House & Indoor Plants

Choose indoor plants by light first

Almost every indoor plant failure traces back to light or water, and light is the one you cannot fix with better habits. Stand in the room at midday and be honest about what you see. A bright room with a large north or east facing window suits the glamour plants: the fiddle leaf fig, the monstera, philodendrons, crotons and figs. A few metres back from the window, peace lilies, calatheas, dracaenas and most palms are happier than the sun lovers. For genuinely dim corners, hallways and south facing rooms, the short list is the honest list: snake plants, cast iron plant, pothos and the lady palm hold their looks where almost nothing else will.

Match the plant to the room

• Living rooms. One statement plant beats five small ones. Fiddle leaf figs, lady palms, weeping figs and corn plants all reach 1.5m to 2m indoors.
• Bathrooms. Steam suits the humidity lovers: ferns, calatheas and peace lilies thrive where other plants crisp at the edges.
• Desks and shelves. Peperomias, haworthias, jades and trailing pothos stay compact and forgive a missed watering.
• Bedrooms. Snake plants and peace lilies tolerate lower light and stay tidy without constant grooming.

Watering, feeding and the numbers that matter

Push a finger into the mix and water only when the top 2cm to 3cm is dry. In practice that means roughly weekly in summer and every two to three weeks in winter, but the finger overrules the calendar. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, let the pot drain, and never leave it standing in a full saucer for more than half an hour. Feed at half strength with a liquid fertiliser monthly through spring and summer, and not at all in winter. Give each plant a quarter turn every week or so to keep it growing straight, and wipe dust off large leaves so they can use the light you chose them for.

Pots, drainage and repotting

Keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot and sit that inside a decorative cover pot 2cm to 5cm wider. You get the look, the drainage and easy watering at the sink. When roots circle the base or water races straight through, repot in spring into a pot one size up using a premium indoor mix; most indoor plants want this every two to three years. The pots and planters collection includes indoor cover pots sized to the nursery pots these plants arrive in.

Indoor growing across the Australian year

Nearly everything here is a tropical understorey plant, which is exactly why it likes our living rooms: 18 to 26 degrees, no frost, bright shade. In northern Australia growth barely pauses, so keep up the water and feeding for most of the year. In the southern states, winter is the danger season. Move plants off cold windowsills at night, keep leaves clear of heater draughts, and halve the watering. Yellow leaves in July are nearly always wet feet, not thirst.

Common questions

Why are the leaves yellowing?

Overwatering, nine times out of ten. Check the mix before reaching for the watering can, and check the pot drains freely. Constantly wet mix suffocates roots, and the leaves report it first.

Which indoor plants are hardest to kill?

Snake plant, cast iron plant, pothos and jade. All four handle low light, erratic watering and being ignored over the holidays.

Are indoor plants safe around pets?

Not all of them. Monstera and peace lilies, for example, can irritate cats and dogs if chewed. Browse the plants safe for pets collection if you share the house with a determined chewer.

What size will my plant arrive?

Each product page lists the current pot size and height, from 130mm desk plants up to advanced specimens well over a metre. Indoor plants are delivered Australia wide, packed to travel, with delivery from $29.95, no minimum order, and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.