Foliage & Ornamental Houseplants
Milmont Garden Center offers a large array of foliage and ornamental houseplants. Following is a list of plants we carry as well as some basic instructions for their care. To download the complate article, please see "Indoor Plant Culture."
Keeping plants clean and neat through regular grooming improves the appearance of plants and reduces the incidence of insects and disease problems. Remove all spent flowers, dying leaves, and dead branches. Keep leaves dust-free by washing plants with warm water and mild true soap – avoid detergent, which can cause damage to leaves and buds. Cover the pot to prevent soap from entering the soil. If tips of leaves become brown and dry, trim them off neatly with sharp scissors.
- 10388 Amaranthus Joseph's Coat 3" Pot
- 560 Baby's Tears Helxine 3" pot
- 13243 Baby's Tears Helxine 4" Pot
- 13208 Bird of Paradise 6" Pot
- 27459 Black Bat Plant 8" Pot
- 10477 Bleeding Heart 4" Pot
- 09066 Bleeding Heart 8" Hanging Basket
- 24245 Bougainvillea Grove Speciman
- 20904 Bridal Veil Tahitian Bridal Veil 3" Pot
- 473 Bridal Veil Tahitian Bridal Veil 8" Hanging Basket
- 1973 Clerodendrum 4" Pot
- 22477 Clusia Rosea 4" Pot
- 25754 Clusia Rosea 6" Pot
- 22894 Colocasia Assorted Cutbacks 6" Pot
- 27235 Colochia Mojito 10" Pot
- 23823 Crypthanthus 3" Pot
- 23590 Dianella Varigated Tasmanica 8" Pot
- 25365 Disocactus 6" Pot
- 12352 Ginger Assorted 6" Pot
- 22897 Ginger Pinstripe 6" Pot
- 23019 Grass Juncus Spiralis 4" Pot
- 22484 Grass Juncus Spiralis 6" Pot
- 23052 Gynura Purple Passion 6" HB
- 12527 Hedera Telecurl 4" Pot
- 11316 Hibiscus 10" Hanging Basket
- 23595 Homalomena Emerald Gem 6" Pot
- 15582 Honeysuckle Trumpet Tacoma Tree 10" Pot
- 13037 Lisianthus Assorted 5" Pot
- 635 Living Stones 2" Pot
- 20932 Living Stones Mimicry Plant 2.5" Pot
- 10795 Lubersii Brazilian Snow 10" Pot
- 20650 Lubersii Brazilian Snow 3" Pot
- 23910 Mimosa 6" Pot
- 25686 Mistletoe
- 25687 Mistletoe Med
- 17560 Mule's Ear 8" Hanging Basket
- 25922 Neoregelia Cosmos
- 22481 Nepenthes Pitcher Plant 6"
- 18245 Nepenthes Pitcher Plant 8"
- 12263 Osmanthus Fragrans (Tea Olive) 10" Pot
- 9091 Oyster Plant 3" Pot
- 18808 Oyster Plant Tricolor 3" Pot
- 12545 Pandanus Varigated 10" Pot
- 13192 Peacock Plant 4" Pot
- 14216 Pepper Ornamental Pepper 4" Pot
- 10494 Pepper Ornamental Pepper 6" Pot
- 10876 Piggy Back Plant 6" Hanging Basket
- 10405 Purple Velvet 3" Pot
- 20696 Resurrection Plant
- 10396 Scindapsus Silver Satin 8" Hanging Basket
- 675 Sedum Burro's Tail 6" Hanging Basket
- 27548 Selaginella Moss 6.5"
- 20748 Sensitive Plant Mimosa Pudica 3" Pot
- 23191 Setcreasea Purple Heart 3" Pot
- 10397 Strelitzia Nicolai White Bird of Paradise 10"
- 23153 Strelitzia Reginae Orange Bird 10" Pot
- 12918 Streptocarpella 8" Hanging Basket
- 22479 Syngonanthus Chrysanthus Mikado 4" Pot
- 23822 Syngonium Neon 4" Pot
- 22483 Tacca Bat Plant 6" Pot
- 22462 Terrarium Foliage 9.25"X3.5" Pot
- 25920 Volcano Plant-Anthurium Red
- 23600 Zamioculcas Zamifolia 4" Pot
- 23914 Z-Z Plant 8" Pot
- 19161 Z-Z Zamioculcus Zamiifolia Plant 6" Pot
Humidity can be increased by placing plants on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to within one half inch of the base of the pot. If you heat with wood, keep a pot of water on the stove.
Most plants should not be watered until the soil feels somewhat dry. There are commercially available water meters to determine the soil moisture content of container and garden-grown plants. However, the old tried and true method of sticking your finger into the soil is the most reliable. With experience you can lift a container and judge its water content and thus its need for water. Apply enough water to thoroughly saturate the potting soil. In most cases, the soil is saturated when water drains from the bottom of the pot. Placing a saucer under the container eliminates water damaging the surface where the container sits. In some cases, such as a root-bound plant, water will drain from a container before the potting soil is saturated. In this case, fill the saucer with water and allow it to be absorbed into the container. Make sure to empty the saucer once water is no longer being absorbed.
Fertilizers are salts and if you do not water thoroughly, salts can become concentrated in a potting soil. High soil-salt concentrations are toxic to roots and can kill a plant. So, regardless of your fertilization method (soluble or slow-release), thorough irrigation is necessary to keep salts from building up in the soil. To further avoid salt toxicity and to be on the safe side, one can always use less fertilizer than the recommended rate.
When the weather warms in the spring, houseplants can be put outside. Don’t be too anxious to move your houseplants outdoors, as even a good chill can knock the leaves off tender plants. To avoid cold temperature damage, find out the minimum temperature your particular indoor plants can tolerate. Make sure the outdoor light conditions are compatible with those of your plants. Plants can get “sunburned” if you move them from an average indoor light exposure to a full sun exposure of the outdoors. Avoid windy locations, since such exposure can tear leaves and accelerate water loss and increase watering frequency.
Houseplants that have been outside all summer should be allowed to make a fairly slow transition to indoor conditions. Quick changes in environment can result in yellow foliage and leaf drop. To avoid injury, bring plants indoors before temperatures dip below 55°F, do not wait for frost warnings. Check for insect pests before you move the plants; it is easier to get rid of pests while plants are still outside. Rinse the plants’ leaves, and soak pots in water for 15 to 20 minutes to drown most soil-dwelling pests.
To download the entire article, please click here.
This publication was originally authored by Diane Relf, Horticulture Extension Specialist (ret.), and Elizabeth Ball, Program Support Technician, Virginia Tech.
