- January 15, 2025 - Jardin botanique : Secrets of plants
Written on January 14, 2012
If you feel like taking a break from winter without planning a trip to the tropics, invite them into your home by means of plants hailing from warmer climes. But be careful: their evocative power may take you by surprise!
Making an original choice
The majority of indoor plants hail from the tropical forests of South America, central Africa and southeast Asia. A wise choice takes into account the predominant growing conditions where you live, and the pleasure of selecting them on the basis of a theme, a country, a color, a scent, and so on. There’s no shortage of choices when we want to recall or evoke the tropics. One reminder of the lush forests of central America is the genus chamaedorea (Chamaedorea elegans and C. seifrizii). Its green, supple, notched leaves have a feathered appearance. But just make sure to leave it enough room: it can grow to a height of two meters! The elegant zamioculcas (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) adapts with no difficulty to the different conditions found in homes, lending them an ambiance inspired by the African continent. Its rigid, lustrous leaves of a beautiful dark green display a remarkable elegance. Ferns, widely distributed in tropical forests, become very good indoor companions in a humid location protected from the direct rays of the sun, like the bathroom. It comes in lacy dress in various textures and shades. The most popular is the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’).
Orchids and Bromeliaceae
To evoke the tropical-forest canopy, you can surround yourself with epiphytic plants, whose roots cling to the trunks and branches of trees, without being parasites. Orchids and the Bromeliaceae family include a great number. Orchids in the Phalaenopsis genus, coming from tropical Asia and Oceania, offer a huge choice of color. The proximity of an east-facing window will provide them with the required lighting. The ambassador of the tropical forests of America could be one of the Bromeliaceae. No matter what genus you pick from the Aechmea, Tillandsia and others, their principal characteristic is their pretty rosettes of overlapping leaves. They lend themselves to being grown on bark, creating a “tableau vivant” when hung on a wall.
Stimulating curiosity
There’s no need to bankrupt yourself to enjoy the benefits of greenery: you can start a pummelo yourself from seeds, or a pineapple from the leaf top. Books and Internet sites are also excellent sources of information on plant origins and history, and a wonderful way of traveling through time and discovering the world without having to set foot out the door when the mercury indicates -15 C!
Health benefits
Beyond their esthetic qualities, plants produce oxygen and help purify the air. Contrary to popular belief, a plant in a room presents no health risk. At night, just like us, it releases very small amounts of carbon dioxide. So you should have no trouble sleeping!
Consult our Green Pages for other tips and advice.