Spruce Up Your Home With Our Range of Houseplants
Autumn is not exactly our favourite time of year in the garden. With the cold starting to bite, and leaves and debris all over the ground, most gardeners will understandably be spending more and more time indoors. So why not divert your love and care into houseplants?
Often overlooked, houseplants can in fact unlock all sorts of benefits for the home. Whether you’re looking to add colour and vibrancy to a drab interior, or to enjoy the freshness of healthy plants in the home, our superb range of houseplants is just the ticket.
What are the benefits of houseplants?
When it comes to your health, there are plenty of benefits to houseplants. Chief among them is improving the air quality of your home by releasing fresh oxygen and sucking up toxic vapours (such as traces of carbon monoxide) as well as Co2. This helps with your breathing, as well as reducing the likelihood of common illnesses such as colds and flu.
Furthermore, a recent study by Texas A&M University showed how an abundance of houseplants can help workers and students to work better. Researchers found that the feeling of being in nature stimulates the human brain in all sorts of positive ways. Believe it or not, houseplants can improve your memory by up to 20%, as well as sharpening your concentration and productivity. So it’s official: our houseplants will boost your brain!
Our very best houseplants
1. Calathea
Just like their outdoor cousins, many houseplants can come and go in terms of popularity. Right now, our bestseller is without doubt Calathea, an attractive, leafy plant with a beautiful dark red underside. We stock a variety of Calathea, including the much-loved Lancifolia Insigne and Calathea Fraddie, both only £11.99 in a 14cm pot. Both are great examples of a “low light plant” that thrives under indirect lighting. As such, they are ideally suited to being indoors in offices and homes.
In terms of watering, Calathea are far from the thirstiest house plants. We recommend 3-4 doses a week in the summer months, with a little less in the winter.
2. Low maintenance houseplants
When it comes to low maintenance houseplants, nothing beats the invincible cacti. We are currently stocking a generous range of cacti, starting with small 5cm plants for only £1.49. Indoor Cacti plants can be left unattended for long periods, but we still advise that you water them once a week.
Succulents are another great option for low maintenance houseplants. At Oxford Garden Centre we stock a wide range of Aloe, from the compact to the mighty. Like our cacti, Aloe plants start at only £1.49 – bargain!
3. Small houseplants for your windowsill
There’s nothing prettier than a windowsill adorned with colourful houseplants. Narrowing down your options here can be tough, so we’ve picked out three of our favourite small houseplants. The first is African violet (or Streptocarpus to the experts), originating from tropical East Africa and available in a host of vibrant colours, including purple, pink and red. African violets can flower for many months if they’re properly looked after, especially if kept out of direct sunlight in the summer.
Our compact 7cm Begonias are a perennial favourite among customers, ideal for small pots and available in a wide range of species with beautiful and colourful foliage. We’re also hugely fond of Kalanchoe, which comes into its own in the run-up to Christmas thanks to its vibrant blooms which start to appear in late November and early December.
Pots and compost
We stock a generous range of compost for all the houseplants mentioned above. Our composts come in small 4L bags specific to cacti and succulents, orchids and other houseplants. This means you can buy the perfect compost to suit whichever plant you like, rather than relying on larger “all-purpose” compost bags.
As for pots, why not push the boat out with something a little different? Glass makes a nice change from opaque materials found on most houseplant pots. We’ve just begun stocking a 100% recycled glass terrarium for £24.99, with a height of 30cm. Alternatively, you could splash out on a handmade geometric terrarium (30x30x24.5cm) at £49.99 – it’ll steal the show!
All these delightful houseplants – and many more – are now on display at our garden centre in Oxford. Why not pay us a visit and enjoy a closer look at these wonderful plants, with our friendly team on hand to answer any questions you might have.