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Indoor Plants
They haven't enjoyed the popularity in recent years that they have in times past, but maybe it's time to rediscover the not-so-humble houseplant? With recent plant introductions and advances in pot design, watering systems, potting mixes and fertilisers, growing indoor plants should be easier than ever.
What better way to introduce life and colour to the cavernous, bland and sterile interiors of contemporary homes? Don't forget that the pot itself can also be a decorative element. Apart from looking good, plants can have benefits to health and wellbeing, too. [continued below]
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Where to buy indoor plants and accessories
Most garden centres will carry a good range of plants suitable for indoor use. However, you may have to seek out tropical plant specialists or mail order suppliers for some of the more unusual species.
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MOISTURE MATIC®
moisturematic.com.au
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Are you a pot plant killer? Getting the watering right is one of the keys to lush, healthy indoor plants. Moisture Matic® pot watering devices were developed to make that easier.
Simply insert the probe into the potting mix (Australian Standard recommended) and fill the reservoir with clean tap water. The unique SPONGEWICKTM technology delivers a continual supply of moisture without sogginess. It also reduces nutrient leaching and mess from spillage and overflow.
"Self-watering" containers can be expensive, and might not suit your decor. With Moisture Matic®, you can quickly & easily convert plain pots and planters you already own (with rims up to 3cm) into self-watering containers.
Moisture Matic® is designed primarily for use with indoor plants, but can be used to provide supplemental watering to potted plants outdoors including vegetables and herbs.
Learn more or order online at moisturematic.com.au
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GARDEN GALAH PLANT NURSERY
Queensland
gardengalah.com.au
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Garden Galah Plant Nursery is an easy and affordable way to buy plants online, posted throughout Australia (except WA and Tas) and guaranteed to arrive in great condition or we will resend. For remote customers including NT, express post at no extra cost.
Wide variety of plants: tropicals, succulents, natives, trees, hedging shrubs and flowering shrubs, climbers, groundcovers, achitectural plants and edibles. Indoor plants, azaleas, callistemons.
Garden Galah Plant Nursery is all about fun in the garden, great plants and looking after our amazing country and wildlife. The WEBSITE includes a section especially for kids, as well as a garden blog, and the current range of plants and specials.
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NATIONAL TROPICAL PLANTS
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National Tropical Plants is a Queensland-based online nursery specialising in plants for the tropics and subtropics.
Natives and exotics, edibles and ornamentals, beautiful flowering shrubs and lush tropical foliage plants, old favourites and the rare and unusual are on offer.
Range includes plants such as palms, cycads, cordylines, succulents, bougainvilleas, hibiscus, oleanders in many colours and a selection of azaleas suitable for warm climates (subject to availablility).
Ever thought about growing your own coconuts? Edibles include a range of dwarf coconuts varieties.
To check the current range, participate in the online forum, sign up for the newsletter or to place an order, visit the National Tropical Plants WEBSITE
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If you sell indoor plants, specialised products for growing pot plants or indoor plant hire services to the public in Qld, you can advertise on this page. Information for advertisers
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Plants for Growing Indoors
The following list is not comprehensive. It will be added to over time. It concentrates on plants suitable for use indoors, although many of the following plants are also used outdoors in frost-free Qld.
This list doesn't include species popular for as potplants outdoors in Queensland (e.g. mandevilla, cordylines, bougainvillea). For more on container gardening on balconies, patios and in the open garden, see Container Gardening in Qld. Note that in some publications from colder climates, such plants may be cultivated "indoors" in glasshouses or conservatories.
General Information
The majority of plants commonly used indoors can also be grown outdoors in frost-free parts of Queensland in suitably shaded positions such as covered patios, bush houses and as an understory in tropical gardens. If trying to grow under trees, however, you'll have the problem of tree root competition and in some cases you may find keeping the plants in containers in these situations more successful than trying to establish them in the ground.
Most species used as houseplants naturally come from low-light environments, like rainforests. Most are grown for their foliage. Those grown for flowers are more chalenging as they generally require more light, but you need to find just the right spot. If they recive too much sun behind glass, they may burn, overheat or dry out. An alternative, if you have a bush house or other suitable area available, is to cultivate the plants outdoors and just bring them inside for decoartion when they're in flower.
Growing edible plants indoors is an even greater challenge, as most require a lot of light to produce a harvest. (Remember that human eyes adjust to light and what looks like a well-lit room to us might be very dim far as a plant is concerned.). It's technically possible to provide supplemental electric lighting with special bulbs (the wavelength as well as the intensity of light being important) but you would have to consider whether the resultant power bill would make it worthwhile.
If you want to have a go with edible plants, try starting with salad greens or herbs. Neither require flowering and fruiting to produce a useful product. Herbs vary in light and heat tolerance and there are many to choose to suit the position.
Other options for edibles include starting seeds off indoors before planting in the garden. This can save space and help you get a head start in spring, but take care that they receive enough light and are hardened off sufficiently. For more on this topic, go to Seeds and seed raising.
General Information - Links
Greener is healthier 2002 Media release from University of Technology, Sydney, describing research on effects of indoor pot plants on air quality
More information to come in future updates
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NEWS: Ferns fight formaldehyde
It has been known for some years that indoor plants can combat the effects of inddor air pollution. Scientists from Korea and USA have tested the ability of 86 diverse species of plants to remove volatile formaldehyde (which can be emitted from modern furnishings and other sources). They found that, as a class, the ferns were the most efficient, with Osmunda japonica (Japanese royal fern) coming in first amongst all 86 tested. Media release, including link to the original American Society for Horticultural Science article, here: Study of phytoremediation benefits of 86 indoor plants published (June 2011)
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