How to choose the right indoor plants?
Whatever your desires and your constraints, you will always find an indoor plant that suits you. Our guide.
Indoor plants have become real decorative elements in just a few years . In addition to their decorative aspect, they have soothing and, for some, purifying properties . But if having a green house is nice, managing to keep your green plants alive is sometimes another matter, especially when our interior lacks light or when we don’t have time to take care of it . Discover all our advice for choosing the right plant for you according to your criteria and your constraints!
I have little light
Aglaonema (Aglaonema commutatum)
Ideal temperature: 20°C
Light: medium to low
Flowering time: not indoors
Pot size: 40 to 50 cm
It supports heating, air conditioning and rather dark rooms. Water it copiously in spring and summer (surface of the soil always moist). In winter, let it dry on the surface between two waterings. Give green plant fertilizer from April to August every 15 days. Dust the leaves with a damp sponge. Repot every 2 years, in the spring, with potting soil for green plants, in a pot that is wider than it is tall. Alternatives: schefflera, dieffenbachia.
I am often absent
Beaucarnéa or elephant foot (Beaucarnea recurvata)
Ideal temperature: 22 to 25° C
Light: intense
Flowering: not indoors
Pot size: 30 cm to 1.50 m in an apartment
Its thick and rough trunk, widened at the base, hides a reserve of water. At home, place it in a room facing south or southwest, but not in direct sunlight. Let the soil dry out on the first centimeters between two waterings. Add fertilizer once a month to the irrigation water. Repot every 3 to 4 years (no more!) in a heavy and stable container that is wider than it is tall. It appreciates a mixture of good quality potting soil and equal parts heather soil. Alternatives: ficus ginseng, pachira.
I don’t have a green thumb
Zamioculcas (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 25°C
Light: intense to weak
Flowering: not indoors
Pot size: 80 cm to 1.20 m
It’s a champion of longevity in all hands, green or not! It supports all exposures except direct sun. Wait for the soil to dry out by 2 cm before watering again. In winter, you can even let the entire root ball dry out between two waterings. Add a fertilizer for green plants every 15 days in the irrigation water. Repot it when new growth appears in the spring, every 2 to 3 years, with potting soil for green plants mixed with a big handful of coarse sand.
Alternatives: rubber, sansevieria.
I want an unusual plant
Medinilla (Medinilla magnifica)
Ideal temperature: 22 to 25°C
Light: intense
Flowering: spring
Size (in pot): 1 to 1.50 m
Everything about him surprises: its clusters of pink flowers, its large leaves (20 to 25 cm long), its quadrangular stems… It likes itself behind a south-facing bay window with curtains. Do not let its soil dry out between two waterings and spray its leaves regularly. Bring it fertilizer for flowering plants every 15 days. Repotting every two to three years, in a potting soil enriched with a handful of compost, is essential. Alternatives: mikado plant (syngonanthus chrysanthus), senecio rowleyanus, jatropha.
I have a cat
T he chlorophytum or phalanx (Chlorophytum comosum)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 25°C
Light: intense to medium
Flowering: summer
Height: 30 to 40 cm
Cats love to play with its long, hanging stems and chew on its ribbon leaves. She prefers bright rooms but knows how to adapt everywhere. Keep the substrate slightly moist at all times. Give green plant food weekly. Shower it from time to time to dust its leaves. Repot when the roots come out of the pot, in the spring, with compost for green plants, in a slightly larger pot. Alternatives: papyrus or cyperus.
I want flowers all the time
Anthurium (Anthurium)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 22°C
Light: intense to weak
Flowering: all year round
Size: (in pot): 30 to 80 cm
Small-flowered varieties are the most floriferous. It supports all exposures except direct sun. Let the soil dry out on the surface between 2 waterings. Add flower plant fertilizer every 3 weeks. Remove faded flowers regularly for continued blooming. When it becomes very large, its roots come out of the pot, divide it when repotting (in orchid soil) by cutting the plant in half. Alternatives: saintpaulia, spathiphyllum.
I like exotic atmospheres
Areca (Chrysalidocarpus or dypsis lutescens)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 25°C
Light: intense to medium
Flowering: not indoors
Size (in pot): 2 to 2.50 m
It is one of the palms that best adapts to our interiors. Place it near an east or west window but not in direct southern sun. Keep the potting soil always moist on the surface and place the pot on a tray of clay pebbles that are always moist. Add green plant food once a month. Repot it every two years in a soil enriched with a little compost. Alternatives chamadorea, kentia, dypsis lustecens.
I want a fragrant plant
Hoya or porcelain flower (Hoya carnosa)
Ideal temperature: 22 to 25°C
Light: intense
Flowering: summer
Size (in pot): 50 to 60 cm (trellised)
Its clusters of summer flowers give off a very pleasant fragrance. The brighter the room, the more abundant its flowering will be. From March to October, the soil must remain moist on the surface; in winter, let it dry out a few centimeters. Add flower plant food once a month. Cut the ends of the stems in the spring. Repot every 2 to 3 years, in the spring with a compost enriched with a handful of perlite. Alternate : gardenia.
I want colors
The croton (Codiaeum variegatum ‘Pictum’)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 25°C
Light: intense
Flowering: not indoors
Height: 60 cm to 2 m
Its scalloped, wavy, or cutout leaves come in a variety of colors. Place it in the light (without direct sunlight), away from drafts and temperature differences. Mist it often and keep its soil slightly moist at all times. Give green plant fertilizer (half dose) every 15 days. Repot every 2 years, in the spring, with a mixture of soil for green plants (1/2), rose soil (1/4) and coarse sand (1/4). Alternatives cordyline, calathea and marantha, purple philodendron.
I want a plant for my bathroom
The Hawaiian palm tree (Brighamia insignis)
Ideal temperature: 20 to 22°C
Light: intense
Flowering season: autumn/winter
Height: 50 cm
With its honey-scented flowers, it thrives in humid and warm environments. This is perfect for a bathroom with a well-oriented window (south – west or west). He likes to spend the summer outside. Let the soil dry out over a few centimeters between two waterings and add fertilizer for green plants every 15 days. Repot it every 2 years in potting soil for cacti. Alternatives: capillary, davallia rabbit’s foot.
I want an orchid
Cambria (Odontoglossum )
Ideal temperature: 20 to 25°C
Light: medium
Flowering: all year round
Size (in pot): 60 to 80 cm
Dare this orchid as easy as the phalaenopsis if it enjoys cool nights (around 15°C). His best place? A bay window facing east or west. Do not let its substrate dry out. From the appearance of new shoots to the end of flowering, add fertilizer for orchids, every other watering. Every year, in late spring or autumn, repot in a mixture of 60% of pine bark, 20% sphagnum moss and 20% clay pebbles. Alternatives phalaenopsis, zygopetalum, prostechea.
4 misconceptions about green plants
1. A pot with a water reserve is better
Provided you use it well. It is imperative to leave the water reserve empty for a few days between two fillings. Otherwise the roots may rot.
2. Fertilizer is all year round
Especially not during the winter months (light is insufficient) for most plants. It would cause excessive growth harmful to their health. Fertilize between March/April and September unless otherwise specified.
3. Repotting is when you want
Not at all, but rather when the plant feels cramped in its container: the roots have invaded the entire pot, it blooms less… Preferably operate during the growth period to the plant (spring).
4. Green plants are for old people
But no! They are super trendy even among the youngest. In suspension , in a terrarium , in XXL version… We bet on original plants (why not carnivores) or when we do not want to take care of them, on succulents which take up little space.
