Umbrella Plant

(Scheffiera aboricola variegata)

~ By Gardnbee ~

Tropical and subtropical house plants are those plants that pretty much live indoors, although in fairness I do put mine outside on our verandah during June and July in our neck of the woods :)

Of all these types of plants my most favourite is my Umbrella Tree though over the years I have pruned it so much that it now looks more like a bushy plant than a tree. It has been neglected at times, moved all over the place, withstood storm and wind and yet remains a wonderful contributor to our indoor environment, especially during the winter months.

Having arrived into my life as a mere 99 cent sprout from a local grocery story, it is now approximately 30 years old, priceless and needs another transplanting soon. Not only does is help clean the air in our living room where it has a place of honor, it adds cheery color on the dullest of days.

The nicest and perhaps the most beneficial aspect of having non-flowering plants in the home is that they contribute oxygen while clearing the air of impurities, release moisture into the air and also reduce stress while bringing an over all feeling of well being into one's life. Their contribution is one of mutual benefit because for the most part they require little maintence.

Researching one of the plants listed below will bring lots of information for their care so I am not going into that here other than to say my Umbrella Tree/bush receives bright but indirect light where it rests, gets an even temperature of between 60 to 70 degrees farenheit, is well watered during the summer and gets fed a liquid fertalizer once every month over it's growing season.

If you find yourself moved to aquire one of the plants below from a retailer, do check how it is potted. I remember when we bought our Benjamina Tree a few years ago we had to re-pot it due to falling leaves and general unhappy appearance. In doing so we discovered a pop can lid embedded in its roots and a root ball bound up with plastic mesh so tightly that it couldn't be cut away so we had to cut and open as best we could here and there. It has been thriving ever since.

Some Plants That Clean Indoor Air

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Boston Fern (Neogrikeosus exaltata )

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

English ivy (Hedera helix )

Golden pathos (Epipiremnum aureum)

Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron scandens)

Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis)

Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)

Miniature Date Palm (Phoenix roebelinii)

Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)

Reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)

Selloum philodendron (Philodendron selloum)

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis)

Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)

         

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