AEONIUM ARBOREUM ATROPURPUREUM’ Crassulaceae

Purple tree aeonium

This plant has dark bronze, spoon-shaped leaves 2-3in/5-8cm long; but the species plant has leaves of a fresh green color, and the variety ‘Schwartzkopf’ has almost black leaves. All form strong woody stems, which branch out freely and from which rosettes develop. The rosettes regularly shed some of the lower leaves, leaving the stems scarred at the points where the leaves were attached.

Panicles of small, bright yellow, star-shaped flowers form from the centers of the rosettes at the ends of the branches on mature four- to five-year-old plants. These blooms appear from winter through to spring, but once a rosette has flowered, it dies and must be cut out. Aeoniums need a lot of sunshine and fairly dry growing conditions.

FACT FILE

ORIGIN Spain; Portugal; Morocco; Sicily; Sardinia.

HEIGHT To 3ft/90cm.

POTTING MIX Two parts soil-based medium to one part coarse sand or perlite.

REPOTTING Move into a pot one size larger every spring. Newly potted plants should be firmly pressed into the potting mix.

PROPAGATION By seed, or by leaf or stem cuttings in spring or summer. KEEPING PLANTS Use terra-cotta pots instead of plastic ones, since mature plants tend to become top-heavy and fall over; stake tall plants.

  

PLANT CARE

Full sunlight all year. • Minimum winter temperature of 50°F/10°C; temperatures up to 75°F/24°C at other times. • Keep the potting mix moist during the growing period, on the dry side at other times; leaves will shrivel if it gets too dry. • Apply a weak liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks during the growing period. • Let the plant rest in winter.

As the plant grows taller, it may need staking.

Overwatering encourages soft, untypical growth, which is likely to droop.

Too little light will result in sparse rosettes and elongated, prematurely faffing leaves.

Aeschynanthus lobbianus Gesneriaceae

LIPSTICK PLANT

 

This epiphytic plant is closely related to, and resembles, columneas. It is ideal for use in a hanging basket, since its habit is to sprawl, and a simple flowerpot cannot always confine it adequately.

The plant originates in tropical rain forests, where it thrives in the high humidity. In the wild its woody stems follow the line of the often moss-covered tree branches, while the roots grow down into any suitable material. The pale green, fleshy, elliptical leaves are up to 2in/5cm wide and 4in/10cm long. During the spring and summer, clusters of 6 to 20 flowers bloom on, or very near, the tips of the stems, which can extend to 2-3ft/60-90cm. The long, blood-red flowers, with yellowish throats, arise from deep purple “lipstick cases.”

Aeschynanthus speciosus, the basket plant, has yellow-orange flowers, marked with red; A. mannoratus is grown not for its flowers, which are greenish yellow, but for its attractive foliage—mottled shiny and dark green on the upper surface, and flushed with red below.

If the stems are pinned into the soil, they often branch and make side shoots. The more growing tips, the more flowers.

Aphids may attack the plant; check it regularly for signs of infestation.

Fact file

ORIGIN Malaysia; Borneo; Java.

HEIGHT To 2ft/60cm.

POTTING MIX Coarse sphagnum moss, or a mixture of equal parts coarse peat, perlite, and leaf mold.

REPOTTING At any time; when the roots fill the pot, move the plant into a pot one size larger, or cut it back by one-third and repot it in the same pot.

PROPAGATION Take 4-6-in/10-15-cm tip cuttings in summer.

KEEPING PLANTS If kept in humid conditions, this plant does not have a rest period, so it will need watering and attention all year-round.

PLANT CARE

Bright light, with up to 2-3 hours of direct sunlight in winter, filtered light in summer. ♦ Normal room temperature. • Plenty of water when the plant is in flower, less at other times. # Raise the level of humidity by standing the pot on a tray of damp pebbles and misting the foliage daily. • Apply a weak liquid fertilizer at every watering.

 

Agave Americana Agavaceae

LENTURY  PLANT

 

A group of succulent plants grown for their “architectural” appeal, agaves are often referred to as century plants because of the mistaken belief that flowers appear only once every 100 years. In reality, plants will n: wer when they reach about 10 years of age; indoors, this is unlikely. This species grows so big that it can be used as a houseplant only when • ang—the leaves of a fully grown specimen may exceed 6ft/1.8m.

 

The plant forms a stemless open rosette of blue-gray leaves with needle-sharp points on the tips, so it must be kept out of the way of rassersby and children, and gloves should be worn when inspecting it. In spite of these drawbacks, this agave is magnificent when grown as a -recimen. Several variegated forms are available.

FACT FILE

ORIGIN Mexico.

HEIGHT Rosette to 6ft/1.8m and flower spike to 25ft/7.5m outdoors.

POTTING MIX Soil-based, with coarse sand or perlite added for I drainage.

REPOTTING In spring, move into a pot one size larger; top-dress plants that have reached maximum convenient pot size.

PROPAGATION Detach offsets 3-4in/8-10cm long from the base of the | riant. Leave them to dry for a day or two before potting them up. KEEPING PLANTS In good conditions, plants will last for many years. If they flower, the rosette will die.

Mealybugs may leave their telltale signs—tufts of white, waxy wool—on the leaves; toot mealybugs may also infest the plant’s roots, which will hinder its growth.

PLANT CARE

Subdued light. • Minimum wmnvli normal room temperature at ocher on in winter keep the soil just rr. -- • .^J with every watering from 0earhr

Aglaonema ‘Silver Queen’ Araceae

Painted drop tongue

Also called Chinese evergreen, this is a hybrid whose parent plants came originally from the subtropical forests of Southeast Asia. An important quality of most aglaonemas is their ability to thrive in poor fight. Aglonema ‘Silver Queen’ is a compact, low-growing plant, with leaves about 5-6in/12.5-15cm long, on short stems produced at soil level. It gains its name from the leaves, which are green only at the margins and along the main veins, with the rest of the leaf silvery white and cream. As the plant ages, it loses some of the lower leaves and develops a short, trunklike stem. Small, insignificant, petalless flowers appear in summer or autumn and are carried on a short stem at the top of which is a 2-in/5-cm-long arumlike spathe. Sometimes small orange poisonous berries are formed.

Leaf spot disease may infect the plant, and botrytis fungus may appear if conditions are too cool.

This plant likes warmth; a cold draft will soon damage the leaves.

Mealybugs and root mealybugs may attack aglaonemas.

FACT FILE

ORIGIN Southeast Asia.

HEIGHT To 3ft/90cm.

POTTING MIX Open, peaty mixture.

REPOTTING Repot in spring when necessary. Do not use a pot that is too large, since this plant grows best when its roots are confined. PROPAGATION In spring, divide the root clump; take tip cuttings or use sections of the old plant’s stem. Young plants need high humidity. KEEPING PLANTS Do not grow this plant where there are children or pets; the sap and berries are poisonous.

PLANT CARE

Subdued light. # Minimum winter temperature of 60°F/16°C with normal room temperature at other times, ft Water freely in summer; in winter keep the soil just moist. • Apply a weak liquid fertilizer with every watering from early spring to late summer.