10 of the best pot plants for your home

1. Palm
For its second comeback the kentia has thrown off its ’60s and ’70s connotations of Queen Victoria and the Empire. Now we’re loving it for its tropical elegance. And it hails from the Pacific Islands, no less, being endemic to Lord Howe Island, a dot in the Pacific between here and Australia. Relatively slow-growing, throwing up one frond a year, it seldom reaches more than 3.5 metres in captivity. Full sun tends to burn its leaves so give it bright but indirect light, and treat it right by giving it a shower in the rain now and then.

Fun fact: Kentia is for William Kent, 18th-century English landscape architect who started the “natural” style of gardening.

2. For animal lovers
Anyone partial to the soft and furry might find themselves drawn to another Pacific Islander. Fiji’s epiphytic rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia fejeensis) has lush bright green, filmy, ferny foliage emerging from the cutest rhizomes ever. These silvery-fawn furry rhizomes wrap themselves around and around the pot, just begging for a stroke. However, arachnophobes may detect a closer resemblance to tarantula legs. Easily grown if kept moist, it’s best kept out of direct sunlight in a warm spot with no major temperature fluctuations.

You may also like: The foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus) with its arching plumes. Actually a perennial, tuberous roots make this South African drought-tolerant – ideal for the inattentive or indolent pot plant owner.

3. On the rise
Quick, sell the monstera and cash in on possibly the hottest, hippest house plant, Pilea peperomioides, aka Chinese money plant. While becoming more common in dwellings around the world, this native to southern China is rare in the wild. It most likely earned its name for its ability to reproduce frequently, from babies which sprout around the base of the parent plant. Like nasturtiums, the stalk is attached near the centre of the leaf, allowing them to hang most prettily. Small and bright green, these plants exude freshness and simplicity. A collection of them in matching pots is the epitome of cool especially in minimalist or Scandi-style interiors. Apparently, they’re easy to grow…