I love all plants, but I especially love indoor plants
and I love coming to a nursery,
because you have your pick of the crop.
There's so much green bling on offer.
And our eyes are often drawn to the prettiest, shiniest things,
but when we take them home,
unfortunately we often kill them.
So, to keep the relationship growing over the long term,
it helps to think about a few basic things,
like the space you've got, the light, the soil,
when to water, and what plants to pick.
A good rule of thumb when choosing indoor plants
is to choose based on how much time you can commit.
If you're time-poor,
then there are lots of great varieties that you can choose
that will fit in with you and your schedule,
like this hoya here, or the common wax flower.
It's a trailing evergreen climber,
which means that if you give it support, it will climb,
otherwise it will spill over the sides of a hanging basket.
And I love the foliage of Peperomia obtusifolia.
It's a bit of a mouthful,
but it's got these gorgeous variegated leaves,
but you can also get just plain green varieties too.
One of my favourite plants is the homalomena.
It has these beautiful heart-shaped leaves
that are deeply veined.
Put it in a pot on your desk
or put it on the floor and it will look perfect.
Another favourite easy-care plant of mine
is the dieffenbachia.
It has these large, lush leaves,
beautifully patterned as well.
If you really want impact, then go for a monstera.
It has these large leaves with these fenestrations,
these holes in the leaves.
And they just make such a statement in your home.
So, those are some of the really easy-care plants.
But now let's look at some that require a little more TLC.
Rex begonias are showstoppers.
One of my personal favourites
is the Begonia 'Escargot'.
It looks like a snail
and the leaves and the stems
shimmer in the sunlight.
Everyone makes a beeline for these plants at the local nursery.
But they can be a little bit on the high-maintenance side.
They love high humidity.
And people tend to overwater as well.
To create a high-humidity environment,
you can group them together like this,
and this creates a lovely, lush microclimate that they can thrive in,
or else you can invest in a humidifier.
Fiddle-leaf figs are so popular,
much loved for their large, leathery leaves
and beautiful venations.
But they can be a bit temperamental,
and when you get them home, they can drop their leaves like that,
and you end up with a sad-looking stick.
All you need to do is make sure you give them the right environment.
They need lots of bright light.
Direct morning sun is OK,
but definitely not the afternoon sun.
And make sure you only water when the soil is near dry.
One of the most common things that people do with all indoor plants
is overwater.
That's the biggest killer.
If it's damp, leave it alone.
And there's an easy way to tell if it needs water.
Just simply insert your finger into the potting mix.
So, it's a bit dry
and needs a good water.
When watering, make sure
that it runs through the bottom of the drainage holes.
That's how you know you've given it a good drink.
Your pot plants are not just relying on you for water.
It all starts with the soil.
As a minimum for all your indoor plants,
I recommend a premium potting mix.
As for your aroids, like this scindapsus here,
I recommend making up your own mix.
Aroids are one of the largest and most diverse plant families,
and many of them are your common house plants,
like aglaonema,
philodendron, and monstera.
Aroids really love moist but well-draining soil.
We have four parts of dampened perlite,
great for aeration and drainage,
four parts orchid bark, also great for drainage,
one part compost, which is great for organic matter,
one part coco peat,
which will hold moisture, which they really love,
and one part horticultural charcoal.
This helps sweeten the soil and helps with drainage too.
Check the Gardening Australia website
for more specialised mixes you can make yourself.
And, of course, all plants need sunlight,
so you need to take into account the different light zones at your place.
Most house plants are happy in bright, indirect light,
like this Philodendron 'Brasil'.
This is one of my favourite plants.
The brighter light you can give it,
the brighter the variegation will be.
You can put it in a hanging basket
and allow the leaves to cascade over the side,
or you can put it near a wall
and use little hooks so the vines can climb.
It's a really versatile plant. I love it.
For hotspots that get direct sun, try crotons.
They have gorgeous tropical-style foliage
that could be speckled or splashed with lots of colour.
For areas at home with low light,
my favourites are the cast-iron plant,
for its elegant dark-green leaves,
and dracaena, 'cause it looks like a little tree
with a crown of green and gold foliage.
And the other thing you can do
if sunshine is in short supply at your place -
try having a go with artificial lights.
I brought my lamp stand here from home.
This is what I use.
And while these lights are great for reading,
they're not so much great for growing your plants.
What you need is a full-spectrum light,
one that has all the colours of the rainbow
and mimics daylight.
And, really, you can experiment with
lots of different artificial lighting.
This one here, it's got a red light,
and red light is great for flowering.
You can also find ones with a blue light,
and blue light helps promote vegetative growth.
When using your lights, consider the distance.
You want to keep it about 40-50cm away from the light source.
Otherwise, if it's too close, you risk burning the leaves.
And there's no benefit to leaving your lights on 24/7,
because like us, plants kind of have a circadian rhythm,
so they need night-time to rest.
So make sure you turn your light off at night.
At the end of the day, it's about providing
a little bit of TLC to your plants but getting a lot back in return.
Plants are so good for our wellbeing, so have fun growing.