New Year Resolution? Invest in houseplants!
- Su Whale
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
How better to encourage your customers to start a new houseplant obsession than with some easy care green indoor plants that are also believed to bring good luck and fortune?
Jade plant Crassula ovata
A bushy evergreen with fleshy, succulent leaves, often tinted with red, Crassula is slow growing and possibly one of the easiest plants to look after and propagate. Cared for correctly, it has the extra bonus of flowers in the summer, producing clusters of pretty, starry white blooms.
Crassula is low maintenance, in fact, more or less indestructible so even the least green-fingered should be able to make a success of it.
Keep it near your front door for good fortune, or on your office desk to invite positive energy. One place to not display it is in the bathroom, as according to Chinese tradition, if you do its spiritual powers will be diminished.
How to care for a Crassula
Temperature: Warm/hot 15-27°C.
Water sparingly, misting is not necessary.
Likes a brightly lit spot, it can also go outside in summer in a sheltered position.
Feed fortnightly in spring and summer.
Chinese Money Plant Pilea peperomioides
This is another plant that is incredibly easy to care for. Upright or trailing it enjoys high humidity so is an ideal plant for a kitchen or bathroom, either in a hanging basket or on the windowsill. It’s fast growing, but very straightforward to propagate should it start to get out of hand.
The Chinese money plant has modern, urban appeal with its glossy green, coin shaped leaves. These are, however, quite fragile and can break off easily so it’s best placed somewhere where it can’t be knocked.
Interesting fact – Pilea are in the Urticaceae family, the same as stinging nettles.
How to care for Pilea
Temperature: Warm/hot 15-24°C.
Allow topsoil to dry out between watering, use rain or distilled water if possible.
Needs humidity, mist regularly.
Brightly lit spot, but out of direct sunlight, east or west facing is idea.
Feed monthly from April to September.
Su Whale is a florist and freelance writer with over Thirty years' experience in the floristry industry. She is the author and publisher of three best-selling books: Cut Flowers, 4th edition (2020) Cut Foliage, 2nd Edition, (2021) and Houseplants (2019), all bookshelf essentials for the professional florist.
