Category: Houseplant of the Month

There is always this misconception that people either love potted plants or cut flowers. First of all, we do not think so and second, why not combine your love for potted plants and flowers for example with the “Houseplant of the Month” in July, the romantic potted rose. As beautiful as her wild outdoors sisters, the potted rose comes in a rich variety of colours and in manageable sizes for interiors, balconies, patios.

Do you need to be a romantic soul to appreciate a potted rose at home? Maybe a little bit. Roses evoke immediate feelings of love, courtesy, romance and fairy tales so yes, you need to be a romantic fellow deep down in your heart. But potted roses also add a wonderful botanical touch to any romantic or bohemian interior style: Whether you are more into powdery hues of pink, floral patterns and a shabby chic approach or you go for the bohemian style with a dash of mystery, mirrors, brass and crystals – a potted rose in an adequate colour will perfectly accomplish your interior styling.

With good care a potted rose will bloom profusely for weeks. Potted roses prefer a bright spot with fresh air so consider anything close to your windows. Water them regularly as the soil should not dry out and add a liquid fertilizer every 3 weeks. While in bloom, the plant consumes more nutrients so increase the addition of fertilizer a little bit to ensure it produces new buds. Once it has finished blooming you can prune it back to about 5 cm above soil level and expect it to grow back after approximately two months.

The cherished beauty of the rose has enchanted mankind throughout history. It was and often is considered the most beautiful flower in the world, it charms the beholder with its scent, it is a symbol for countries, cities, on flags, it finds its way into perfumes and food. Hardly any other plant can keep track with the versatile beauty and the charms of a rose.

For this month’s Houseplant of the Month, we worked together with our favorite flower blogger Elodie Love from Madame Love. She’s a very talented flower blogger, flower stylist and flower photographer with a big passion for anything floral. An obvious choice for the Potted Rose Houseplant of the Month! Also check out her Instagram for the most dreamy flower photos. Merci Elodie for your beautiful potted rose photos!

If you like you can read more about the potted rose here:
• In English
• Auf Deutsch
• En français
• In het Nederlands

Houseplant of the Month is an initiative from Mooiwatplantendoen.nl and Bloemenbureau Holland and in collaboration with them we will present you every month a new Houseplant of the Month, right here on Urban Jungle Bloggers.

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Imagine the rocky lowlands of East Africa. Think of the wide horizons in Kenya, Zimbabwe or the dreamy island of Zanzibar – one of the local botanical beauties you will see there might be right now next to you at your home as a houseplant: the sturdy Zamioculcas zamiifolia also known as ZZ plant. This plant is strong, vibrantly green and features a remarkably regular leaves pattern and invites the lush and lively African vibe into our homes.

The Zamioculcas plant is a tough guy: It is super sturdy and forgiving thus perfect for plant beginners or globetrotting fellows with limited time for plant care. The magic formula is nature made: The plant stores nutrients and water in the stems and the subterranean bulb thus it can survive even if you forget to water it from time to time and it perfectly copes with bright and shady spots in the home. As an African native it only dislikes two things: cold temperatures and constantly wet roots.

The Zamioculcas is not only a great plant of choice for those who want to minimize their plant care effort. With its geometrical look and its juicy green color it is a perfect visual addition to any modern home. It is a great solo player with its long stems and regular foliage so it makes a perfect performance placed individually on a shelf or on a stool – plus it will have space to thrive and spread out its long stems. But the cool ZZ plant is equally easy as a plant gang member: it likes to mingle with green fellows and adds a certain visual regularity to the ensemble with its stems and leaves that resemble stylized feathers. Another styling idea: Combine it with an African patterns for the über-cool look recalling its native habitat.

The Zamioculcas plant has been botanically known since 1892 but it has become widely popular as a houseplant and indoor plant in public buildings over the past fifteen years. Dutch growers have been cultivating this plant since 1996 making it widely available to the plant loving public. Even though it doesn’t grow quickly, it is very popular due to its low-maintenance profile and geometrical appeal. No wonder it is the ‘Houseplant of the Month June’! If you have a ZZ plant at home or want to buy a new one, here are  the main plant care tips in a nutshell for you:

If you like you can read more about the Zamioculcas here:
• In English
• Auf Deutsch
• En français
• In het Nederlands

Houseplant of the Month is an initiative from Mooiwatplantendoen.nl and Bloemenbureau Holland and in collaboration with them we will present you every month a new Houseplant of the Month, right here on Urban Jungle Bloggers.

 

 

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The days are getting sunnier, the air is rich in scents and the colours are bursting – it is like a little prelude to the forthcoming vibrancy of summer. But we plant lovers are already inviting summer into our homes with the “Houseplants of the Month” in May – tropical beauties with lush flowers, juicy colours and impressive foliage. Let us introduce you to this month’s stars the magnificent Medinilla, the glorious Gloriosa and the unusual Anigozanthos.

These tropical houseplants offer a real taste of summer in your home. Their exotic shapes are only topped by the remarkable and fascinating colours of their blooms ranging from soft pinks to fiery reds and oranges framed by impressive leaves: from dark green and rippled to corkscrew curls and pointy lances. And if you take good care of them, they will bloom until late summer. A perfect ‘Club Tropicana’ feeling at home!

Magnificent Medinilla

This plant is a real beauty. Elegant, luxurious, almost like a real lady, the Medinilla stands out as a houseplant. Originating from southeast Asia, the Pacific and tropical Africa this plant is a visual highlight in any home: Its rippling leaves, the square stems growing in high arches and bearing large pink bells that open into a majestic cluster of deep pink flowers. The Medinilla is a fantastic accent plant and perfectly staged all alone in a high position. Imagine all the beautiful photo opps with this charming houseplant!

