Text and photo: Laura Pigeon
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In this article, I wanted to introduce you to 5 beautiful plants with darker foliage to decorate your home.
The Philodendron Micans
In my opinion, it is one of the plants that are quite easy to care for. I love the look of its leaves that shine in the sun. They look like they are made of velvet. For its care, I recommend placing it in a very bright room. It can live well in a less bright area, but it will produce smaller leaves due to the lack of light. As for watering, it's quite simple: just water when the soil is dry on the top two cm. However, it's better not to forget it because a few yellow leaves will appear. The Philodendron Micans can either trail down or climb on a stake.
The Alocasia ‘Frydek’
Admit it, you clearly knew I was going to talk about this beautiful plant? Indeed, the Alocasia ‘Frydek’ is one of my favorite plants. I find its dark green foliage and velvety appearance magnificent. It is a plant that can become quite large when well cared for. It is also possible to propagate it with the bulbils it produces at its roots. For care, I recommend repotting it in well-draining soil and keeping the soil slightly moist. Note that Alocasias go into a deep dormancy in the fall and winter. It is not uncommon for your plant to produce almost no leaves during this period. For me, it is in October that it is the most beautiful. Then, fall arrives and it loses a few leaves.
The Anthurium clarinervium
The Anthurium looks a bit like Alocasias, I find. It is a beautiful plant and quite easy to care for. I recommend placing it in a well-lit area without direct sunlight. I water when the soil is dry. What I find really pleasant about this plant is that when it produces a new leaf, it is very small. As long as it is not the color of the other leaves, it will continue to grow. It's quite surprising to see.
The Ficus elastica ‘Burgundy’
Ficus plants are beautiful for enhancing our decor. Even more so this one, which stands out with its dark green leaves. I find it adds a nice contrast to a room with pale walls. Its care: Ficus plants love the sun. Giving it exposure to direct rays is ideal (south or west window). As for watering, I advise not to let it dry out too much. I water my Ficus about once a week. But it is very important to always check the state of the soil before watering. We don't want to let it dry out for too long, but the soil should generally be dry on the surface.
The Stromanthe sanguinea
I find that we don't talk enough about Stromanthes! They are beautiful plants and relatively easy, in my opinion. They are part of the "prayer plant" family like Marantas and Calatheas. They require a fairly high humidity level, though. I suggest misting regularly, growing on a bed of clay pebbles, or placing near a humidifier. During the day, its leaves will be more horizontal, while in the evening, they will all be raised upwards. I also recommend keeping the soil slightly moist at all times. As for exposure, it requires good light but no direct sunlight, which can burn its leaves. It may end up with dry leaf tips: this is a sign of a lack of humidity.
This completes my article! I hope you enjoyed it. Are these plants you have at home? If not, I recommend stopping by your Passion Jardins garden center to get one... or two? See you soon!
Tips and advice
