Beautiful Houseplants in My Winter House
Houseplants bring life to any room.
I love container plants, and whenever I am home I always like to keep a collection of interesting specimens on my enclosed porch or in my kitchen where I can see them every day. Most of my potted plants are kept in the greenhouse, so they can be maintained and carefully monitored. This week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, brought in a small selection of potted bird's nest ferns, Peperomia, Chinese money plants, Alocasia, orchids, and two unique and eye-catching Anthuriums.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Not only do houseplants enhance the overall appearance of a space, but they’ve also been known to increase creativity, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants. I always keep a small selection of potted plants in my home. They are brought over from my main greenhouse where they spend most of the time.
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- Before moving them to the Winter House, I wanted several of the plants repotted. Here is Ryan repotting a beautiful Anthurium. Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. Other common names include tailflower, flamingo flower, and laceleaf.
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- Here he is potting up another Anthurium. The leaves of these plants are long, so taller, narrow pots are good to use. These pots are made by master potter, Guy Wolff. He says I have the largest single collection of his handmade clay vessels. All my plants look so wonderful displayed in the historical shapes that Guy and his son, Ben, create.
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- When potting, always place a clay shard over the hole in the bottom of the pot to help drainage. Doing this also keeps the potting soil from falling out.
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- Ryan adds a handful of gravel to the Anthurium pots in order to increase drainage.
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- I am a big believer in feeding all plants life – if you eat, so should your plants. My houseplants are given Osmocote. Each granule is covered with an organic resin that regulates the daily release of nutrients.
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- Ryan sprinkles the fertilizer over the soil after it is repotted.
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- All the plants are groomed and transported to my Winter House porch. Ryan selects those specimens that are blooming or looking especially lush.
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- He also selects where they will be placed depending on size, light needs, and how many of each variety he brings in.
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- Spider plants produce a rosette of long, thin, arched foliage that is solid green or variegated with white. These plants prefer bright to moderate indirect sunlight.
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- Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved, rhizomatous, or tuberous perennial flowering plants from the family Araceae. There are more than 95 species native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Eastern Australia. Alocasias have large, arrowhead-shaped leaves with flat or wavy edges on slender stems.
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- This is a bird’s nest fern. Bird’s nest fern is a common name applied to several related species of epiphytic ferns in the genus Asplenium. It’s identified by the flat, wavy or crinkly fronds. These plants make excellent low light houseplants.
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- Guests always admire my Chinese money plants, Pilea peperomioides. The Pilea peperomioides has attractive coin-shaped foliage. This perennial is native to southern China, growing naturally along the base of the Himalayan mountains. It is also known as coin plant, pancake plant, and UFO plant.
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- Peperomia caperata ‘Ripple Red’ has iridescent purple-red leaves with very distinct ripples. The small heart-shaped leaves grow into an attractive mounding habit. Peperomia are great succulent lower light houseplants.
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- And next to the Peperomia is Calathea – a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marantaceae. They are commonly called calatheas or prayer plants. These plants do very well in bright, indirect light. This corner of my porch is perfect, and well protected from any drafts.
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- Just inside from the porch, on this faux boix table in my foyer, are the two Anthurium plants. These two varieties of Anthurium feature large-leaved, deeply veined foliage. All Anthurium like high humidity and warmth. These delicate specimens will return to the greenhouse in a few weeks.
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- Here is a closer look at the narrow leaves of Anthurium warocqueanum, which can grow to a height of up to two or three feet or more under optimal conditions. Mine is doing so excellently.
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- And this variety is called Anthurium tamiami. Its leaves are slightly smaller than those of the Anthurium warocqueanum, but more textured and lighter in color.
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- Caring for orchids can be daunting, but understanding their basic and unique needs, these beautiful plants can thrive in nearly any home. Paphiopedilum orchids are often called ‘slipper orchids’ because of their unique pouch-like flowers. These specimens are easily grown as houseplants, and look wonderful with their striking green leaves. Ryan places this on a table in my sitting room.
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- In between my kitchen and sitting room is my servery, a room from which meals are served. I often prepare and serve cocktails and other drinks from this space. The center island is often used for displaying plants such as this Brassolaeliocattleya orchid. Brassolaeliocattleya hybrids are a cross of three orchid genera: Brassavola, Cattleya, and Laelia. This one is Blc. Pink Empress ‘Bright Sun’ with its large pink blooms, purple lip, and bright orange throat. I feel so fortunate to have such an amazing collection of extraordinary plants to share with my guests and to enjoy myself.
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