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Flipping through Mercury, the Journal of the British unit of Interflora, I was surprised to read that potted plants, "are stealing the show, elbowing out cut-flowers, which by tradition have been the sales leaders in our shops". A list of the most popular potted plants included some aroids from araceae family like deffenbachias, monstera deliciousa, philodendron, syngoniums. Two of the most beautiful aroids that need more attention are caladiums and spathiphyllums or Peace Lilies, which do beautifully well in our warm climates. Caladiums are tuberous rhizomatous roots tropical perennials grown for their heart or spear-shaped bright leaves which may range from six to 24 inches. They come in endless combinations of red, pink, silver, white and green and grow on stalks emanating directly from the tubers. They throw up spathes in white or light pink or green but are generally grown for the beauty of the multi-coloured foliage, which is the main attraction. Fancy leaved caladiums are tolerant to quite a variety of light conditions from filtered light to deep shade. They love humidity, hence must be kept away from draught or else the leaves may curl up and die. Keeping pots on pebbles in a tray of water to provide humidity or even misting or syringing the plants, walls and paths around them may be a useful idea. Six inches pot size is generally the preferred size for varieties not having extra large leaves. Equal parts loam, leaf mould or peatmoss, sharp sand and farmyard manure are good for them. However, it is better to use dried cow dung broken into pieces rather than fine sifted manure as the rubble like texture allows a good drainage. Pot the tubers directly, or after starting them in moist moss, firm them and cover with an inch of soil and water moderately till leaves appear. Water freely thereafter. Gradually withhold water before autumn when the foliage gets listless and keep almost dry throughout winters in a place away from frost. Spathiphyllum wallisii — Peace Lily or White Sails is a moderately easy to grow aroid. Originally grown in Mexico, Peru and Brazil, the ornamental houseplant grows at the foothills of mountains, moist shady places and along the edges of rivers and ponds. They have evergreen broad lance-shaped, glossy stalked leaves up to 12 inches with white arum shaped flower heads which consist of a spathe and a spadix. Spathiphyllums have short underground rhizomes. Since these are moisture-loving plants, never let the mixture dry out completely. Protection from direct sunlight is essential. Propagation by the
division of clumps may be done at almost any time of the year other
than when the plants are in bloom. In North India, they glower in
March to May but with ideal conditions spathiphyllums can flower
throughout the year. Equal amounts of sand, leaf mould and farm yard
manure is a good pot mixture. Peat based soil mixture can also be
used. |
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