Chinese evergreen

Chinese Evergreen 'Dang Mongkol' (Aglaonema 'Dang Mongkol') is one of the few genuinely handsome foliage plants that holds its looks in a room with very little natural light. It makes a dense low mound of broad patterned leaves to about 70cm tall and 60cm across, and grows slowly enough that a pot stays in proportion for years.

Why you'll love it

• It performs in low light. Hallways, bathrooms and offices lit by ceiling panels all work. Growth is faster in bright indirect light, but it does not sulk without it.
• Broad, patterned foliage. Wide glossy marked leaves held on short stems in a full clump, rather than a leggy stalk.
• The right size for real rooms. About 70cm by 60cm fills a plant stand or a corner without taking over a walkway.
• Slow growing and forgiving. Happy in the same pot for three or four years, and a slow plant is a forgiving one when it comes to watering.

Where it works best

Indoors, anywhere in the country. This is the use it is grown for, and inside your climate stops mattering, which counts with a plant this frost tender.

Pots and containers. Choose a pot with a working drainage hole, only a little wider than the root ball. Aglaonemas resent a large volume of cold wet mix around small roots.

A note for pet owners. Aglaonema contains calcium oxalate crystals and is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, so keep it off floor level.

Growing Chinese Evergreen in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light gives the best growth and strongest markings, and low light is tolerated well. Keep it out of direct sun through glass, which bleaches leaves within days. Outdoors it belongs only in tropical and subtropical gardens in full shade, since it is frost tender.

Soil. A quality indoor potting mix opened up with perlite or coarse bark. It should hold some moisture but drain freely, and the pot must never stand in a full saucer.

Water and feed. Water when the top third of the mix has dried, then soak it and tip the saucer out: every seven to ten days in summer, every two to three weeks in winter. Half strength liquid fertiliser monthly in the warm months is plenty.

Pruning. None needed. Cut spent lower leaves off at the base, and wipe dust from the foliage so the plant can use what light it has.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is supplied as tube stock: a young plant with a handful of leaves and a compact root system. Because Chinese Evergreen is slow it takes a season or two to fill a 200mm pot, and two to three years to reach its mature 70cm. Pot it up one size at a time.

It travels well, though a bruised leaf edge can appear after transit and will grow out. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Give yours a week somewhere bright before the first water, and expect a month of stillness before new leaves. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to keep your indoor plants alive
• Shop plants proven in low light rooms
• The best low light plants for the home
• Browse the wider indoor plant range

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The sap contains calcium oxalate crystals, toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, causing mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting. Keep the plant on a stand or shelf if your pet chews leaves.

How dark a room can it handle?

It holds condition in a room lit only by a small window or ceiling lights, which few plants manage. Growth almost stops there, so expect it to stay near the size you bought.

Can it live outside?

Only in tropical and subtropical gardens, in full shade under a deep eave. It is frost tender, so in temperate and cool districts keep it indoors year round.