As winter approaches, we are also adjusting our indoor plants for changing of conditions in light and humidity.  A few plants come from outdoor locations to pots indoors.    Some houseplants are indoors all year long.       Since the best indoor locations and care vary from plant to plant, we need to have a guide to remind ourselves of the right level of maintenance and care.   A few of our indoor plants are shared here.

In the gallery are houseleeks (Sempervivum tectorum), Indian borage (Plectranthus ciliatus),  coppertone sedum (Sedum nussbaumerianum), Persian shield (Strobilanthes auriculata), rubber plant (Ficus elastica), Satin pothos (Scindapsis pictus), wandering-jew (Tradescantia fuminensis sp.), monstera (Monstera deliciosa),  painted-leaf begonia (Begonia rex sp.), and fishbone cactus (Epiphyllum anguliger).

All photos by the author.   Click an image for a lightbox (larger) view and a caption/ID.

plectranthus ciliatus

orchid

coppertone stonecrop

monstera

painted-leaf begonia

wandering-jew

Persian shield

Persian shield

rubber plant

Satin pothos

fishbone cactus

A few notes on these houseplants:

• Houseleeks are part of the Sempervivum family, a group of about 40 species and many varietals.    Hens and chicks are one of the better hardy sedums for the garden.
• Other names for Indian borage are speckled spur flower and blue spurflower.    It is an evergreen ground cover in the Lamiaceae (mint, deadnettle, sage, …).   It looks very similar to coleus.
• Coppertone sedum is a native plant to Mexico where it grows on rocky slopes in full sun.   They can be placed outside in the summer, but need to come back indoors for colder temperatures.   It prefers dry conditions indoors.
• Persian shield is an tropical annual (or herbaceous perennial in Zones 10-11) with bright purple, silver, and green foliage.   Small flowers may appear in late fall.
• Rubber plant is an easy indoor plant that grows up to 100 feet in its natural habitat, and up to about 2 m indoors.    It prefers indirect light and to have moist soil.
• Satin pothos is a (climbing or trailing) vine has heart-shaped (variegated) leaves.
• Wandering-jew is a trailing plant that can grow to 2m.   It has heart-shaped colorful leaves.   They prefer Indirect bright light and higher humidity .
• Monstera is a genus of plants, sometimes called split-leaf philodendron.  It can grow tall, with large leaves if kept in a warm, humid location with indirect lighting.
• Painted-leaf begonia is a semi-tropical perennial (Zones 10 – 12) with bright, variegated leaves.   It prefers bright, indirect light.
• Fishbone Cactus is an epiphytic plant which grows under the canopies of evergreen forests in Mexico.    It flowers in the fall with the right growing conditions.

More information on specific houseplants will be added over time, and other plants will be featured in galleries over the winter.