Aglaonemas (Chinese Evergreens)

How to choose an aglaonema

Choose by colour, then by size. Red Valentine (Aglaonema 'Red Valentine') is the most colourful, pink and red flooding the leaf with green only at the edges, on a compact plant to about 60cm. Siam Aurora has green leaves edged and veined in bright red, a little taller at 80cm. Eileen and Dang Mongkol are the silver-marbled forms, cool grey-green and cream on plants to 70cm, the look most people picture when they think of a Chinese evergreen. The New Guinea Shield is the largest, broad silver-centred leaves on a plant about 90cm tall and wide, substantial enough to furnish a corner on its own.

Where aglaonemas work

Anywhere indoors out of direct sun. The silver and green forms are among the most shade tolerant of all indoor plants and hold their looks in a hallway, an office under fluorescent light or a room lit from one window. The red and pink forms keep more colour in medium to bright indirect light. They dislike cold: keep them above about 12 degrees, away from winter draughts and air-conditioner outlets, which makes them a plant for inside the house rather than an unheated sunroom in Melbourne or Canberra. Outdoors they grow only in the shaded, humid gardens of the tropics and subtropics. The sap contains calcium oxalate and is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. They sit with our other low-light indoor plants and the wider indoor plant range.

Potting and repotting

Use a free-draining indoor mix in a pot with drainage holes, one size up from the grower pot. Aglaonemas grow slowly and are happy slightly pot-bound; repot every two to three years in spring. A plant that has grown leggy can be cut back to 10cm above the mix in spring and will reshoot from the base. Our guide to the best low-light plants places aglaonemas among the alternatives.

Care basics

Water when the top few centimetres of mix are dry, roughly weekly in summer and every two to three weeks in winter, and tip out the saucer. They forgive a late watering far better than a soggy pot. Feed monthly in spring and summer with a half-strength liquid fertiliser. Wipe the leaves now and then, and turn the pot so the plant grows evenly. Remove the small arum-like flowers, which are not showy and take energy from the leaves. Mealybugs and scale are the pests to watch; wipe them off with soapy water or methylated spirits.

Common questions

How much light does an aglaonema need?

Very little for the silver and green forms, which cope with a dim room. The red and pink forms want medium to bright indirect light to keep their colour.

Why are the leaf edges going brown?

Usually cold draughts, very dry air, or fluoride and salts in tap water. Move the plant away from vents and water it with rainwater or water left to stand overnight.

Is aglaonema safe for pets?

No. Chewing the leaves irritates the mouth and causes drooling and vomiting in cats and dogs. Keep it out of their reach.

How big does a Chinese evergreen grow?

Between 60cm and 90cm tall and about as wide, slowly, over several years. They do not outgrow a room.