Any suggestions on a new houseplant?

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by pwk, Apr 9, 2008.

  1. pwk

    pwk Active Member

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    Location:
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    Hey guys,
    I'm looking for an exotic or unusual indoor houseplant, but one that's also relatively hardy. Browsing through internet catalogues is blowing my mind... I want them all! I'm hoping someone can help me out and suggest some of there favourite species. Whether it's weird-looking, ridiculously rewarding, great smelling, gorgeous, or even hideously appealing, I'm willing to try anything!

    In case it makes a difference: I live in Toronto (zone... 6?)
    I've already got: a few cacti, a mimosa pudica, Schefflera arbicola, a spider plant, a coffee plant, a jade, a grapefruit tree and a lychee tree. (still working on getting my id's straight :P)

    Also if someone could suggest a particular website that they trust that would be fantastic.

    THANKS!
     
  2. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    hoya - there are a ton of varieties with different leaf shapes and flower colors. very easy to grow. some are faster growers than others.

    philodendron, pothos, arrowhead vine - again, many varieties and all are easy to grow. all pretty fast growing.

    the zz plant is very different!!

    what cacti do you already have? there are such a varied selection to choose from - so many tribes and each with dozens (if not hundreds) of varieties!

    what about euphorbias?? again, there are a ton of them!! easy care and hardy.
     
  3. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Jeez, you live in Toronto! Hie thee away to the Toronto Botanical Gardens and see what they've got in their collections - obviously all of it will grow in Toronto; sometimes they also have stuff on sale for fairly good prices....

    This said, I heartily second Joclyn's reccomendations, especially the ZZ, and I'll put in my own for:
    Parlour Palms - exotic lookin' and easy care
    Crotons - (the shrub type, not the trees) for their glossy red and orange leaves
    Yucca elephantipes and Yucca guatemalensis - Weird, with lovely flowers eventually
    Small-pot cultured sugarcanes - smells awesome, gets really tall
    Any of the following succulents - Euphorbia, Sanseveria, Echeverria, Sempervivum
    Alpinia zerumbet (shell ginger) - gets fairly tall, ridiculously rewarding when it blooms
    Heliotropium arborescens - for the astounding cherry-pie fragrance and vibrant purple colour, plus the leaves are fuzzy.
    Heliconia - I won't lie, I'm just extremely fond of them and they're very showy.
     
  4. codyb89

    codyb89 Active Member

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    I agree with both of them and joclyn too about the hoya... Where i work, the rope hoya is a big seller and very easy to take care of. I love ming auralias idk if they would be easy for u or not. Many kalanchoes seem easy to take care of. Pothos is definitely easy to take care of... Snake plant ( mother-in-law's tongue) It seems everyone has that plant but it is extremely easy to take care of and if repotted properly over time, can get very large.There are many thousands of other plants that i can think of but my brain is dead right now i hope we have helped you out!

    -Cody
     
  5. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    oh, yeah! i'd not seen this until earlier when i was looking at lorax' blog (yes, people DO read it, lol). that's one beautiful plant and the flower is gorgeous as well...now i'm hearing is smells so good, too. it's on my 'want it' list! now!
     
  6. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    And it will grow very easily for you, Joc, indoors or out. Dave's Garden has some on for buy/trade if you can't find it locally.
     
  7. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i checked out some info on it last night...it's DEFINITELY something i'm going to get!! it's still too early here (chilly) for them to be available in the stores. there are two places i can go to and request they get some in, so i should be good for it (i'm not a member on dave's). and i did find a couple of places online that offer it if the local people can't get a hold of it.

    i'm thinking both the purple AND the white types! they'll compliment each other while in bloom and the scents will mix well, too (cherry & vanilla).

    and the size is good - not too large/unwieldy for a houseplant.

    another one for pwk and cody to check out is senecio - lots of varieties and they have some very interesting/different features. (of course, the one that i have has a purple tinge to it...)
     
  8. pwk

    pwk Active Member

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    hey guys thanks so much for you help, I really appreciate it.
    It's so neat going through all your suggestions (thank you, google images), and I'm actually learning the names of plants I've been surrounded by my whole life, like the crotons and pothos. I can't way to smell the heliotropium arborescens, and shell ginger. The zz plant and parlour palms look neat too, I'm wondering on whether they'd be difficult to germinate from seed though? I like growing things from seed for some reason, it's exciting I guess. Anyways thanks again guys, really appreciate all the info :).
     
  9. greenthumb95

    greenthumb95 Active Member

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    Hi, another very hardy house plant is Cast Iron Plant. It was prized by the victorians because it lived through a range of harsh conditions most plants wouldn't last 2 weeks in.It is a bit hard to find though. I got mine from a mail order catalog.




    greenthumb95
     
  10. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    ZZ is mostly propagation by cutting, that's just how it works. Seed is possible but it's pretty rare to see it. Palms germinate really easily for me, but again it will be easier to find a small plant and go from there.

    Be sure you have space for the Shell Ginger - it can get really tall.
     
  11. Debby

    Debby Active Member 10 Years

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    The only houseplant I have is AGLAONEMA 'SILVER QUEEN.' It sits in a corner on the staircase. I set it in the tub once a month and give it a shower. May have fed it once or twice in the two+ years I've had it. Love it. Recommend it.
     
  12. pwk

    pwk Active Member

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    Hey guys, thanks again for all the awesome suggestions.
    In the end, I just settled on a few sad looking plants that I chose out at home depot. (I like the sad ones, because I like making them happier)... that day I believe a hoya compacta and a goldfish plant, something I've wanted for a very long time. Since joining this board my collection has grown A LOT, and I've been able to care for my plants better than before. My most recent additions include a beaucarnea (recurvata?) and some unicorn grass. Totally exciting. I'm making myself stop though, since moving back home has made me lose out on the giant 8 foot bay window I had in my apartment. My only weakness: I'm buying a madagascar palm the MOMENT i see one because I love them more than life. Oh, that, and I'm also in the process of sprouting kumquat seeds and tamarillo seeds for the heck of it... and there's also that zz plant cutting I have stuck in the dirt... oh and that Hoya I bought at the Toronto Horticultural Society's plant sale... and the tiny euphorbias i picked up there too... yeah... i think that's it....
     
  13. Teddybear

    Teddybear Member

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    What about an orchid ? Around Toronto you will find orchids at big box stores and sometimes at department stores for sale at reasonable prices. Civic Gardens also host a orchid show in Feb. each year. Go to the South Ontario Orchid Society for other helpful info. You can even join their club if you get hooked on them. As I am, but I live 1 hr.west from you. I am also interested in Hoyas and this year I am involved with a small group from Toronto who are ordering Hoyas from a gentleman in Australia, our order is expected to be in shortly.
     
  14. pwk

    pwk Active Member

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    for some reason i'm terribly intimidated by orchids. a guy from the hort society insisted that sitting above the readiator is the only "special" treatment he gave his prized collection, but i'm still afraid. maybe in a little while, when i make sure that all the greenery i have now is properly taken care of an thriving, but thanks, i've absolutely thought about how rewarding it must be to grow such beautiful specimens.
     
  15. Teddybear

    Teddybear Member

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    Start with a easy orchid first like Phalenopsis ( this is what is generally available - at these stores). Keep bark moist, not wet. Water about once per week, fertilize lightly 25-10- 10 at 1/4 strength every month or so. Our orchid show is coming up in Sept. 26/27( I think) in Cambridge. Go to Central Ontario Orchid Society website (coupons online ) and verify that date. Vendors are wonderful at answering any questions you may have.
     

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