Houseplant of the Month: July

Houseplants: like the perfect man... long lasting, great looking and low maintenance.  

What is not to love?  

Which is why the Flower Council of Holland have launched their Houseplant of the Month Campaign throughout 2015.  Each month they have chosen their favourite Houseplant and given a ton of information on the history and uses of the plant, how to choose a nice healthy one, and how to take proper good care of it.

We thought we'd do you all a favour and follow their lead, condensing the info in our own monthly feature.  

In the seventh part of our series...

July: the Ficus Ginseng

The Ficus Ginseng, often sold as a bonsai tree, is a perfect choice for a high impact houseplant.



Interestingly, this boy is from the same family as the Mulberry, the hop and the rubber plant.  

What a bunch of high achievers...

Ficus Ginseng plants prefer a light position out of full sunlight.  Water regularly (even more so if you have no choice but to pop him in a particularly light position) and don't let the root ball dry up.  Ease up on the watering in winter though.

Remove any yellow or browny leaves and you can prune your plant  (the leaves, not the root) in the winter to keep the bonsai shape. 

Grown predominately in China and Malaysia, the main focus of the growth when cultivated is on the root - the 'Ginseng' - which takes years to develop.  

The leafy part of the plant - the 'Ficus' - is then grafted on to the root to complete the plant and pruned expertly to achieve the bonsai vibe.

And it doesn't look a bit like the creepy ginger root baby from Pans Labyrinth when unpotted AT ALL...