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FROM barren deserts to snow-clad mountains to palm-fringed coasts or from birds to animals to flowers, there is never a gaudy colour-combination in nature’s palette. The palest of greens look good with the darkest or variegated leaves in a group of indoor plants, sitting pretty in a corner. Two beautiful foliage plants enhance the charm it has. Coleus: A colourful plant, normally grown as an annual, coleus is excellent for providing striking accents as background for flowering annual or as an indoor plant to add colour to your greens. Prized both indoors and outdoors for their colourful foliage, they come in fascinating varieties. The leaves grow from one to four inches long and the plants, themselves, grow about two to three feet high in a bushy fashion. The Rehnelt Coleus has a trailing habit and can grow in just plain water. Also known as Flame Nettle, coleus has insignificant flowers, which must be removed periodically to give it the desired bushy look. Even though coleus is a greenhouse perennial, it is generally grown afresh every year from seed or stem cuttings. Seeds are sown in March in cold climates and March to July and September in the northern plains. Germination takes 10 to 20 days and pinching off growing tips in early growth keeps the plants in good shape. Strong rays of the sun may scorch the leaves in a hot weather. Keep the soil barely moist at all times. Equal parts of loam, sharp sand and leaf-mould or peat moss, to which one tablespoon of ground limestone is added, makes a good soil mixture for pots. If a teaspoonful of 20 per cent superphosphate is mixed in the mixture, it will help the plants. Polka dot plant: Hypoestes or Freckle Face, which offers an array of colourful foliage, is an easy to maintain plant and fits in your collection of pots indoors or outdoors with ease. This plant has leaves spotted with pink. A rapid grower, usually becoming six to 12 inches tall, it has one to two inches long leaves, which are densely set and forms into a small, short mound of dazzling pink, silver and green. It matches flowering plants for colours yet with the lasting characteristics of foliage plants, it is suitable for display on its own or in mixed bowls where it can flaunt its pretty pink freckles. Polka plants do best in bright indirect sun. Soil should be barely moist at all times. For best results, pot in a mixture of one part loam and one part leaf mould to which a tablespoon or two of ground limestone has been added. For best mound-like
compact shape, plants need pinching of young shoots and not letting it
bear flower spikes. |
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