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Perhaps,
the most striking first impression that customers get when
they come to Hennessy’s for the first time is from
our houseplant room.
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Our houseplants are
not treated like an afterthought. We give the section all the attention
it deserves, and besides stocking all the old and much loved favourites,
if we can find something new or different we’ll go out of our
way to bring it to you.
The charm of houseplants
is universal. The fact is that everyone can grow the popular varieties,
while many of the more unusual varieties are no more difficult to
keep looking attractive. If your fingers are ‘black’ rather
than ‘green’ and everything dies as soon as you get in
your front door then something basic is wrong and can be fixed easily.
Get the ‘Golden Rules’ right and anyone can grow
exciting indoor displays.
Golden Rules
- Don’t drown them –
the most common cause of failure when it comes to indoor plants.
Don’t leave them constantly soaking in a saucer full of
water. For most plants, water thoroughly and frequently between
spring and autumn, then sparingly in winter.
- Choose wisely – there are
shade-lovers and plants for bright sunny positions. The plant
must be able to flourish in the home you provide for it.
- Provide humidity – It might
come as a surprise but in general plants need less heat and
more moist air than they are usually given. Central heating
in the depths of winter can produce air with the Relative Humidity
of a desert. Some rooms such as the bathroom or kitchen will
have moist air, but the living room atmosphere will be dry.
Misting the foliage with a hand mister increases humidity,
has a cooling effect in summer, and reduces pests and the dust
deposit on leaves.
- Give them the food they need
– it is generally agreed that the most effective way to
feed plants in pots is to use a liquid fertiliser, such as Baby
Bio. Watering and feeding are carried out as a single operation.
Pushing a feeding stick into the compost is certainly labour-saving,
but it is not ideal, as the nutrients are concentrated in one
area, promoting somewhat uneven root development.
- Nearly all plants need a rest
in winter, which means reduced watering and feeding than in
the growing season.
- A specimen plant should be interesting
because of its flowers, foliage or shape. Run of the mill plants
are best grown in groups.
The Room-by-Room
Guide:
- Living Room – where
most houseplants in the average home are found. It is a moderately
good home for most plants, the light level is usually good,
but central heating in winter creates two problems – dry
air and too much warmth in winter. There are literally hundreds
of plants to choose from.
- Kitchen – another
very popular place, and is one of the best rooms for plants.
It is often a bright room with plenty of moist air. Watch out
for draughts (opening and closing of outside doors) and hot
spots (close to toasters, cookers etc.).
- Bathroom – a warm
bathroom with a large window is the best room in the house for
growing plants, especially the more beautiful varieties from
humid climates. You are only limited by space, as to what plants,
can be grown.
- Hall – the hall
is where first impressions are created. If your hall is large,
well-lit and heated in winter it is the place for something
big and bold. Unfortunately most halls are poorly lit, subject
to draughts and are cold at night. Perhaps more than any other
room in the house, choosing a plant for this type of hall has
to be done carefully. There are several options, but the type
of plant selected should be ‘easy’ to care for. Yucca,
Sanseveria, Fatsia and Aspidistra would all be good
choices for a ‘difficult’ hallway’.
- Bedroom – the least
popular room in the house for displaying house plants. Don’t
let this put you off though because the conditions prevalent
in most bedrooms are excellent for growing plants. It is probably
best to go for one or two really eye-catching specimens rather
than the more common plants found elsewhere in the house. Houseplants
in the bedroom are not unhealthy.
- Conservatory/Garden Room
– this is not
the place to stock with common, everyday houseplants.
This is the place to grow beauties such as Medinilla, Datura,
Bougainvillaea, Citrus, Gardenia, Stephanotis, Orchids, Allamanda,
Clianthus, Clivia and Dicksonia. The plants you choose
will be determined by the amount of heat provided in winter.
There are other important physical elements that need consideration
for a successful Conservatory/Garden Room: good ventilation
in summer and some shade from the hot summer sun.
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