Category: Tropical Plants

The aloe vera plant is an easy, attractive succulent that makes for a great indoor companion. Aloe vera plants are useful, too, as the juice from their leaves can be used to relieve pain from scrapes and burns when applied topically. Here’s how to grow and care for aloe vera plants in...

Banana plant houseplant? That’s right. If you are not fortunate enough to live in a warm region where you can grow this tropical plant outdoors, then why not grow an indoor banana plant (Musa oriana) instead. With enough light and water, an indoor banana tree makes an excellent houseplant....

Rooting pineapple indoor takes a couple of months, and it’ll likely take two to three years to get fruit, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the spiky tropical foliage and the fun of growing a tropical treat. About Pineapples Pineapples are a type of bromeliad, which makes them a...

Nature has wired us to feel protective of babies, with their oversize, floppy heads. The big, round leaves of a fiddle leaf fig tree make it the houseplant equivalent of a newborn—and the “it” accessory for a generation of interior designers. On its home turf—which happens to be West...

Bromeliads spend their lives as houseplants in places that aren’t as warm as the tropical climates they call home. Their brightly colored bracts (which we think of as their flowers) can last for months, brightening a dark corner. One of the most cold hardy is matchstick bromeliad (Aechmea gamosepala), an ornamental...

Pothos (also called Devil’s Ivy) is a tropical vine with shiny, heart-shaped leaves that often have gold, white, or yellow variegation. It is one of the easiest houseplants to grow! Native to tropical French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific, pothos can now be found throughout the world as...

Popular bedding plants since the Victorian era, flowering begonias also add an air of tropical jauntiness to container gardens. In vivid shades of red, pink, white, yellow, apricot, and salmon, begonias may go in and out of style but are always dependable when you crave a shot of color...

The sweetly-scented jasmine flower can fill a room or a garden with its heady scent. Though jasmine is a vine usually grown outdoors, some varieties can also be grown as houseplants. There is some confusion regarding jasmine and which variety is fragrant. Types of jasmine Common jasmine or Poet’s jasmine (Jasminum officinale),...

Orchids have no equal: They are breathtakingly beautiful, delicate, long-blooming, long-lived, fascinating in fragrance and form, and extremely varied. Few pleasures in gardening surpass the thrill of seeing orchids thrive and bloom. Here’s everything you should know about growing orchids and caring for orchids—and we’ve listed the most common...

African violets are small houseplants that produce clusters of white, blue, or purple flowers over fuzzy leaves.  African violets will bloom with lower light, though medium to bright indirect light is best.  Planting How to plant African violets You can use an actual African violet potting mix or an all-purpose...