Spring is here, and for many of us that means we’re out in our garden spaces preparing soil, cleaning up garden beds, and getting our landscaping plants ready for warmer weather. While indoor gardeners are working with a different kind of space, indoor gardens still celebrate the joy of spring and the beginning of growing season. To help newcomers to indoor gardening get started (and maybe provide some new ideas for experienced gardeners), we’d like to offer some suggestions for fun and beautiful spring houseplants for indoor gardens. We’ll do our best to present a variety of plants so that there’s something for any indoor garden space. Let’s dig in!
· African violet (Streptocarpus sp) is both iconic and underappreciated as a houseplant. While they do require a bit of attention and care they’re still accessible to most beginners. They come in a beautiful array of purples, pinks, and whites, and they can flower for weeks or months under the right indoor conditions. African violets are also relatively compact in size, making them suitable for smaller indoor gardens, end tables, and desktops provided other conditions are right.
· ZZ plant (Zamioculcas spp) is, like African violet, another native of East Africa and an increasingly popular indoor plant around the US and Canada. Easy to care for with beautiful glossy leaves, this vertically-growing plant can be a wonderful and dynamic addition to an indoor garden space or a patio garden. Combined with other lower lying plants, Zamioculcas can create layers and levels in an indoor garden! One quick warning, however: some sources indicate that Zamicoculcas may be toxic, so be careful around animals and small children.
· Flowering maple (Abutilon spp) is a catch-all name for a collection of species found around the world in the tropics and subtropics. The colloquial name “flowering maple” comes from the fact that the leaves do resemble those of a maple tree. However, the two aren’t related and flowering maple grows up to 60 inches/152cm tall and about 36 inches/90cm wide. However smaller varietals exist and it can be kept smaller with pruning, however, and looks great in a container on the floor or when pruned a bit smaller in a hanging basket among other hanging plants. The flowers really make this plant special: large, colorful blooms unfold to reveal a cluster of stamens for a distinct look.
· Natal lilly (Clivia miniata) is an amaryllis relative with lovely red, orange, or yellow blooms that appear in striking inflorescences growing up from the center fo the plant. While Clivia does need cool, dry conditions in winter in order to bloom in spring, once the growing season begins it is relatively easy to care for. Clivia does well in medium light, moderate indoor temperatures, and doesn’t require heavy watering even while in bloom.
· Hoya gracilis is in fact a variety of hoya. Like most hoyas, it’s relatively easy to care for indoors. H. gracilis likes temperatures of around 70F/21C with bright indirect light and well-draining soil. What sets this plant apart are its flowers: it blooms with raspberry colored clusters of flowers which smell of caramel. Combined with its distinctive vining foliage, it’s a a show stopper for an indoor garden space!
· Sinningia speciosa, sometimes referred to as “gloxinia” or “Brazilian gloxinia” is not a true Gloxinia but is a beautiful indoor plants. An early spring bloomer, Sinningia produces absolutely wonderful flowers, bell-shaped and multi-hued in a variety of colors. Comfortable in medium to bright light and a wide variety of temperatures, this is a great indoor plant choices. One caveat, however: while the soil should be kept evenly moist while the plant is in bloom, Sinningia goes dormant in winter and water should be withheld until spring returns.
We tried to find interesting and less-common plants for this list while still keeping things accessible, and we hope we succeeded. These are just suggestions and you can always pick the right plants for you—there’s no one “correct” approach to indoor gardening. Please let us know if you incorporate one of these beautiful plants into your indoor garden this year. Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!
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