Hi all, I’m just looking for suggestions for potted houseplant that are good (or as good as they get) for children. I have nieces and nephews from 7-10 years of age. Particularly I want something that has a high growth rate so that it is interesting. And something that might have a chance of withstanding a child’s over attention/neglect. I know that I need to let the children pick it for themselves, but I would like to have something to steer them toward. And finally, cost is an issue. Any and all suggestions would be great! Michael
If your wanting to start from seed, going to the grocery store and getting fruit with seeds inside can always be interesting, I teach gardening to kid age 5-10, and they enjoy picking out the seeds from fruit, and planting them. Papaya, kiwi, Dragon fruit, avocato... also taking the top of a pineapple and planting that can be cool, my daughter at home got her first pineapple off of her plant last year. Carol Ja
Right now I'm just hoping to find good potted plants for them. I don't see them that much. That means that I'll be there to plant the seed, and then they will kill it or let it die before I get to see it again. lol.
When my son was young, under 10, he became entranced with cacti and succulents and slowly began to collect them. I think I encouraged it as they were plants that were likely to thrive on neglect (and lack of watering!). We have a southfacing sunroom, unheated, where they could spend the winter, and they moved outside to our deck in the summer. He is long gone from home, but a few of his childhood cacti still spend the winters in our sunroom and summers on the deck.
I second the venus flytrap except you cannot let them dry out at all! When I was little, I also loved a little plant called a mimosa because it's so sensitive that when you touch it, it closes up. I thought it was the greatest thing.
Hey guys! New here, just checkin things out. Venus fly traps are awesome. I've got a small one that I bought from Wal-mart awhile back. They're neat. Anyway, if your lookin for a good plant for a kid-o. . .try www.plantsforkids.com . . .there is some neat stuff on that site. I'm planing on makin a bog garden this summer. . . I was thinkin' cobra lillies, pitcher plants, flytraps, and sundews. . .although I still have some reading to do before I jump into that. Oh, I was wondering. . .Is there a section on this site for amorphophallus titanium ? I've been wanting to talk to someone about them, I don't have much luck searching around the net on how to take care of them, or how to get ahold of one. All I find is pictures really. . .Thanks for any help! !
It would seem that the general concensus is for carnivorous plants. I've never had one. Are they cheap? Easy to care for? Able to withstand kids making them close again and again? I also like the cactus idea. I guess a trip to the plant store with the kids is the best bet, eh? Michael
Hi M.Todd, found something for you: Culture sheet of Amorhpophallus Please see this link: http://www.aroid.org/genera/amorphophallus/bonnculture/ An Aroid Forum you find at garden web: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/aroid/ But I assume they will advise you to try a less difficult species like A. konjac ( which is very spectacular as well ). Bye hermann
Hello arumgrande, Just wanted to verify that you have permission from the author or botanical garden to post that attached article or that is in public domain. These things may have copyright issues. If an article is published on the web, you can link to it without permission. In response to this thread, while I think carnivorous plants are fascinating for kids - they move - they are tricky to care for at first. It seems likely that kids and most adults would kill them on the first attemps. That is a project that definately needs a lot involvement, research and instruction from an adult. If you don't have the time or the kids are not ready for that, maybe it would be better to start with something easier, like beans, peas, simple summer annuals like marigolds or cosmos. Showing kids where food comes from is a good lesson. Just my 2 cents.
Hello Eric and thanks for your advice! I did n o t want to violate copyright, but the link on the original german site is a bit tricky meanwhile, because Botanic Garden Bonn is rebuilding its website and this link is part of the old system. When clicking through, occures the problem of the site jumping to the new system unintentionally ( dificult to express, but it's an exercise for me as well! ), if one is not quick enough. Now I found a link to the I.A.S., where the public is allowed to download this sheet for personal use: http://www.aroid.org/genera/amorphophallus/bonnculture/ And I think what they do is ok. Please, would you erase the pdf-file and replace it with this link? Bye hermann
One good one that never fails to intrigue the young ones is Melianthus major. It is grown outdoors on the southern BC coastal fringe, but I suppose could be grown indoors with high light conditions. The foliage when rubbed smells of peanut butter, but for some reason has the common name, Honey Bush.
