Adventurous Unusual Houseplants in Demand

The world of houseplants is much grander than the selection at your local home improvement store would lead you to believe, and many different varieties of unusual houseplants spruce up your collection. Thanks to online plant purveyors and the legwork of plant collectors who scour remote regions looking for new specimens and unique and rare houseplants for our homes, you can cultivate plants that are normally found only in places like Madagascar or South Africa.

Although these plants may be unusual because they have different shapes, colors, flowers, and growing habits to choose from, they are no more difficult to grow indoors than any of the other most popular plants. 

Desert Rose

The desert rose grows in the arid regions of Africa and the Middle East. True to its name, the desert rose thrives in hot, dry conditions. Although the plant resembles a bonsai tree in form, the swollen trunk is an adaptation for storing water in drought conditions. Give your desert rose high levels of light and good drainage. It’s natural for plants to enter dormancy in the winter, so don’t be alarmed if leaf drop occurs. Keep it in a cool sunny window and when outdoor temperatures rise above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, give it a vacation on the deck to spur new growth. Desert rose is toxic to humans and animals.

• Name: Desert rose (Adenium obesum)
• Light: Full sun
• Water: Keep moist when growing, reduce to once monthly when dormant
• Soil: Sandy, cacti soil, well-drained

Banana Shrub

The banana shrub is named for its sweet tropical scent, but it is not related to the fruiting banana tree. Michelia figo plants are a member of the magnolia family and exhibit similar cup-shaped blooms on compact shrubs that usually don’t exceed three feet in container culture. The banana shrub is a middle-of-the-road plant in all of its needs; provide it with partial sun, moderate watering, and average room temperatures, and it should thrive.

• Name: Banana shrub (Michella figo)
• Light: Bright, direct sunlight
• Water: Water well and let top 1-2 in. of soil dry out before watering again
• Soil: Slightly acidic, well-draining medium such as African violet mix with peat moss

Coffee Plant

The coffee plant is indeed the same plant that keeps you in java, although you might get a caffeine headache waiting for enough berries to mature on your coffee plant for a viable harvest. Sporting attractive glossy green foliage, the coffee plant is a member of the gardenia family–and it’s often confused with the coffee tree (Polyscias guilfoyei)–so expect fragrant white flowers to precede the red berries that yield coffee beans.

Coffee plants appreciate humid conditions and moderate light. Plants may grow quite large, but if you prune them back severely, they will grow back to flowering size within a year. The coffee plant is toxic to humans.

• Name: Coffee plant (Coffea arabica)
• Light: Partial sunlight
• Water: Ample watering but do not keep soil soggy
• Soil: Acidic, peat-based potting soil, moist

Source: thespruce.com©

Photo credit: hgtv©; bhg©; The Spruce©