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Index of Specimens

plant care entries, A to Z — 50 in all, and growing

A

3 entries

Illustration of a potted african violet

African violetStreptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets safe No. 2

Illustration of a potted aloe vera

Aloe veraAloe veraAloe vera care on a bright windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it needs, why leaves flatten or curl, and how to pot up the offsets.Light full sunWater moderatePets unsafe No. 3

Illustration of a potted areca palm

Areca palmDypsis lutescensAreca palm care that keeps the fronds green, with how often to water, what browns the tips, why spider mites arrive, and how big it really gets.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets safe

B

4 entries

Illustration of a potted basil

BasilOcimum basilicumHow to grow basil on a windowsill or in the garden, with sowing months for both hemispheres, a watering rhythm that stops it bolting, and fixes for leggy plants.Light full sunWater oftenPets safe No. 5

Illustration of a potted bird of paradise

Bird of paradiseStrelitzia reginaeBird of paradise care in a pot or a bed, with the sun it needs to flower, why a young plant will not bloom, and how to divide a crowded clump.Light full sunWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 6

Illustration of a potted blackberry

BlackberryRubus fruticosusBlackberry for a productive, trainable fruiting hedge: why most cultivars fruit on last year's canes, and the two diseases worth checking for.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known No. 7

Illustration of a potted boston fern

Boston fernNephrolepis exaltataBoston fern care that stops the fronds going crisp, with the humidity it needs, how often to water, and what to do with a plant that has gone brown in the middle.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets safe

C

8 entries

Illustration of a potted calathea

CalatheaGoeppertia orbifoliaCalathea care that keeps the leaves whole, with the humidity and water quality it insists on, why the edges curl, and how to divide a crowded pot.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets safe No. 9

Illustration of a potted cape leadwort

Cape leadwortPlumbago auriculataCape plumbago for a long-flowering, drought-tolerant screen: why it is cut back hard at the end of winter, and a genuine skin-contact caution.Light full sunWater moderatePets not known No. 10

Illustration of a potted cherry laurel

Cherry laurelPrunus laurocerasusCherry laurel for a broad-leaved evergreen screen: why it dislikes heavy feeding, when the shot-hole disease appears, and the truth about its leaves.Light part shadeWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 11

Illustration of a potted chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreenAglaonema commutatumChinese evergreen care for a dim room, with how often to water, why the leaves curl at the edge, and which forms need more light than others.Light low lightWater moderatePets unsafe No. 12

Illustration of a potted chinese money plant

Chinese money plantPilea peperomioidesChinese money plant care with the light that keeps it symmetrical, how often to water, why the leaves curl, and how to pot up the pups it makes.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets not known No. 13

Illustration of a potted christmas cactus

Christmas cactusSchlumbergeraChristmas cactus care that brings it into flower, with the dark nights and cool weeks it needs, why buds drop, and when it blooms south of the equator.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets safe No. 14

Illustration of a potted coriander

CorianderCoriandrum sativumCoriander that does not bolt in a fortnight, with when to sow in each hemisphere, why it runs to seed, and how to keep leaves coming all season.Light part shadeWater oftenPets safe No. 15

Illustration of a potted croton

CrotonCodiaeum variegatumCroton care that keeps the colour, with the light it needs, why it drops every leaf after a move, and how to root a cutting from a bare stem.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

D

2 entries

Illustration of a potted dragon tree

Dragon treeDracaena marginataDragon tree care for an office or a hallway, with how often to water, why the tips brown, and how to cut a bare stem so it branches.Light medium lightWater moderatePets unsafe No. 17

Illustration of a potted dumb cane

Dumb caneDieffenbachia seguineDumb cane care with the light and watering it wants, why the lower leaves drop, how to cut a leggy stem back, and why to wear gloves when you do.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

E

3 entries

Illustration of a potted echeveria

EcheveriaEcheveria elegansEcheveria care on a sunny windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it wants, why the rosette stretches, and how to grow new plants from a single leaf.Light full sunWater moderatePets safe No. 19

Illustration of a potted english ivy

English ivyHedera helixEnglish ivy care indoors and out, with the cool bright spot it wants, why spider mites arrive, and how to root a cutting in a fortnight.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 20

Illustration of a potted escallonia

EscalloniaEscallonia (garden hybrids)Escallonia for a flowering seaside hedge: why it needs a trim straight after flowering and not before, and the leaf spot that spread fast.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known

F

2 entries

Illustration of a potted fiddle-leaf fig

Fiddle-leaf figFicus lyrataFiddle-leaf fig care that keeps the leaves on, with the light it actually needs, why brown spots appear, and what to do about a bare lower stem.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets unsafe No. 22

Illustration of a potted flamingo flower

Flamingo flowerAnthurium andraeanumFlamingo flower care that keeps it in bloom, with the light and watering it wants, why the flowers turn green, and how to divide a crowded pot.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

G

3 entries

Illustration of a potted garden privet

Garden privetLigustrum ovalifoliumPrivet for a fast, dense screen: the true dormant planting window, what a new hedge drinks, and the two problems worth knowing.Light full sunWater oftenPets unsafe No. 24

Illustration of a potted golden dewdrop

Golden dewdropDuranta erectaGolden dewdrop for a fast frost-tender screen: why the berries are genuinely dangerous to pets and children, not just mildly unwise to eat.Light full sunWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 25

Illustration of a potted gooseberry

GooseberryRibes uva-crispaGooseberry for a compact fruiting bush or a trained cordon: the twice-yearly prune it actually wants, and the mildew that catches an overfed one.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known

