Back To School With A Plant

If you’re sending a kid off to boarding school or varsity, why not send a pot plant with them to make their surroundings a little calmer and more serene?

There are a few suggestions though to make sure that the plant will grow and flourish in its surroundings. Firstly, choose a plant that is tough and will survive a few days of neglect. Check out our selection of plants just for this purpose.

Send them off with care instructions:

• Water every week.
• Give it plenty of bright light.
• Place one plant food stick into the soil once a month

Variegation On Trend

Peperomia prostrata

Also known as string of turtles, this peperomia is a gorgeous little vine with long stems and the cutest variegated leaves – like turtles. Like most peperomias, don’t overwater it, in fact, the once-a-week rule may have to be extended to once every 2 weeks. They love the warmth and bright light.

Peperomia argyreia

You can see why this peperomia is called the watermelon peperomia because of its lovely, variegated leaves that shimmer in the sunlight. It is also a tropical plant that likes humidity and bright light, but be careful not to over- or under-water.

Haworthiopsis

Previously Haworthia, this pretty spike succulent is another hardy plant that requires very little care. Like all succulents, the lighter the better, so choose the best bright spot. Don’t overwater and don’t worry if it doesn’t grow very much, they are very slow-growing, but have a lovely zebra stripe on its leaves.

For A Touch Of Colour

Anthurium

The new hybrids of anthurium (laceleaf) have very beautiful coloured waxy spathes like orange and dark purple to almost black. They come from the tropics so would love a misting regularly to give them more humidity.

Orchid

A flowering orchid is a favourite for its long-lasting flowers in a multitude of colours. They are also easy to care for and once they have finished flowering (they may even last a whole term), they will still have attractive fleshy green leaves.

Spathiphyllum

The peace lily is a forgiving plant and even tells you when it needs water by drooping its leaves. It will produce white spathe-like sails with enough bright light, adding a touch of colour to the glossy green leaves.

Leafy Green Forever

Monstera

One of the favourite plants of the time and perfect for a desk with a little more space. It’s a leafy green plant that will grow in almost any environment out of direct sunlight and will be very healthy with a good misting daily. Rotate your monstera every so often to keep its growth even.

Hoya carnosa

This upright creeper is attached to a moss pole, so can also be used for a high shelf to trail down. It is also known as the wax plant because of the waxy, water-storing leaves making them easy to care for and a good plant for beginners. After a few years, you may even be rewarded with some stunning balls of flowers that have little red circles in the middle of star-shaped pink velvet petals.

Ficus ‘Ginseng’

For a seriously tough plant, this Ficus ‘Ginseng’ ticks all the boxes. Water is stored in the thick bulbous roots, so it stands to reason that watering is moderate but it does like humidity, so keep a mister on hand. This plant makes an excellent beginner plant for bonsai enthusiasts.

These plants are grown by LVG Plants and are available from retail outlets and garden centres.