tall house plants are ideal for defining a living space or softening the entranceway. They also purify the air and bring nature inside.
These sassy green plants are the perfect way to embrace the biophilic design and the leafy decor trend that's everywhere this year. Here are the best big leaf plants to give your home a lush appearance.
Cast Iron Plant
The Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) is one of the most easy houseplants to take care of. It's nearly indestructible, and it can endure low levels of light, irregular watering, and minimal attention. This makes it ideal for novice gardeners as well as those with hectic lives. It is often utilized as a plant for the home, but it can be grown in the garden with shade trees or as ground cover.
This slow-growing perennial is sensitive to direct sunlight. It does best in rich well-drained soil, but it can adapt to nutrient-poor and dry conditions also. It is easy to grow in pots, but will grow through rhizomes in a garden if it is planted in its hardiness zone.
Standard potting soil is perfect for these plants. It should include some perlite to aid in drainage, however. To achieve the perfect balance between drainage and moisture retention you should aim for a 70% potting mix and 20% perlite.
Aspidistras need not be repotted very often however, when they do, it's crucial that the new container is slightly larger than the previous one. Remove the roots gently from the old pot and then plant the plant into a container about one size larger. This will prevent them from growing out of the container and cause root decay. After repotting, ensure that any excess soil is removed.
Swiss Cheese Plant
The Swiss cheese plant is also known as Monstera deliciosa is a favorite of the 1970s that is experiencing a new era. The large, heart-shaped leaves of this plant are perforated so that they appear like Swiss cheese, hence the name. This tropical plant makes an amazing houseplant. Patch Plant reports that it's ideal for outdoor gardens since it can climb fences, walls and even trees.
Like a lot of plants in the genus Monstera, Swiss cheese plants are relatively easy to take care of. They require humidity, warmth, and bright indirect light to thrive. The ideal mix is one part perlite, mixed with three parts peat based pots, or coir and one portion of orchid bark. Look for this type of potting mix at nursery or garden centers, or make your own by mixing together equal parts of each ingredient.
Give your Swiss cheese plant a the moss pole to encourage climbing. This will help recreate the jungle environment where it evolved by climbing mossy trees. The trellis could be put near a window, but it shouldn't receive direct sunlight, which could burn the leaves.
Mist the leaves of your Swiss cheese plant regularly to help keep it hydrated. Wait until the top inch or two of soil has dried prior to watering your Swiss cheese plant. If the tips of your plant begin to turn brown, it's a sign that it needs more moisture.
Heartleaf Philodendron
The heartleaf Philodendron is one of the philodendrons, a family of over 450 varieties, according to Smart Garden Guide. It is among the most popular houseplants. It has long, dangling vines that can hang from hanging baskets, or climb through shelves and walls. Its emerald-green leaves are adorned with yellow or golden-yellow stripes and spots. Philodendrons can be trained to climb the trellis or moss pole and add bright color to your home.
Philodendrons tolerate a wide range in light conditions. They prefer bright indirect light, however, they are tolerant of shade. To thrive they require a lot of humidity. You can achieve a relative humidty of 40 percent by misting your plants or using a humidifier. If you notice that the tips of your plants are beginning to brown, it is an indication that the air is too dry.
It is easy to propagate heart leaf philodendrons from stem cuttings and root division. To root a healthy cutting, make a clean cut just below a set of nodes and soak it in the rooting hormone.
It is best to repot your plant every two or three years. Water it thoroughly the day prior to repotting, in order to loosen the roots and reduce stress. It's also a good time to cut long vines and trim any growth that is stunted. Aphids, for instance, or fungus gnats could attack Philodendrons. They can be controlled with natural solutions such as Neem spray or insecticidal shampoo.
Calathea zebrina
Calathea is also known as a prayer plant or maranta, is a very popular tropical plant in gardens and greenhouses. Also called zebra plant maranta, prayer plant or maranta, this houseplant can grow much larger than its counterparts (Maranta leucoreura and Aphelandra squarrosa). It likes high humidity and moderate to indirect sunlight, just like many other species of tropical vegetation. It is best to keep it away from drafty areas such as fireplaces, radiators, or fireplaces. It can take some direct sunlight in mornings, but it's important to keep the temperature at a minimum in the afternoon.
It prefers a soil that is well-drained, and kept constantly moist in the garden. It is sensitive to overwatering however, and will not thrive in dry conditions. It is crucial to water it regularly throughout the growing season. Give the top two inches (or more) of soil to dry between waterings. In winter, it is less frequent to water because its growth slows.
When repotting, make sure to use an incredibly rich potting soil that drains well. You can add organic matter to the mix, such as compost or shredded bark. Calathea Zebrina is able to quickly outgrow the container it is placed in. If your calathea has rosettes on its base, you might prefer to separate them in order to avoid overcrowding. Its leaves will drop or wilt when overcrowded. This is usually a sign that air is too dry or that the water quality has been compromised.
Pachira aquatica
Pachira aquatica is also referred to as a money plant, and is among the most common houseplants in modern homes. It is pet-friendly, almost indestructible, and grows to a stunning size (around three meters.) It will reward you with a beautiful canopy of maple-shaped foliage and a distinctive braided tree trunk, if it gets enough sunlight and water.
Although they are native to tropical regions the money trees are able to adapt to indoor conditions and thrive in shady places or in windows with indirect light. Money trees like moderate, regular irrigation and don't require being repotted very often. Make sure the potting mixture doesn't get too wet. Overwatering can lead to stem and root rot, yellowing and dropping of leaves.
If you want to increase your money tree's number of people, get a stem cutting in late spring or summer and dip it in rooting hormone. Place it in a peat-free cactus or house compost and water it thoroughly. It's also possible to grow money plants from seeds, but this isn't very reliable. Air layering is a more reliable method. It induces the plant to grow roots at the end of the stem, and can then be planted in fresh compost. It's the most reliable method to propagate a money plant, but it isn't as fast as taking a cutting.
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia is a tropical plant that has large leaves that can grow to 16 inches in length. It is a very popular house plant and can be planted in an area of shade. There are many varieties of dieffenbachia, such as the 'Camille' variety, with a wide strip of white leaf, which is framed by bright green. The leaves are soft and leathery with a textured texture. They can be cleaned using the help of a damp cloth.
Similar to their rainforest habitat, dieffenbachias need warmth and humidity to thrive. Indoors you should aim for temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees. Boost humidity by placing dieffenbachias in bathrooms or other areas where air is naturally moist. You can also use an air humidifier or put pots in trays that are filled with pebbles and water.
If your dieffenbachia's leaves show edges or tips that are brown this could be an indication that the plant is not receiving enough moisture. This could be due to low humidity, infrequent watering or excessive fertilizer application. If the leaves are curled and has brown edges, try flushing away salts that have accumulated by gently washing the plants with clear water.
Dieffenbachias require regular watering, however they should be allowed to dry a little between sessions. You can also spritz the foliage with a spray bottle to moisten it but avoid using rainwater since it could contain the fungus-causing residues.