Indoor plants with fantastic foliage

Published on 20 September 2020

When you’re choosing an indoor plant, please take a good look at its leaves. Flowers are great, but they come and go, and indoor plants need to look good all year long. Do you want year-round fantastic indoor plants? Choose indoor plants with fantastic foliage that last all year. Fortunately, there are plenty of indoor plants with amazing leaves, and here are three of our favourites.

Growing crotons indoors

If you like your indoor plants colourful, then crotons are the plants for you. Their leaves can be big or small, rounded, narrow or twisted, and they’re variegated in green, orange, scarlet, purple or even black. Whatever your colour scheme, there’s sure to be a croton indoor plants to suit it.

Care tips for crotons

Crotons need some sunlight to develop the right colour, but not too much. Give them direct sunlight in the morning or evening, but shade them from the hot midday sun.

Keep the temperature above 15ºC
Water when the surface of the soil feels dry, and mist the leaves once a week.
Feed monthly in spring and summer with a general houseplant feed.

Growing calatheas indoors

Calatheas, also called prayer-plants, peacock plants and cathedral plants, have leaves that look as though an artist has painted them. Intricately variegated in green and cream, with touches of maroon and pink, they make an eye-catching addition to any room.

Care tips for calatheas

Calatheas do best in warmth and indirect light.
Don’t overwater. Wait until the surface of the soil is dry before watering.
Water regularly in summer, less frequently in winter.
Mist the leaves from below weekly to increase humidity.
Feed monthly in spring and summer with a general houseplant feed.
Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth occasionally to get rid of dust

Growing begonias indoors

You can never get bored of begonias. With over a thousand species and countless varieties, there are begonias of all shapes and sizes. Indoor begonias, including the famous Begonia rex and Begonia metallica cultivars, are grown for their spectacular foliage as well as their flowers. The leaves are often big and bold, with beautiful green, red, purple or silver markings.

Care tips for begonias

Begonias do best in bright but indirect light. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves.
Water regularly, keeping the compost moist but not soggy.
Don’t mist begonias, as this can encourage mildew. To keep the humidity levels around your begonia high, stand the pot on a tray filled with gravel and topped up with water.
Feed fortnightly in spring and summer with a high-potassium food to encourage flowers.
Keep the temperature above 13ºC