Many succulents make interesting houseplants. If you want something easy to grow with an interesting name, try elephant bush. This South African native is a favorite food of pachyderms that can grow up to 15 feet tall, but it also adapts readily to container culture. Learn more about Portulacaria afra in this article….
Boston fern is a selection of tropical sword fern that has been used as an ornamental since Victorian times. Readily adaptable to growing in containers, it is a natural in hanging baskets and in elevated containers as a houseplant, but also can be used as a seasonal foliage plant in the garden. To learn more about Boston fern, read this article…
Amaryllis bulbs make wonderful holiday gifts and are a welcome sight during a long cold winter with their large, colorful long-lasting flowers. If you can provide the right conditions, it’s not hard to maintain the plants after flowering in order to get them to rebloom the following year. To learn more about these bulbs, read this article…
Colorful flowers are always welcome indoors in the winter. Cyclamen persicum is a tender plant that is grown as a houseplant for its bright white, pink or red flowers that can bloom for months. It may be difficult to provide the right conditions to get this plant to rebloom, however. To learn more about what cyclamen needs to thrive, read this article…
If you want to grow something a little different, with grassy foliage and relatively large flowers, consider pink rain lily. This tender bulb gets its common name from the color of the flowers that burst into bloom after a good rain. Easy to grow in containers, it makes a good summer patio plant or a year-round houseplant. Learn more in this article…
Amy Gibbs* and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant Pathology Revised: 5/11/2010 Item number: XHT1035 What are orchids? Orchids belong to the orchid family (Orchidaceae) and are exotic plants grown for their beautiful, showy, and long lasting flowers. Although most species of orchids are epiphytic (i.e., naturally grow on trees or other plants), some grow on rocks […]
Amy Gibbs* and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant PathologyRevised: 4/26/2010Item number: XHT1034 What are African violets? African violets (Saintpaulia spp.) are popular flowering houseplants in the Gesneriad family (Gesneriaceae), native to Tanzania in East Africa. Their compact forms make them ideal for use on tabletops, windowsills, and hanging baskets. There are many varieties of African violets, […]
If you want a tropical look in your garden, just add elephant ears! Lots of new ornamental cultivars of these tender perennials – that are frequently grown as annuals here in the Midwest – have been developed in recent years. To learn more about this group of plants with large, heart-shaped leaves, read this article…
Tricolor is a stunning plant with dramatic variegated foliage with different colors on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Although it is a tender tropical, it can be grown in the Midwest as a seasonal annual to add interest in beds or containers, or year-round as a houseplant. To learn more about Stromanthe sanguinea, read this article…
Tender succulent plants can provide architectural interest as temporary elements in the landscape outdoors in the summer and moved indoors for the winter. Flapjacks offers bold texture in its paddle-shaped leaves and often dramatic colors of the fleshy foliage. Learn more about the species of Kalanchoe commonly called flapjacks in this article…
Voodoo lily is a member of the philodendron family that grows from a tuber. Each tuber produces a single tripartite leaf on a tall, mottled stem. This unusual tropical plant is easy to grow as a seasonal conversation piece and store indoors as a dormant “bulb” during the winter. To learn more about Amorphophallus konjac, read this article…
Asparagus fern is a South African native which is not a fern, but is related to the edible asparagus. The bright green, ferny foliage of this tender perennial makes it a nice houseplant and a good counterpoint to brightly colored flowers in an outdoor seasonal planting. To learn more about this plant, read this article…
