DENVER — As local garden centers begin restocking for the upcoming season, now is the time to find rare or hard-to-find houseplant varieties to add to your collection. It can be fun to grow new varieties of houseplants. Sometimes they work out and, sadly, sometimes they don't. But - if you care for them properly, you will have a stunning, long-lasting indoor display.
Here are a few of our favorite new finds:
Rex Begonias, also called painted-leaf or fancy-leaf begonias. They have large, colorful leaves in shades of green, red, silver, and purple. These plants are grown for their showy leaves as their blooms are small and not that eye-catching. Varieties include Shadow King - Cherry Mint, Bewitched White, and Chocolate.
This plant's name is a mouthful - Epipremnum Pinnatum Variegata. It is a trailing/climbing plant with beautiful, variegated leaves. As a young plant these leaves will grow long and arrow-shaped. They will eventually start to split as the leaves mature.
Silver Sword Philodendron develops stunning foliage and makes a wonderful statement houseplant. This plant is also great for use in terrariums.
White Wizard Philodendron is rare but easy to grow. This climbing variety will produce showy leaves, so give them a pole or trellis to climb on.
Streptocarpus Ladyslippers are a variety of primrose that make an excellent houseplant. They have fabulous, long-lasting blooms. Varieties include Deep Blue Vein and Yellow Blue Eyes.
These plants are an investment so make sure you know how to properly care for them. Consult the knowledgeable staff at your local garden center for proper care. If you purchase your plants on a cold day, protect them with a plastic or paper cover. Houseplants are very susceptible to cold. Don’t damage them even in the short trip from the warm garden center to your car.
A thought on rare or fancy varieties of houseplants - you can propagate them if they are for personal use, but if you propagate to resell please do your research to see if that plant is patented. You will need permission or a license to propagate and resell. That’s why you should buy plants from a known source like your local garden center. They will always follow industry standards for these patented varieties.
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