Maintenance

Higher Maintenance

23 plants · filter view, not indexed

Maidenhair Fern · Adiantum raddianum Delicate, fan-shaped fronds of tissue-thin foliage on fine black stems. Pet-safe and graceful, it demands constant moisture and humidity to stay lush.
Alocasia Polly · Alocasia × amazonica Dramatic arrow-shaped leaves of deep green edged and veined in silvery white. A striking but demanding aroid that loves warmth and humidity.
Zebra Alocasia · Alocasia zebrina Prized for its zebra-striped stems holding aloft glossy arrowhead leaves. An eye-catching collector's aroid that needs bright light and steady humidity.
Zebra Plant · Aphelandra squarrosa Striking dark leaves boldly veined in white, topped by bright yellow bracts. Beautiful but fussy, it demands warmth, humidity and steady moisture.
Albany Pitcher Plant · Cephalotus follicularis A rare carnivorous plant from south-west Western Australia, forming a low rosette of intricate ribbed, lidded pitchers that flush deep red in good light. A prized, slow-growing collector's species.
Water Hyacinth · Eichhornia crassipes A free-floating aquatic with glossy rounded leaves on inflated buoyant stalks and showy lavender-blue flower spikes. A declared noxious weed across much of Australia and illegal to keep in many states.
Nerve Plant · Fittonia albivenis A low, spreading plant with leaves laced in fine pink or white veins. Pet-safe and perfect for terrariums, it dramatically wilts when even slightly dry.
Rattlesnake Plant · Calathea lancifolia Long, wavy-edged leaves spotted like a rattlesnake's skin with rich purple undersides. A lively, pet-safe Calathea that folds upright as evening falls.
Peacock Plant · Calathea makoyana Intricately feathered leaves with translucent peacock patterning and purple undersides. A pet-safe stunner that demands humidity and softened water.
Calathea Orbifolia · Calathea orbifolia Large rounded leaves striped in silvery green that ripple with quiet drama. A pet-safe beauty that rewards humidity and even moisture with show-stopping foliage.
Blue Morning Glory · Ipomoea indica A fast, twining climber that opens a daily flush of large azure-blue to purple funnel flowers. Striking but highly invasive, it is a serious environmental weed that smothers bushland and gardens.
Japanese Honeysuckle · Lonicera japonica A vigorous twining climber valued for its intensely sweet-scented white flowers that age to yellow through summer. Beautiful and nectar-rich, but a declared environmental weed that smothers native vegetation.
Rose Grape · Medinilla magnifica A spectacular tropical shrub-like perennial with large leathery leaves and huge pendent panicles of pink flowers shrouded in showy pink bracts. A luxurious feature for warm, humid, shaded positions.
Tropical Pitcher Plant · Nepenthes alata A tropical carnivorous plant whose leaf tips extend into dangling lidded pitchers that fill with fluid to trap insects. Spectacular cascading from a hanging basket in a warm, humid, brightly lit spot.
Golden Bamboo · Phyllostachys aurea A tall running bamboo with upright golden-green canes that spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes. A serious environmental weed in Australia and only safe behind a deep rhizome barrier.
Black Bamboo · Phyllostachys nigra A handsome running bamboo whose canes mature from green to glossy jet black, prized as a feature. Spreads by invasive rhizomes, so must be grown in containers or behind a root barrier.
Water Lettuce · Pistia stratiotes A free-floating aquatic forming rosettes of soft, velvety pale-green leaves resembling a floating lettuce. A declared weed in Australia and prohibited in several states.
Madagascar Jasmine · Stephanotis floribunda A tender evergreen twiner with thick waxy leaves and clusters of pure white, powerfully fragrant tubular flowers prized in bridal bouquets. It needs warmth, humidity and a sheltered, frost-free spot.
Triostar Stromanthe · Stromanthe thalia 'Triostar' Bold leaves streaked cream, green and pink with vivid magenta undersides that flash when they move. A dramatic, pet-safe statement plant that craves humidity.
Blue Trumpet Vine · Thunbergia grandiflora A rampant, large-leaved evergreen climber hung with pendulous clusters of pale blue to mauve trumpet flowers. Spectacular over big pergolas in the tropics, but a serious environmental weed in warm regions.
Vanda Orchid · Vanda hybrid A bold tropical orchid grown in open baskets with bare aerial roots, bearing large flat flowers in striking blues, pinks and tessellated patterns. A spectacular warm-climate orchid for hanging displays.
Japanese Wisteria · Wisteria floribunda A graceful deciduous climber renowned for its exceptionally long, fragrant violet-blue flower racemes that open progressively from the base in spring as the fresh foliage unfurls. A breathtaking pergola plant.
Chinese Wisteria · Wisteria sinensis A spectacular deciduous twining vine that drips with long, fragrant pendulous racemes of mauve-blue pea flowers before the leaves emerge in spring. Vigorous and long-lived, it demands a sturdy support.