Adam tries out the latest kit for healthy indoor plants
In the darkest depths of winter, I find myself turning to our houseplants for more comfort than usual. Although they too are taking a slight rest, they still give me a tremendous amount of joy during these wintery times.
However, I cannot profess to being a houseplant guru, nor should you ever reach out to me for houseplant advice, primarily because I fulfil that age old stereotype of being a gardener, with poor houseplant skills. That said, I haven’t killed a houseplant in several years now, which I put down to determination and making sure I’ve got the right tools for the job, some of which I’m sharing with you here.
New home for a rescued houseplant
If you’re to become a houseplant parent then you’ve got to start with a plant (or 12) and what better way to start than with a rescued one? Houseplant expert Sarah Gerrard Jones has created a partnership with Grow Tropicals as a way of being able to offer houseplants that may have some small cosmetic damage but are otherwise perfectly fine, and at a much-reduced rate.
I’ve had several of these from Grow Tropicals now and I can confirm that every single box has contained a delightful range of plants, each with only a very minor defect or a tiny tear on a leaf. It is an affordable way of trying houseplants and filling your home with them at a fraction of their usual cost. Think of those ‘wonky’ vegetable bags you get at the supermarket but in houseplant form and you’re not far off.
Available from www.growtropicals.com starting at £15 for the standard box.
Watering in style
Of course, you can water houseplants with any old receptacle, but why not add a touch of class to your houseplant collection by watering them with the stunning Rowley Ripple Green 2-pint watering can from Haws? These beautiful cans are handcrafted in the UK by experts along a production line that includes 200 individual steps to make. Small but mighty, these cans are made to last and they look superb. Available in either a natural copper finish or in a variety of powder-coated options, they come in a gift box too should you wish to give one to a friend.
Available from www.haws.co.uk with an RRP of £70
Food for thought
Westland’s Houseplant Feed is the ideal food to keep the majority of your houseplants happy. Suitable for a wide variety of houseplants from snake plants to beautiful peace lilies, this contains all the ingredients they need for healthy green foliage and longer lasting flowers. But the thing I love about this the most is the easy fill top, that gives you the perfect 5ml amount, for you to add to 1 litre of water.
Available now from www.marshallsgarden.com, with an RRP of £4.99 for a 200ml bottle.
Top tools
Once your houseplants are thriving you will need to give them some on-going attention which requires the right equipment for the job. Burgon & Ball have just the set of tools for those fiddly things you might need to do with houseplants that your garden trowel is too cumbersome to deal with. These tools are not only the winners when it comes to houseplants, but they are also ideal for creating terrariums. The long handles and smaller heads give you the access and reach for an extended range of tasks, and if these kick start your miniature tool collection then you might also want to seek out Burgon & Ball’s other tools in the range including their houseplant pruner, orchid snips and Japanese pruning scissors. Available from burgonandball.com with an RRP of £11.49
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