Glamorous Gloriosa

This large blooming plant looks glorious with its dark red, bright pink or orange flowers with saffron yellow that seem to float on this climbing beauty from the temperate zones of Africa and West Asia. But not only the flowers are outstanding – the corkscrew curls of the Gloriosa seem to wind and unwind in the search of opportunities to cling to and climb – a real tropical fellow! Gloriosa plants are usually sold with curled up vines, you can easily unwind them and let the it grow along a trellis, or stick the branches to the wall with washitape like we did. The Gloriosa also symbolises fame and honour and it is the national flower of Zimbabwe – thus not only beautiful and wise but also of national importance!

Unusual Anigozanthos

Some people call it simply kangaroo paw because of the unusual shape of its flowers. It also indicates its Australian origin. The botanical name is somewhat more complicated: Anigozanthos is Greek and means oblique or uneven flower. This desert plant grows in long, branched and leafless stems and at the top of the stems aare whimsical cylinders in red, yellow, orange or pink, covered in hair with fan-like flowers made of six petals. Unusual, decorative and exotic, the Anigozanthos is a real statement plant for urban jungles. Sometimes you might find them at the local florist’s who sell them as cut flowers too. But we Urban Jungle Bloggers love them most when they are potted and growing!

May is a feast for the senses – out in the nature and indoors with our “Houseplants of the Month”. These tropical beauties and desert dwellers will certainly add a dash of exotic feeling of far-away lands and dreamy adventures to any home and they will perfectly mix and match with your existing and thriving bunch of plants. Happy plant styling!

If you like you can read more about the tropical plants here:
• In English
• Auf Deutsch
• En français
• In het Nederlands

Houseplant of the Month is an initiative from Mooiwatplantendoen.nl and Bloemenbureau Holland and in collaboration with them we will present you every month a new Houseplant of the Month, right here on Urban Jungle Bloggers.

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Her name means in Greek “pepper like” and that name is not sheer invention – this month’s “Houseplant of the Month” is related to pepper and stems from the hot and humid Amazonas jungle in South America – let us introduce you to the Peperomia!

Sometimes this compact, little plant is referred to as dwarf pepper, crocodile’s tears or swan spice – most of its derogative nicknames derive from its peculiar looks. It is growing compactly and comes in a variety of colors from dark greens, reds, yellows to silver hues. Additionally, its foliage is rich in texture and pattern and comes in a variety of sizes and shapes too, from small and luxuriant to long and pointy, sometimes with markings and other times with two-colored leaves (each leaf side features one color).

The Peperomia is an excellent plant for beginners or anyone with hardly any time for plant care. It is one of those plants that actually like to be neglected a bit – rather than being taken too much care of. In its natural habitat the Peperomia grows under trees where it’s warm and shady. So any place with no direct sunlight and a moist soil will make the plant happy! Little tip: When you water the plant try not to pour water over its leaves. Instead let it sit in water for a little while, let the excess water drain and all is good!

This cute and decorative plant is perfect for plant stylings at home. They make a great statement when combined due to their rich variety in colors and shapes, they also make for great bottle gardens and terrariums as they do not grow tall. The lush and bushy appearance of the Peperomia is also perfectly matched with various shapes – think of styling vignettes using geometrical shapes to create visual interest. Also natural materials such as wood, cork and linen work very well with the round shape of the Peperomia.

When you are out for your next plant shopping session, keep your eyes peeled for the Peperomia – it will make for a perfect addition to your own urban jungle!

In these photos, 4 different species of Peperomia are styled in a Holmegaard Gaia Plant Glass and in 2 DIY decorated paper cups from Morganours x Etsy x Le BHV Marais.

If you like you can read more about Peperomia:
• Peperomia in English
• Zwergpfeffer auf Deutsch
• Peperomia en français
• Peperomia in het Nederlands

Houseplant of the Month is an initiative from Mooiwatplantendoen.nl and Bloemenbureau Holland and in collaboration with them we will present you every month a new Houseplant of the Month, right here on Urban Jungle Bloggers.

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Hello July, hello new ‘Plant of the Month’: Please welcome the beautiful Ficus Ginseng in our homes! During our London weekend we were happy to collaborate with our friends from The Joy of Plants and offer 10 ‘Plants of the Month’ to 10 lucky winners and attendees of our Blogtacular presentation. And they and us were lucky to bring back a rare and beautiful bonsai plant native to Asia: the Ficus Ginseng or Ficus microcarpa.

This houseplant is a true eye-catcher: The rough-shaped, aerial root is crowned by a bushy treetop of shiny green leaves that sprout incessantly if the plant is looked after. And that is the other advantage of the Ficus Ginseng: It not only looks beautiful and interesting, it is also a great plant for anyone who wants a low-maintenance plant. The ideal plant care for the Ficus Ginseng consists of moderate watering without any stocked up water in the saucer, regular plant food additions and it can go outdoors during summer and likes a cool indoors place during winter. That’s all to it!

A fascinating fact about the Ficus Ginseng is that the roots are grown in China and Malaysia for up to 15 years (!!) before they get imported by Dutch growers and then the bonsai growing process is completed in greenhouses. So every Ficus Ginseng in our homes is a pretty mature plants with a good deal of history and travels. A real globetrotter if you want so!

We are both smitten with the addition of this bonsai plant in our homes in Paris and Munich and we hope that all 10 lucky winners are as happy with their Ficus Ginseng as we are! Happy July everybody!

This post has been brought to you in collaboration with The Joy of Plants. Thank you!

 

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