Peperomias are tropical plants from the pepper family that are popular as indoor plants because they are easy to take care of and come in an almost endless array of colors and varieties.

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance addition to your indoor jungle, consider the Peperomia emarginella ‘Ecuador,’ also known as the Ecuador Peperomia, Andean Peperomia, or Sulcata Plant. This beauty hails from the tropical highlands of Ecuador and brings with it all the lush appeal of its native habitat.

The ‘Ecuador’ is beloved for its compact size – perfect for desktops, shelves, or small plant displays – and its striking deep green foliage, edged with a lighter green hue that creates a subtle contrast. It also trails beautifully, making it perfect for a plant hanger or placed on a ledge where its leaves can gracefully cascade down.

Like most Peperomia variants, Ecuador prefers bright, indirect light. You’ll want to let your plant dry out between waterings, and you can err on the side of underwatering your plant. As a semi-succulent, its leaves retain water, so it will survive a missed watering or two. But Peperomias are quite susceptible to root rot, so overwatering can be a problem.

Because of this tendency towards root rot, you’ll want to plant your Peperomia in a pot with good drainage and use a light, well-draining soil for your plant. 

If you’re looking for a unique and versatile houseplant, Muehlenbeckia, often called the Creeping Wire Vine, is a great choice. With its thin, wiry stems and small round leaves, this plant adds an airy, whimsical texture to any indoor garden.

This native of New Zealand is considered a divaricate, which means branching and very accurately describes how this plant grows. Its slender stems interlace and will “creep’ over other objects – including other plants! This makes it perfect for hanging planters or growing up a trellis. You can even train it to grow over a wire frame to create an indoor topiary.

How to Keep Your Wire Vine Happy

Light – Indoors, this plant prefers bright, indirect light.

Water – Keep your plant moist and water thoroughly when the first inch of soil become dry.

Soil – This plant need well-draining soil.

Peperomia comes in almost endless colors and varieties, and one of the most vibrant is Peperomia Caperata or the Red Luna Ripple Plant. It’s heart-shaped leaves are deeply corrugated and have a striking burgundy color.

Caring for this plant, which is native to Brazil, is relatively easy, but requires you to mimic its natural tropical environment.

Light: Red Luna prefers bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight to prevent scorching its leaves, but make sure it gets enough light to maintain its vibrant color.

Water: Water when the first inch of so of the soil feels dry.

Soil: A well-draining soil mix will prevent Peperomia’s roots from being waterlogged.

Temperature & Humidity: This plant likes warmth and moisture, so in our dry climate a pebble tray with water or a humidifier is advisable. Protect your plant from drafts and cold temperatures.

Fertilization: Feed with a diluted, balanced liquid fertilizer once a month during growing season in the spring and summer. In the fall and winter, there’s no need to fertilize.

The Tractor Seat Plant is the common nickname for Farfugium japonicum and one look at those glossy, large leaves will tell you why; they have more than a passing resemblance to the curved metal seats you’d find on a vintage tractor!

Native to Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, the Tractor Seat Plant is ideal for lower-light spaces and adds instant flair to your home with those dramatic leaves.

Here’s how to care for your tractor seat plant:

Light: This plant is native to shady habitats in East Asia, so it does well in low-light situations, but it also thrives in bright, indirect light. Direct late afternoon sun, however, will wilt those gorgeous leaves.

Water: Keep the soil moist but never soggy. Let the top inch of soil dry slightly between waterings. High humidity is appreciated, so try a pebble tray or room humidifier.

Potting & Soil: Use a rich, well-draining potting mix and a container with drainage holes. These plants love organic matter—mix in a little compost for an extra boost.

Feeding: Fertilize monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer. No feeding needed in winter.

Care: Remove yellowing leaves as needed and watch for slugs or spider mites. Repot every few years or divide the plant if it becomes root-bound.

If you’re looking for a houseplant that brings a little height and a little elegance, look no further than the Ming aralia (Polyscias fruticosa). Native to India and Polynesia, this tropical beauty is known for its fluffy, fern-like foliage and upright growth – sometimes reaching over 6 feet tall indoors with the right care.

And while it has a reputation for being a tad temperamental, a few simple tricks will keep your Ming aralia thriving and happy.

Light: Bright, indirect light is ideal. A few hours of gentle morning sun is fine, but avoid harsh afternoon rays, which can scorch its delicate leaves.

Soil: Choose a well-draining potting mix. Clay or terra-cotta pots help wick away extra moisture.

Water: Keep the soil lightly moist, allowing it to dry out slightly between waterings. Weekly watering usually works, though cut back in winter.

Humidity & Temperature: Warm and humid is the way to go as cold air and dry conditions can lead to leaf drop. (A pebble tray or humidifier can help).

Fertilizer: Feed monthly in spring through fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Yellowing or dropping leaves? Ming might be hungry.

Dracaena, the “dragon” plant, has many varieties, and the Song of India is one of the most beautiful.

With lance-like leaves of bright green edged in a creamy yellow, the Song of India has tropical glamour, but is very easy to maintain.  

This plant requires requires bright, indirect sunlight for several hours a day, which will keep the foliage vibrant. However, too much sun can cause leaf scorch, so avoid direct sunlight.

Song of India is not very particular about its soil, but a well-drained potting mix is best. Water your plant often enough to keep its soil moist, but not soaked. Avoid overwatering this plant as it is susceptible to root rot. (You might want to use purified or bottled water instead of tap, as dracaena plants are sensitive to fluoride).

Because this is a plant native to the warm climate of the Indian Ocean, it doesn’t tolerate cold well, so keep it away from drafty areas and vents.

