Peacock Plant

Peacock Plant (Calathea makoyana) has the best patterned foliage of any easy indoor plant: pale green leaves feathered with dark green brushstrokes, backed in deep purple red so the colour shows when light comes through. It stays compact at about 600mm tall and wide, which suits a side table, a shelf or a shaded courtyard pot, and it is not toxic to cats or dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that does the work of a flower. The markings are the whole reason to buy it. Flowers are insignificant and you will barely notice them indoors.
• Not toxic to cats or dogs. One of the few strongly patterned indoor plants safe within reach of a curious pet.
• It wants the light most plants refuse. Bright indirect light or genuine part shade suits it, so it fills corners a sun lover cannot.
• Compact and slow. At around 600mm each way it will not outgrow a shelf, and it needs repotting only every few years.

Where it works best

Indoors, anywhere in the country. Inside a heated or cooled home your climate stops mattering, which counts for a plant this frost tender. Bathrooms and kitchens are easiest because the air is naturally more humid.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it needs a warm, sheltered, shaded spot and belongs only in tropical and subtropical gardens. Elsewhere, keep it in a pot you can bring under cover. Group several together and they raise the humidity around each other, which is the simplest fix for crisp leaf edges.

Growing Peacock Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light indoors, or part shade outside. Direct sun bleaches the pattern and scorches leaf edges within days. It is frost tender and only suits tropical and subtropical gardens outdoors, so treat it as an indoor plant everywhere else.

Soil. A quality indoor potting mix loosened with perlite or coarse bark. It must drain freely while still holding moisture, and the pot needs a drainage hole.

Water and feed. Keep the mix lightly moist, never soggy and never bone dry. Water when the top 20mm feels dry, and use rainwater or filtered water if you can, because the brown crispy edges most owners see come from the fluoride and chlorine in tap water. Feed at half strength monthly through spring and summer only.

Humidity and grooming. A pebble tray or a humid room helps; misting does very little. Snip damaged leaves off at the base rather than trimming the edges.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in five sizes, all sold as multi packs: 125mm and 140mm in packs of ten, 175mm and 200mm in packs of six, and 250mm in packs of three. The smaller sizes suit anyone covering several rooms, while the 250mm plants are full and can go straight into a decorative pot.

Calatheas dislike the dark of a box more than most plants, so expect the leaves to look flat or curled on arrival. Unpack them the day they land, water lightly, and give them a week somewhere bright and indirect before you judge them. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The watering and light mistakes behind most indoor plant failures
• Browse the full indoor plant range
• More plants that are safe around cats and dogs
• Plants for rooms with very little natural light

Common questions

Why are the leaf edges turning brown and crisp?

Almost always dry air or the minerals in tap water. Move it away from heating and cooling vents, raise humidity with a pebble tray, and switch to rainwater or filtered water.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Yes. Peacock plant is not toxic to cats or dogs, which makes it one of the better choices for a floor level pot in a home with pets.

Can I grow it outside?

Only in tropical and subtropical gardens, in a sheltered shaded spot. It is frost tender, so in cooler parts of the country keep it in a pot indoors or under cover through winter.