sap is irritating. Cordyline fruticosa, Dracaena fragrans, Aglaonemas are poisonous for cats and dogs if they eat the plants. Moth orchids are not toxic. If you’d like to find a list of plants that are not toxic to dogs and cats, you can see a good one here.
Thank you so much. I have a cat that is a muncher.
Susan – have you ever grown “cat grass” for your cat? I’ve heard that when a cat is prone to munching houseplants that they are needing the minerals and vitamins that are in green plants. An easy way to provide that is to grow “cat grass” in a low pot and have it available for your cat on the floor, in front of a sunny slider if possible. We usually stock seeds for this type of wheat grass.