H

1 entry

Illustration of a potted heartleaf philodendron

Heartleaf philodendronPhilodendron hederaceumHeartleaf philodendron care for a shelf or a pole, with how often to water, why the stems go leggy, and how to root a cutting in a week or two.Light medium lightWater moderatePets unsafe

I

1 entry

Illustration of a potted inch plant

Inch plantTradescantia zebrinaInch plant care that keeps the purple stripe, with how often to water, why the stems go bare in the middle, and how to root cuttings in a week.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

J

1 entry

Illustration of a potted jade plant

Jade plantCrassula ovataJade plant care with the long watering interval it wants, the light that keeps it compact, why leaves drop, and how to root a single leaf.Light full sunWater moderatePets unsafe

L

3 entries

Illustration of a potted laurustinus

LaurustinusViburnum tinusLaurustinus for winter flowers on an evergreen hedge: why it needs almost no pruning, and the beetle that skeletonises the leaves in spring.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known No. 30

Illustration of a potted lavender

LavenderLavandula angustifoliaLavender care in a pot or a border, with the sun and drainage it insists on, when to cut it back, and why an unpruned plant goes woody and dies.Light full sunWater moderatePets unsafe No. 31

Illustration of a potted lucky bamboo

Lucky bambooDracaena sanderianaLucky bamboo care in water or in compost, with how often to change the water, why the leaves go yellow, and why it is not a bamboo at all.Light low lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

M

2 entries

Illustration of a potted mint

MintMentha spicataMint care in a container, with why it must never go straight into a border, how often to water, and how to keep the leaves coming all season.Light part shadeWater oftenPets unsafe No. 33

Illustration of a potted moth orchid

Moth orchidPhalaenopsisMoth orchid care that keeps it flowering, with how to water bark rather than soil, why the roots go silver, and what to do when the last flower drops.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets safe

N

1 entry

Illustration of a potted new zealand broadleaf

New Zealand broadleafGriselinia littoralisGriselinia for a wind-resistant coastal hedge: why it needs almost nothing done to it, and the wind scorch that is not actually a disease.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known

P

5 entries

Illustration of a potted parlour palm

Parlour palmChamaedorea elegansParlour palm care for a shaded room, with how often to water, why the tips go brown, and why you must never cut the growing tip off a stem.Light low lightWater weeklyPets safe No. 36

Illustration of a potted peace lily

Peace lilySpathiphyllum wallisiiPeace lily care for shady rooms, with a watering rhythm that keeps it from wilting, the humidity it wants, and why its white flowers turn green.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 37

Illustration of a potted photinia

PhotiniaPhotinia × fraseriPhotinia for red new growth on a hedge: how to time the trim so the colour keeps coming, and the leaf spot that never fully clears.Light full sunWater weeklyPets not known No. 38

Illustration of a potted pothos

PothosEpipremnum aureumPothos care made simple, with a seasonal watering interval, the light it really needs to keep its variegation, and quick fixes for yellow or limp leaves.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets unsafe No. 39

Illustration of a potted prayer plant

Prayer plantMaranta leuconeuraPrayer plant care with the humidity and water it wants, why the leaves fold up at night, what browns the edges, and how to root a cutting in water.Light medium lightWater weeklyPets safe

R

2 entries

Illustration of a potted rosemary

RosemarySalvia rosmarinusRosemary care in a pot or the ground, with the drainage it insists on, when to prune without killing it, and how to root a cutting in autumn.Light full sunWater moderatePets safe No. 41

Illustration of a potted rubber plant

Rubber plantFicus elasticaRubber plant care with the light and watering it wants, why the lower leaves drop, and how to cut a leggy stem back so it branches.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets unsafe

S

4 entries

Illustration of a potted snake plant

Snake plantDracaena trifasciataSnake plant care with the long soak-and-dry watering interval it prefers, the light it tolerates, and what a soft or wrinkled leaf is telling you.Light low lightWater moderatePets unsafe No. 43

Illustration of a potted spider plant

Spider plantChlorophytum comosumSpider plant care with the watering rhythm it prefers, why the tips go brown, and how to root the plantlets it hangs from every stem.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets safe No. 44

Illustration of a potted string of pearls

String of pearlsCurio rowleyanusString of pearls care that stops the beads shrivelling, with the light and watering it needs, why strands go bare, and how to fill a thin pot fast.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets unsafe No. 45

Illustration of a potted swiss cheese plant

Swiss cheese plantMonstera deliciosaHow to care for a Monstera deliciosa indoors, with a watering interval that changes with the season and the light, plus its usual ailments and their fixes.Light bright indirect lightWater weeklyPets unsafe

T

1 entry

Illustration of a potted tomato

TomatoSolanum lycopersicumTomato growing from sowing to picking, with when to start seed in each hemisphere, how much water a fruiting plant needs, and what splits the fruit.Light full sunWater oftenPets unsafe

W

2 entries

Illustration of a potted wax plant

Wax plantHoya carnosaWax plant care that brings it into flower, with the light it needs, why you must never cut the old flower stalks off, and how long it takes to bloom.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets safe No. 48

Illustration of a potted weeping fig

Weeping figFicus benjaminaWeeping fig care that stops the leaf drop, with the one position it wants, why it sheds after every move, and how to prune a leggy tree.Light bright indirect lightWater moderatePets unsafe

Y

1 entry

Illustration of a potted yucca

YuccaYucca giganteaYucca care indoors, with the sun and the long watering interval it wants, why the lower leaves brown, and how to cut a tall cane back and root the top.Light full sunWater moderatePets unsafe

Z

1 entry

Illustration of a potted zz plant

ZZ plantZamioculcas zamiifoliaZZ plant care for dark rooms and forgetful owners, with the long watering interval it wants, what yellow leaves mean, and how to split a crowded pot.Light low lightWater sparingPets unsafe