10 Great Plants That Need A Good Home

If you are deep in the throes of Plant Parenting (or just a Plant Lover), you are probably always looking for a new plant to add to your collection. I would like to suggest the following 10 candidates. These plants aren’t wildly new; in fact, you’ve probably seen most of them before. But give them a second look anyway - even the smallest, scrawniest brown dog in the pound has untold stories to share with you.

These are not in any particular order and I have thrown in a mix of types to (hopefully) offer something for everyone. Additionally, they are all fairly-easy to very-easy to grow, for those people whose eyes are bigger than their
nurturing skills. With the exception of the Fiber Optic Grass, this selection consists of tropical plants and several of them are toxic to a degree. While that should not necessarily disqualify them, it is something to consider for many people. I have also included links to more information on caring for them, so you can get the low-down quickly.

BRAZILIAN FIREWORKS (Porphytocoma pohliana) – aka Rose Pine Cone, Purple Shrimp, South African Acanthus, Jade Magic, and more. This South American native is nearly as flashy as a Carnival night in Rio. It's an evergreen with deep green leaves laced prettily with silver veins. But it’s the flowers that steal the show – they have fuchsia-colored bracts that clash beautifully with its small purple true flowers. The fireworks name may come from this explosion of color, but this plant also forcefully shoots out its seeds when the time is right. For more insight into this exceptional plant, check out this blog.

NERVE PLANTS (Fittonia argyroneura) – aka Fittonia, Mosaic Plant, and Net Plant. This plant comes from deep in the rainforests of South America. The foliage has an olive green background contrasted with bright veins of pink, white or red – the color variations seem endless. These low-growing plants are perfectly suited for a wide range of growing situations from tabletops to cover crops. Nerve Plants are very forgiving should you forget to water them - they can bounce back quickly. Check it out on this time-lapse video. Read more about these tropical beauties here and see more here.

STAGHORN FERNS (Platycerium spp) – aka Elkhorn Ferns and Antelope Ears. This fern is native to the jungles of Java, New Guinea and parts of Australia. What makes this plant unique (besides its antler-like foliage) is that it is both an air plant and a fern. Since this plant grows on tree trunks and rocks in its native habitat, it’s commonly mounted on a surface and then displayed on a wall or fence. This presentation can amplify the resemblance to antlers. But it can also be grown in a traditional pot and enjoyed as a hanging plant. Here’s more on this cool plant and here’s a tutorial on how to mount it.

AECHMEA BLUE RAIN (Aechmea spp) – aka Blue Rain Bromeliad. This stunner has its roots in Brazil and is decidedly low maintenance (which is probably not the case with other Brazilian stunners). This bromeliad only flowers once, but the flamboyant blue-violet flowers on orange spikes will last for months. After blooming, pups will appear around the mother plant. These pups will feed off their mother plant until it has deteriorated and they are big enough to produce blooms. Nature can be hardcore. Here’s more on this beautiful plant and here’s something to watch.

BUTTERFLY PLANT (Christia obcordata) – aka Swallowtail Plant. This herbaceous perennial is from East Asia and can grow up to 3 ft. tall. The exquisite triangular-shaped leaves with burgundy stripes are real show-stoppers. To some people, they look like the veining on a bird’s tail feathers, while others think they resemble butterflies at rest. However you see it, this is a spectacular addition to any plant collection. For more on the Christia obcordata, read this. For a little something on a different variety, Christia vespertilionis, check out this video.

AFRICAN MASK PLANT (Alocasia Sanderiana) – aka Kris Plant and Elephant Ear. These tropical plants have no connection to Africa, they are native to the Philippines, but they look like African ceremonial masks to enough people to have the name stick. This plant brings the drama with forest green leaves that have wide, stripe-like veining. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Alocasia Sanderiana is critically endangered in its native environment, so in growing this plant you are literally helping to save a species. Here is more information and here is an interesting video.

FIBER OPTIC GRASS (Isolepis cernua) – aka Livewire, Live Wire of
Fairy Lights. This fun plant is reminiscent of those funky fiber optic lamps. It’s a clumping plant with small flower spikes on the end of thin, bright-green stalks. Not technically a grass (it’s part of the sedge family), one variety or another is native to wide areas of the globe. Fiber Optic Grass is a multi-purpose plant in that it does well in most areas indoors or outdoors, in the ground or in containers. And it makes a captivating hanging plant. More on this delightful plant here and, if you are interested in planting it outside, check this out.

ALUMINUM PLANT (Pilea cadierei) – aka Watermelon Pilea. This alluring plant is originally from China and Vietnam, but it has found a place in homes worldwide due to its non-demanding nature. This smallish (6”-12”) evergreen will grow out umbrella-fashion and produce deep green pointed leaves patterned with silver markings that shine like tinfoil. This plant is very desirable for its beauty and easy care. The ASPCA has endorsed this plant as a non-toxic choice for animal lovers. To learn more, go here or watch this video.

PURPLE SHAMROCK (Oxalis triangularis) – aka False Shamrock and Love Plant. This gorgeous Brazilian is more than just a pretty face – it has moves! It will turn its leaves to and follow the light during the day and then close them up when night falls. It can also retreat. Let me explain: The Oxalis triangularis grows from a group of bulbs and when conditions above the soil deteriorate enough, the plant will allow some die back and then wilt and pull back into its bulbs until conditions improve. Like the Butterfly Plant, many people think this purple stunner resembles a swarm of butterflies at rest. This plant is toxic, but it has a very bitter taste that works well as a deterrent for most nibbly pets. Here’s more on this beauteous plant and here’s a video.

