You’ve got to love this leaf. The golden hue of neon philodendron’s heart-shaped foliage makes it a stand out addition to your home’s décor. Additionally, those bright leaves mean that your Neon will work well in a variety of light and with minimum fuss.

Here are some guidelines when cultivating your Neon Philodendron.

Light: While her golden-lime leaves tolerate lower light than other philodendrons, brighter light will reward you will more baby leaves during the growing season, which are even more beautiful (if you can imagine that) with a blush/golden color. No direct sunlight, however, or those leaves will burn.

Water: Neon likes deep drinks of water, so drench the soil and then let it dry out. When the top two or three inches of soil dry out, give Neon another good soak – although you can let your plant dry out almost completely between waterings during the winter.

Soil: A good, fast-draining soil is best. You don’t want your plant sitting in water.

Humidity: Another area where this plant is easy-peasy is its humidity requirements. However, Neon is a plant native to tropical Brazil, so it does slightly better with more humidity and will probably give you larger leaves. Consider periodic misting, which will also help you clean off any dust on your plant.

Fertilizer: You can feed your Neon while it’s growing, but scale back during the winter.

Are you seeing spots? You might very well be looking at Hypoestes, better known as the polka dot plant.

It’s freckly decorative leaves make this a popular outdoor ornamental plant, but it’s vivid oval variegated foliage, in either green and white or green and pink, can also be cultivated as a houseplant.

Even better, it’s easy to propagate your Hypoestes. They get small flowers that will produce seeds that you can germinate in warm moist soil, but the easiest method for propagation is from plant cuttings. Dip your cuttings in rooting hormone and place in peat moss.

Caring for Your Hypoestes

Your freckle-faced plant gets its best color when it is in a low light situation, but you may have to deal with canes of the plant getting “leggy” as they search for light. Indirect bright sunlight is the best for this plant.

Hypoestes does not like the cold and needs temperatures of at least 60 degrees. They like well-drained but moist soil and should be fed once a month.

Probably the easiest of the ficus plant species to grow, ficus triangularis (or triangle fig) offers all the beauty of most ficus plants, but it’s the least fussy. This makes it a perfect plant for beginners.

The name comes from the plant’s triangle-shaped leaves that are typically variegated with dark, waxy green centers morphing into cream-colored soft edges. This striking combination makes this plant a highly decorative addition to your indoor decor.

The plant grows slowly, but can reach heights of four to eight feet, so the cute centerpiece on your table today could eventually grow into a nice floor plant with time.

Caring for Your Triangle Fig

Soil: Ficus triangularis requires a rich, well-draining potting mix.

Water: The triangle fig likes deep watering and then being able to dry out before being watered again. Wait until the top third of the plant’s soil is dry before watering. Do not allow your ficus to sit in standing water.

Light: Bright, indirect light year-round is perfect for this plant. If you find that your plant is dropping leaves or losing its variegation, it’s likely it’s not getting enough light.

Fertilizer: Feed once a month from spring through fall and refrain from feeding during the winter.

A relative newcomer to the houseplant scene, Geogenanthus ciliatrius (or “Geo” for short), is a stunner originally from the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru. Until recently, it was relatively hard to come by, but last year Geo became the “it” plant, getting a lot of press in articles with headlines like “The 12 Coolest New Houseplants of 2022.”

It’s easy to see what the buzz is about.

The plant has large, shiny oval-shaped leaves that are so dark they almost appear black (typically, they start out green with a purple stripe and as they age the purple takes over and grows deeper and deeper in color).

But they are a bit tricky to cultivate. They prefer low-light areas, so don’t stick them on a windowsill or in a bright room. As befits their rainforest beginnings, they like their soil moist and their air humid. Let the top inch of soil dry out and then completely drench the plant when you water. Geo will quickly decline if its soil gets too dry. Use an evaporation tray to provide the humid air it craves.

You can feed your plant during the spring and summer, but not when it isn’t actively growing. In fact, over-fertilizing can do more harm than good.

Finally, “listen” to your Geo, because it will let you know when it needs some tender care. Curling or limp leaves? Probably your plant’s soil is too dry. Brown leaf edges? Geo is telling you it needs more humidity. Brown spots are usually caused by your plant being hit with direct sunlight.