Looking for a plant that brings both color and character to your indoor jungle? Meet the newest member of the Peperomia family, Peperomia albovittata. This cutie is compact, eye-catching, and surprisingly easy to care for.

Like most peperomias, this plant started off in the jungles of Ecuador, although this specific cultivar was developed in the Netherlands. As an epiphyte, it naturally grows on trees or other surfaces, absorbing moisture and nutrients from the air and rain. Like others in the Peperomia genus – a group with hundreds of diverse species – this variety boasts unique foliage with distinct care preferences.

The deep green leaves with silver striping and red to burgundy undersides make this peperomia a standout on any plant shelf. Its compact size and slow growth habit make it ideal for small spaces, desks, or grouped with other houseplants for an eye-catching display.

Care Guide for Peperomia albovittata

Light – Thrives in bright, indirect light, but can actually adapt to medium light as well (it might grow a little slower though and its unique markings might not be so vivid).

Water – This is a semi-succulent, so does not need as much watering as other houseplants. Let about half the soil dry out before giving it a big drink. But be careful not to overwater and make sure you use an airy, well-draining soil mix. Ensure your pot has proper drainage holes to prevent root rot.

Fertilizer – Feed your peperomia with a well-balanced fertilizer once to twice a month during the spring and summer.

Although it is more commonly a fabulous fragrant shrub in your garden, it is possible to cultivate Gardenias as an indoor plant. But regardless of whether you have it inside or outside your home, this beauty requires a little bit of protective behavior on your part.

Why? Because Gardenias tend to be susceptible to all manners of pests. But if you can manage that (and it really isn’t that hard), it’s certainly worth it.

With it’s dark waxy leaves and snow white flower, Gardenias are handsome houseplants, but let’s face it – it’s that phenomenal perfume that is their real calling card. Which is part of what makes them such fabulous indoor plants; imagine being able to move them around to wherever you are so you can enjoy that captivating scent?

Caring for Your Gardenia

Let’s get the basics done before we talk about pests:

• Light: Gardenias love bright light, but avoid direct sunlight, especially during summer.
• Water: Keep your Gardenia moist, but reduce watering in the winter.
• Temperature: They love their heat. Please no indoor temps lower than 60 degrees. Keep out of the way of cold drafts.
• Soil: Most potting soils will do, but know that Gardenias prefer slightly acidic soil, so a non-alkaline mix is best.
• Fertilizer: Feed every couple of weeks with a non-alkaline fertilizer. If you want to lower the pH level in the soil, a teaspoon of agricultural sulfur will do the trick.

Okay, now about those pests. Mealybugs can be a problem, but what you really want to avoid is aphids, those nasty suckers that cluster below the leaves. Not only are they awful by themselves, they can also cause a secondary blight called sooty mold, which turns the leaves black. That in itself won’t kill the plant, but it keeps the plant from being able to absorb sunlight through its leaves, which in turns inhibits photosynthesis.

Fortunately, sooty mold is caused by the honeydew excreted by aphids, so if you control the aphids, you prevent sooty mold. Your best bet is neem oil. It will kill some pests, like mealybugs, on contact. It also attacks the larvae of other insects and repels pests feeding on plants because it has a bitter taste.

Repotting Your Gardenia

You should repot your gardenia every couple of years in the spring. If it isn’t as healthy as it had been, but you find no insects or diseases, it usually indicates that it needs to be repotted. Again, use a low-pH (non-alkaline) soil.

Maidenhair Ferns are one of the many subspecies of the genus Adiantum, which means “unwetted,” a reference to the plant’s delicate, fan-like leaves, which naturally repel water.

It’s kind of ironic, however, because if Maidenhair Ferns love anything, it’s their moisture.  They thrive when they have moist (but not soggy) soil, moist air and a high level of humidity in their space.

So how to keep a Maidenhair Fern happy in high and dry northern Arizona? 

• First of all, keep it in a spot with indirect sunlight. Naturally, these plants are found in forests, where they are covered by a canopy of trees. Direct sunlight will fry those delicate leaves. 
• Also keep it away from heating or cooling vents in your house, which could dry it out.
• Check on it every day or every other day to make sure the soil is moist. You do not want it to dry out. In fact, you might want to incorporate something like moss into the soil to help it retain water.
• If daily misting is something you can’t do, consider setting your plant on a water-filled pebble tray.

You’ll be rewarded with a plant that is beautiful in all stages with its grey-green leaves providing a graceful addition to your home.

Some other things to keep in mind is that this is a slow-growing plant; most don’t reach full maturity until two or three years. Also, don’t panic when your plant’s fronds die. New ones will emerge to take their place – it’s a normal part of the process.

The Philodendron ‘Brandi’ – a shortening of its scientific name Philodendron Brandtianum – is also known as the Silver Leaf Philodendron, thanks to its heart-shaped leaves that are distinctly dominated by white or silver variegation.

This philodendron is a climber – in its native South America its an epiphyte that is found hugging trees – and as a houseplant it works well as a potted plant or a hanging plant. Either way, it will grow about four to five feet quite quickly.

Caring for Your Philodendron Brandi

• Light: The philodendron brandi enjoys bright, indirect light.
• Water: Give your plant a good drink of water when the first couple of inches of soil are dry.
• Humidity: Like most philodendrons, this plant prefers warm and humid conditions. In low humidity northern Arizona, it’s a good idea to use a pebble tray.
• Soil: Well-draining soil is essential for this plant to avoid root rot.
• Fertilizer: While this plant doesn’t necessarily require feeding, a well-balanced indoor plant fertilizer during the spring and summer growing season will help with leaf development and overall growth.