HARDY TAPIOCA (Manihot grahamii) – aka Graham’s Cassava, Graham’s Manihot, and Hardy Cassava. Pick this South American beauty if you have the space for a tall statement piece. It’s dramatic leaves and long, elegant shape will really pop in a sunny corner. It may come to you small, but it can easily grow several feet in a year and will eventually top out at around 10 feet. If you live in a warm climate you can turn it into an outside tree – the bees will appreciate it; they love the pale yellow flowers. The leaves and roots are poisonous, which will keep wild animals away if it’s outside but that may be a concern if you have pets. There’s more information here and a video on a different variety here.


As a reminder: We have great products to help keep your houseplants happy and healthy here.

I hope I have inspired you to commit to one of these delightful plants. If you already have amazing examples, send us pictures. If you plant some after this, send us pictures. Spread the beauty.

Submitted by Pam

Plant Parenting 2020

In my last blog, I talked about what’s trendy in gardening this year. My subject today is not just “in” for 2020, it’s been building for several years, but this year it’s come into full flower. I’m talking about houseplants, or more specifically –plant parenting. This relatively new term reflects that collecting plants is all the rage with young adults. While anyone with a love for plants and/or nature can appreciate this popular movement, the driving forces behind it are complex, compelling, and (like so many other things) heightened in this year of the pandemic.

When I was first reading about this subject, I was somewhat taken aback by the term “plant parenting”. Not only had I never heard of it, but it seemed a bit childish. However, I quickly came to realize that it has more of a whiff of sadness than immaturity. The fact is that young adults nowadays are putting off having children and just not wanting them is only a tiny bit of why. Staggering student debt, archaic and discriminatory employment practices, and lack of affordable housing conspire to keep people from starting families and pursuing the mythical American dream. So, some are putting their nurturing and latent farming instincts into their plant babies. Plants can also be a first step towards the responsibility of pet ownership. If you aren’t ready to take care of a plant, you may not be ready to care for an animal. One more advantage to plants: you can make any parenting mistakes (up to and including killing them) without consequences, except perhaps a little guilt. While this may sound cold, it can be reassuring to the anxious and inexperienced.

Apartments and other small-space quarters were once considered to be stepping stones to homes or, at least more spacious digs. Now that this is no longer a given, people are staying in these small places longer and making them as cozy as possible. This where plants come in. With plants, you generally do not need to worry about getting permission from or upsetting a landlord or paying additional deposits. They will not bark all day while you’re at work or pee wherever they want. This does not mean, of course, that you should turn your bathroom into a grow room – that could cause problems with more than the landlord. Here are some tips from a plant lover who has created an enviable oasis in an NYC apartment.

The rise of plant parenting may be based on serious social and economic realities, but it is fueled by social media – especially Instagram. This brand of social media is visually driven and inundated with beautifully staged images. A person may see an Instagram model and aspire to look that good one day, but for most of us, it is not ever going to happen. However, when one sees an inviting space full of lush houseplants, it can seem realistically attainable. And so the obsession begins. If you find yourself on the verge of jumping into plant parenting, here are some things to consider before you leap. And remember, ARBICO has help for houseplants, should you need it.

For many people, the health advantages of houseplants may not be top of mind when it comes to picking plants; but for millennials (who have been called the “wellness generation”), it’s part of the draw. Plants can improve air quality, reduce allergens, provide aromatherapy, produce medicine, and have innumerable mental health benefits (more on all they can do from WebMd here). Growing a plant that can directly benefit you is an easy step to getting self-care under control and that is not lost on many eager plant parents out there.

As the houseplant-loving community has grown, it has developed its own social media celebrities and favored bloggers like the Urban Jungle Bloggers. This blog calls itself “A Global Tribe of Plant Lovers” and embraces houseplants as/with design. They offer visually interesting and timely insights that appeal to hipsters all over the world. In April, they launched a challenge called “Stay Home with Plants” that addressed the lockdowns affecting everyone. It’s interesting to read about now, and is still relevant three months on. You can find it easily on their site.

In addition to social media influencers, more traditional communities of plant parents have appeared. Devotees can make actual human connections with like-minded people at a plant swap or a talk at a nursery. National conventions like the Tropical Plant International Expo have found a whole new and highly enthusiastic group of visitors with these young plant aficionados. I’ll bet they have changed the experience of convention-going for traditional attendees. All these events are an excellent avenue for someone to get out and make friends, and they are less sticky alternatives to online dating or meet-ups.

All of this may seem positive; but, just as with real parenting, there can be dark corners hidden from public scrutiny. Those with compulsive tendencies may find themselves over-buying and over-paying. Sometimes the act of acquiring is more fulfilling than the actual caring for the plant. This can cause an endless circle of buying as purchases die from neglect and new ones are bought to replace them. There are also instances where chasing the latest and most popular “it” plant has led to financial and emotional ruin. If you find yourself broke and you can barely make your way through the foliage in your apartment, you may have a problem.

Like everything else in 2020, this plant parenting thing has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. But not in a bad way. Sure, there are no plant swap meets or flower shows, but the community has been enriched with more eager and active members in lockdown. And nurseries, for the most part, have remained open. So it’s been easy enough for many to slip out and pick up a new baby, take it home, and hit Instagram to share it. Others are just staying home and nurturing their plants as they grow and change. And sharing that. After all, in a social media world, it is all about sharing and social media is wide open even when it seems the world is shut down.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on succulents (which are also experiencing renewed popularity) and unique houseplants.

Submitted by Pam