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richardj_mcneil

Favorite houseplants?

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

I am sure this question has been posed a million times here, but., it's mid November and it gets dark here in my neck of the woods at 5:00 pm now, so....

What are your favorite plants for interior cultivation (i..e., "houseplants")?

Here is my list of ten in no particular order...

Chinese Evergreen/Aglaonema

Jade Plants/Crassula

Snake Plants/Sanseviera

Philodendron (most any species)

Lady Palms/Rhapis

Dracaena (most any species)

Aloe vera

Ming Aralia

Ficus sp (most any species)

Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana)

Had to add yet one more and violate my own top 10 list..., Aspidistra! LOL


P.S., Post pics or your favs, if you'd like.

Comments (5)

  • 4 years ago

    I often make a list of the plants I don't collect instead! It seems easier sometimes. But I can name a few favorites and pictures.


    Hoyas. There are a few hoyas I don't love, but plenty more that I do. It's hard to choose a favorite so I will just post one that's fun. Hoya rotundiflora.



    Philodendrons, oh how I do love thee! Two of my obsessions are Sodiroi and Tortum.

    Sodiroi new leaf:


    Tortum, so different, so elegant.



    Syngoniums are another of my super-stars. I took this group shot recently. I'm particularly obsessed with Chiapense and erythrophyllum.



    Scindapsus. Love those too. I won't bore you with more pictures though!

    But I really love Jade Satin and pictus Exotica.

  • 4 years ago

    For me it's Hoyas, Dorstenias, Pachypodiums, and Euphorbias. Cactus are in the greenhouse for the winter so I'm not counting them. I'm just starting to get back into Begonias a bit.

  • 4 years ago

    Nice list, Margaritaville. You inspire me to think of something besides my tried and true houseplants.


    I like houseplants which are easy and don't get too big. The important thing to me is to have green plants in the house.


    Ficus and peace lily are nice but grow too big and I don't want to be bothered with them needing bigger pots, etc. I keep two pothos--boring plants--because they are green and trouble free. I keep them cut down so they are bushy.


    I brought in a few succulents and 2 adeniums for the winter just for "fun," but they could have easily stayed outside.

  • 4 years ago

    My fav one is the one I'm looking at. Few things are as pleasant as caressing a new Philodendron leaf. I always get a little thrill when I look @ a little Schefflera that is the same size as it was 7 yrs ago from "being bonsai'ed." Primping the Pothos is always perfectly pleasant.


    But I don't let anybody but me decide what plants I'm going to call houseplants and bring inside. A lot of them were sold "as annuals". NOTE: Most plants sold "as annuals" are just perennials that can't handle freezing temps. The more I experiment, the more plants I find that can bloom while inside for winter. I still love parlor palms, Scheffleras & dragon trees but each winter more of my space is being devoted to blooming plants.


    Like you said, Margaritaville, it's cold and stupid dark by 5PM, so even the tiniest bloom that forms inside has an elevated level of excitement. And speaking of parlor palms, mine are starting to form their blooms and although they're hardly attractive in the usual sense for a "flower," and they make a minor mess of dropped bits on the floor, I do get a nerdy excitement from those blooms too.


    Begonias, holiday cacti, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (and other species), too many cute little succulents to name, are either blooming now or will start soon, after having been brought inside. And tiny plants only need tiny spaces. So many can group together in a small space like a windowsill or at the base of taller entities in spots where most of the direct sun hits the soil instead of the foliage. These little blooms help me soothe winter blues in a big way. I wish I had known about more of these decades ago.

  • 4 years ago

    Fiddle leaf figs and any rare ones