That seemed to be the opinion of many of the members who attended the November monthly meeting! It is certainly the view of the speaker, Ken Clarke who shared his enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject, telling us that having too many plants is never a problem – but keeping them alive might be!! House Plants are certainly back in fashion again – well known ‘plant influencers’ having thousands of followers on social media. More and more people want to have the benefit of a garden indoors as well as out, plants are used to improve decor and collecting and swapping plants provide a way of connecting with others. Ken outlined the different types of house plants; foliage, flowers & cactis and succulents. The most important requirement for healthy house plants is light – do some research before putting your plant in a particular place as some will adapt to less light. Ken gave some examples of good house plants to grow – such as the Spider plant, the Swiss Cheese plant, Sanseveria (snake plant); Crassula Ovata; Dragon Tree and the Double Z plant – Zamioculas Zamifolia.

Ken suggested a number of ways in which to ensure healthy plants, putting them outside in summer to benefit from rainwater; ensuring humidity by placing the plants on a saucer with pebbles so the bottom of the pot doesn’t get too wet but remains humid, using a Terranium and grouping plants together. plants should be planted in house plant compost so that it is not too compacted, plants need to be kept dust free, pruned and pinched out like garden plants. They should also be turned to ensure equal light distribution. Ken answered members questions and we were very pleased that the plant stall selling many house plants grown my our members raised money for our funds!!