Lastly, those large lovely leaves can get dusty, and this not only diminishes the look of the plant, it can also interfere with its biological functions. Rinse the plant off or wipe the leaves with a clean cloth periodically to keep your Geo healthy and looking beautiful.

Although you typically see European Cypress outside, with their tall columns of dense blue green conifer leaves, it is possible to grow this plant as a houseplant.

Despite names that link it with the European continent (it’s also commonly known as an Italian or Mediterranean Cypress), the tree’s roots are firmly in Persia – modern day Iran. You can, however, find this cypress growing wild in places like Greece, Turkey and Israel.

The dwarf version of the European Cypress does very well as a container plant, but you’ll need to replicate some of the conditions it would get if it was planted outside in your garden.

That means a picking a sunny location in your home with at least six hours of brightness and good air circulation.

European Cypress will tolerate almost any type of soil, but your pot should have good drainage to prevent root rot. You want to keep the soil moist, but not heavily saturated. Don’t let the soil dry out completely.

Your plant would also appreciate a misting about once a month.

Keep your European Cypress happy and you can have the joy of bringing the beauty of the outdoors right into your home.

With St. Patrick’s Day arriving in a few weeks, we thought we’d turn our attention to what’s often called the Shamrock houseplant – but in truth is the woodsorrel known as Oxalis.

Boasting hundreds of varieties, you’ll usually see oxalis with green or purple clover-like leaves.

They are also a relatively easy houseplant to cultivate. There is one very important thing to keep in mind however: these plants tend to go into dormancy during the summer. Don’t throw them out! They’re resting, not dead.

Caring for Your Oxalis

Soil/Watering: Your Oxalis would like lightly moist soil and make sure to let it dry out between waterings.

Light/Temperature: Room temperature and good air circulation are perfect for the oxalis. It likes bright, but not direct light. (Except when it’s resting, as we’ll explain below.)

Food: Fertilize with a balanced houseplant food every few months.

I’m not dead, I’m resting: In late spring or early summer, the leaves will begin to die, but the plant is still okay. It’s just going into its period of dormancy to rest. Move the plant to a cooler, darker location, away from direct light and leave it alone – no water or fertilizer.  Just check on your plant every couple of weeks; dormancy can last from several weeks up to about three months, depending on the plant and external conditions.

When you see new shoots, your oxalis has woken up and would love it if you moved it back into the light and resumed regular care.

There’s something very romantic about cyclamen, one of our favorite winter houseplants.

Maybe it’s the petite blooms on long stems that stretch up above its green and silver foliage. Or the colors – cyclamen flowers come in shades of pink, violet, red and white and have a pleasing, sweet scent. Or those heart-shaped leaves.

All we know is that during Valentine’s Week, we can’t keep them in stock!

We mention that they are our favorite winter houseplant, because unlike most indoor plants, their dormancy period is in the summer. Cyclamen are “tuberous perennials,” meaning they die down to their thick roots (tubers) in the heat of summer, then re-emerge and bloom again as the temperatures cool in fall.

Here are some tips for cyclamen care:

Light: Bright and indirect light in winter when the plant is actively growing. When dormant, keep your cyclamen in a cool, dark area with good ventilation.

Soil: These pretty plants like organically rich soil that drains well. Potting soil does well, but you might want to add some peat in to increase the acidity slightly.

Water: When leaves are present, the plant is actively growing and you should water when the first inch of soil below the surface feels dry. Do not overwater! It’s a common way to kill these plants. Don’t get the leaves or crown of the plant wet, which can lead to rot.

When the plant is dormant during the summer, reduce watering. All you are trying to do during this time is prevent the soil from entirely drying out.

Temperature and Humidity – Cyclamen plants don’t like extreme heat or dry air. Keep them away from drafts too. During the winter, when our air is so dry, cyclamen really want high humidity. Our suggestion would be keeping your cyclamen on a tray with pebbles and water. Just make sure that it isn’t sitting in the water, as that can cause root rot.

Feeding Time – Your cyclamen would appreciate some diluted liquid low-nitrogen fertilizer every couple of weeks while in full leaf. You don’t need to feed your cyclamen while it’s dormant.