Plant of the Month: January
Houseplants
In colder weather, keep your green fingers active by nurturing your houseplants. Many indoor plants look good all year round, even if they’re dormant until the spring. Houseplants bring natural beauty to your home and do a great job of softening the hard edges of walls and furniture. They range from tiny windowsill plants to larger ones that will fill an empty corner.
Aloe vera is known for its healing properties. It’s good to keep an aloe vera plant in the kitchen, as its cooling gel-like flesh can soothe minor burns. It’s happy on a windowsill this time of year. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.
The Christmas cactus has bright flowers in winter. Position it to enjoy indirect light, and like the aloe vera, allow the soil to dry out between waterings.
The peace lily has graceful white blooms and glossy leaves. It’s an air purifying plant. Keep the soil from drying out. It prefers indirect light but can tolerate full sun so long as it’s not too hot.
Houseplants are generally low maintenance through the winter. Here’s our handy guide to caring for them this time of year:
- Check they have enough water from week to week and avoid over-watering. If your home is hot and dry with low humidity, plants will dry out faster than in a cooler, more damp winter home.
- Avoid drafts and sudden temperature changes. Choose a spot where your houseplant can have gentle warmth without extremes of temperature.
- Snip off dead leaves and flowers to allow new growth.
- Avoid a build-up of dust because this affects a plant’s health by blocking sunlight and reducing its ability to take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through its leaves.
During the growing season of spring and summer, you can feed you indoor plants. Diluted plant food such as Baby Bio will promote healthy growth.
There’s 20% off the entire houseplant range for Garsons cardholders this month. Come and choose your favourites from the selection.
