In With The Old: Changing Up Your Houseplants

Houseplants warm interiors, clean the air, and brighten winter days. They’re fantastic for apartments and small space gardening. But sometimes it can get a bit boring with the same old plant. That sounds pretty bad — our houseplants give us so much that we should adore them no matter what. And we do, but we are always kind of looking for something new, bright, and shiny.

Enter the new varieties of the old favorites! Love your ferns, sansevieria, and pothos? Great! Check out some of the more unusual varieties to shake things up a bit. And if you’re looking for houseplants of the quirky or offbeat variety, refer to our article, “Our Favorite and Unusual Houseplants”.

Indoor Ferns as Houseplants

Most of us grow Boston ferns and asparagus ferns — they are classic and never go out of style, and fit nearly any interior décor style. But if you’re ready to expand your fern collection, consider these fun ferns:

Fern Houseplant Varieties

• Autumn fern (coppery leaf tint)
• Bird’s nest fern (thick, undivided leaves)
• Maidenhair fern (tiny, delicate leaves)
• Rabbit’s foot fern (brown rhizomes that creep over the edge of the pot)

The care is the same as your traditional ferns: bright, indirect light, and regular watering.

Sansevieria as a Houseplant

The common name of this houseplant is “Mother-in-law’s tongue,” which could be funny or cringe-worthy depending upon your family relationships.

The traditional sansevieria has green upright leaves edged with yellow, white, or silver. New forms and colorations, however, make this plant exciting again.

For modern interiors, consider S. cylindrical that features rounded leaves rather than the flat, broad ones we are familiar with:

Sansevieria Houseplant Varieties

• ‘Moonshine’ has silvery leaves
• ‘Gold Hahnii’ has bright green leaves edged with gold

Want a dwarf variety? Opt for:

• ‘Whitney,’
• ‘Black Jack,’
• ‘Futura Robusta.’

All sansevieria prefer bright to low light and twice a month watering.

Pothos as a Houseplant

Pothos is the first houseplant of many interior gardeners, and for good reason — it grows in a wide variety of conditions from low to bright light, and will tolerate an occasional missed watering. Standard pothos features medium green, heart-shaped leaves with a long trailing habit.

New Pothos Houseplant Varieties

• ‘Neon’ with bright chartreuse leaves
• ‘Trebi’ with dark green and silver leaves
• ‘Marble Queen’ with creamy white and green foliage
• ‘Satin’ with green leaves and silver spots