Now that we’re in the swing of spring, it’s only natural to crave a little extra greenery before the world outside starts to leaf out—enter your next haul of tropical indoor plants! If you’re mulling over what to add to your collection this season, these ones are worth checking out during your next visit to our garden centre in Guelph.
Finding a tropical houseplant that thrives in low-light indoor situations isn’t always a cinch. If your windows mainly face north and light is at a premium in your home, snake plants are some of the best value for voluminous, beautiful foliage that works with your space.
Best Features: Low-light, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, air-purifying.
Dragon Fingers are a variety that has just recently started to gain popularity, but we carry these absolutely awesome painted varieties that are just perfect for spring. The plant is dipped in a safe, velvet-finish paint that brings a refreshing pop of colour to low- or medium-light rooms. You can choose from spring-friendly tones like white, neon yellow, mint, or sky blue, or opt for moodier jewel tones like crimson or royal purple. I love these plants as a focal feature for offices, bedrooms, or a baby nursery.
Laurentii is a crowd-pleaser thanks to its gorgeous variegated foliage. Rarely does a plant so beautiful tolerate so much neglect; Laurentii only needs two fertilizer applications per year, and only needs to watered as often as you pay your hydro bill. These stately columnar plants are perfect for livening up living rooms, entryways, hallways, and bathrooms.
Ferns are some of the oldest houseplants around; the Victorians loved to stick them everywhere because they did such a great job of keeping the air fresh and beautifying the space. The secret to keeping the lush tropical foliage of these indoor plants looking healthy is LOTS of moisture—unlike some houseplants, ferns hate drying out and need evenly moist soil and relatively high humidity at all times. If you can deliver on their care requirements, these pet-friendly plants will perform well and look fantastic in virtually any room or pot style.
Best Features: Great texture, excellent for all pot styles including hanging baskets, very effective at purifying air.
Boston: A classic variety that hails from tropical regions (and not Massachusetts, as the name would lead you to believe), this is a long-beloved indoor plant famous for its gorgeous bright-green fronds. While they look elegant in any room with low to medium light, Boston ferns thrive best in the naturally humid environments such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Kimberly Queen: With unique, finer-textured fronds than the Boston fern, the upright habit of this fern has a dignified appearance fit for a queen. Best suited to medium-to-bright light, this is a fabulous eye-catching plant that loves the humidity of bathrooms and kitchens but looks stunning just about anywhere. The large 10” plants are especially swoon-worthy!
It simply isn’t spring without flowers! Now that the sun is out a little longer and the temperatures are rising, we’re all in the mood to bring some tropical colour indoors, and these vibrant plants more than deliver. You might recognize mandevilla flowers if you’ve ever vacationed in Mexico, where the vines grow abundantly on many city streets. Since most of us aren’t doing the tropical vacation thing this year, these indoor or outdoor plants are the next best thing.
Best Features: Amazing colour, heat-resistant, ideal for bright windows, can also be used for patio decor, attracts butterflies outdoors.
We carry mandevillas in a number of attractive forms to fit the space you hope to enhance.
Trellises made of bamboo give the vibrant vines a place to climb; these are ideal for working into another tall structure or on their own in a sunroom on an outdoor patio.
Bush form mandevilla is much more compact, ideal for smaller indoor spaces where this tropical plant won’t have a ton of room to climb.
Hooped mandevillas are trained into this shape for extra height, but they also make a neat focal feature in sunny indoor spaces or outdoors in containers.
Teepee is a form that combines the climbing vines with an upright support; it’s so-named due to a stable base that tapers upward. A great option if you plant to train this tropical beauty to climb a structure such as an indoor plant ladder an outdoor pergola.
These striking foliage plants are having a real moment in 2021. The massive leaves on these plants are incredibly expressive; from brooding blacks and burgundies to energizing, tropical shades of brilliant green—and they’re just as gorgeous outdoors as they are indoors. Elephant Ears are also moisture-lovers, making them excellent accents for your water feature in the summertime.
Best Features: Outstanding foliage, unique leaf colours, excellent large-scale plant, can also be used for patio decor, outdoor container arrangements, or focal points near water features.
Black Coral: An intense black number that is guaranteed to capture attention. Best suited to bright locations like south-facing windows or sunny outdoor spaces, the deep colour and incredible scale of the leaves can’t help but create dramatic contrast wherever they go.
Polly: A smaller but just as dramatic variety that looks even more exotic than most tropical indoor plants thanks to its dark, high-gloss leaves with bright white margins. As a moisture lover, Polly would do best in a windowed bathroom (especially one with a dark or high-contrast colour palette).
Dragon Scale: This is a must-have for rare plant collectors. The ribbed texture, dark green and silver tones, and matte finish of the foliage will undoubtedly stand out in any well-lit room. This is one you’ll need to watch for; when we have it, it doesn’t stick around long!
If you’re determined to create the most tropical environment possible, you simply can’t skip palms—and they make truly excellent indoor plants—especially if you have pets!
Best Features: Fabulous texture, many varieties are tolerant of lower light, great for adding tropical feel to indoor or outdoor spaces, air-purifying.
Majesty: Majesty is, true to its name, a very majestic plant. The massive fronds of these varieties are slow-growing but highly impactful; ideal if you’re looking to fill a large space with very specific dimensions. These are excellent plants for open spaces that need a big plant for the corner; think dining rooms, living rooms, dens, and sunrooms.
Parlour Palms: A fairly large palm family that includes the popular Cat Palm and Neanthe palm, these palms are available in compact or larger sizes and are very low-maintenance and low-light-tolerant.
Can’t get enough? There are far more recommendations where these came from! Keep an eye on our online shop for new arrivals or stop by to see for yourself. You can also chat with us and see what’s new by visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
