Shade-loving indoor plants and flowers: rules of care. Video
Inexperienced gardeners are sometimes surprised at the incomprehensible behavior of indoor plants, which, it would seem, are well looked after. The owner chooses the sunniest place in the apartment, and the ungrateful flower begins to hurt, or even dies altogether. The fact is that not all flowers tolerate the sun’s rays well, and for some, excessive light is completely contraindicated. For such plants, you need to choose darker places. At the same time, one should not forget that plants should decorate the interior, and not disfigure it.
Shade-loving indoor plants and flowers: how to place
Light-loving, shade-loving, shade-tolerant
Having decided to arrange a greenhouse, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of your apartment. Determine where the windows go, which rooms the sun hits both in the morning and in the evening, if there are corners where there is very little light. The choice of plants largely depends on this. With the light-loving inhabitants of city apartments, everything is clear, they feel bad in the shade, so it is better for them to live in a well-lit room, and even as close to the window as possible. Plants that do well in the shade are divided into two classes. Some really grow poorly in the light and often die, they are called shade-loving. Shade-tolerant plants tolerate shade well, but can also grow on a well-lit windowsill. In the second case, such flowers will need to be shaded for some time of the day. In insufficiently lit rooms, for example, the following plants can grow: – Abelia; – Aglaonema changeable, Robelina and Treuba; – Fragrant alocasia; – Japanese aucuba; – Aspidistra; – Anthurium majestic and Sherdera; – begonia (some species); – Brunfelsia large-leaved ; – dieffenbachia spotted; – apical cordilina; – arrowroot; – myrtle; – ferns (nephrolepis, pteris and other species); – poinsettia; – single ruelia and Devozi; – dense asparagus; – Saintpaulia; – boxwood (some species); – Vershaffelt fittonia; – Cissus The list goes on: in recent years, exotic plants have appeared in flower shops, which are still poorly known to Russian flower growers.
Choose plants
Indoor shade-loving plants, as a rule, have luxurious leaves, but nondescript flowers. The most prominent representative of this category is the fern. Its various species are found in the northern forests and in the tropics, and it lives, as a rule, in the shade of trees. In an apartment, nephrolepis or pteris of Crete can be accommodated on the north window. He is also able to decorate a bright room if he is placed in the back on a low table or stand. Arrowroot and Fittonia are also shade-loving plants. The arrowroot has very decorative carved leaves with a beautiful pattern. This flower is very good for large dark rooms. Arrowroot grows very quickly. It is best to put it somewhere in the corner, and attach strong but thin cords to which it will cling to the walls. Keep in mind that this plant loves oily, fertile soil and requires abundant watering. Some indoor shade-loving plants in summer feel great in a room where the sun rarely gets, but in winter they require additional artificial lighting. These include, for example, aglaonema and fittonia.
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For additional artificial lighting, fluorescent lamps must be used.
Small tree growing in the shade
Shade-loving indoor plants can be tree-like. The most popular home tree is ficus. It will feel great, for example, in a nursery, and not only because it is not poisonous and does not cause allergies. A small child will be happy to wipe huge, hard leaves with a damp sponge. For a small ficus, you can make a stand or table. A large tree will look good in a pot on the floor. In flower shops you can also find other tree-like plants – cordilina or aucuba. These natives of the tropics and subtropics generally do not tolerate direct sunlight, especially cordiline, so the far corner of the room is the most suitable place for them. In stores, sometimes there is also a capitate yew. If you do not like it when shade-loving indoor plants fill the space too quickly, this small tree was created especially for you. It will decorate a bookshelf or cabinet with souvenirs. Contrary to popular belief, some palms are also shade-loving plants or, in extreme cases, shade-tolerant. For example, a bamboo palm, aka hamedorea. A native of the mountainous regions of South Asia, she will happily take a seat in the far corner of the room, out of direct sunlight. It grows slowly, so there is no need to fear that in a couple of years it will have to be given somewhere. In addition, the bamboo palm blooms beautifully.
Observing the behavior of plants is generally extremely exciting. For example, you are just starting to do this, you put pots of flowers on the windowsill and after a while you see a strange picture. Overwhelmingly, the leaves of the flowers turned to the window. If you watch the growth for a few more months, you will see that the foliage on the side of the window is getting thicker. And one plant does not behave like everyone else. Its leaves turned towards the room, but at the same time the flower does not get sick and does not die. Among the green inhabitants of window sills, there are also shade-tolerant indoor plants, and you are faced with one of them. Begonia, for example, can behave this way. Some species of this plant are shade-loving, others are shade-tolerant, but in any case, begonia is quite calm about the shade. She will feel great on a coffee table, a few meters from the window, or on the windowsill, but next to large plants that periodically cast a shadow on her.
Shade-tolerant plants in the room
In the literature on floriculture, you can sometimes find the opinion that Saintpaulias are also shade-tolerant indoor plants. This is both true and not true. Saintpaulia, she is an Usambara violet, does not like direct sunlight, but she also does not like a continuous permanent shadow. She needs not so much a shadow as a dim, uniform lighting. In a dark far corner, an uzambara violet will feel bad, but a window facing north or west is just right. In this case, it is better to put it away from glass, since Saintpaulia does not like cold air.