h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The spider plant is the best quick-fix plant for those on a small budget. It adds big splashes of colour to dark rooms and grows like billy-o. All in all, one of the bestest plants in the world.

There's one thing you have to watch out for, though... if you have a cat, they're almost hypnotically fascinated by the things. If you don't keep your plant out of reach, it'll probably end up being 'played with'

It's fun to watch, though - until the cat starts spreading soil all over the floor...

Azimuth

My moggies aren't satisfied with just playing with my spider plants, they like to eat them too! Fortunately, it hasn't made the cats ill, just very nervous when I throw something at them or chase them from the room!

Spider plants are fantastic and very forgiving too! When I lived in Southern England, I even managed to grow them in the garden and the survived a relatively mild winter, burried under leaves in the flower bed much to my amazement!

Tradescantia (Wandering Jew) and Philodendron (Sweetheart plant) and any of their relations are also brilliant as they will grow for years in water. Just break off a bit at a joint and stick it in that mug you've just broken the handle off. Stick it on top of the fridge and it will cascade down the side in no time.
Spider plants will also survive incredible neglect. I left one on the bathroom wiondowsill in an unoccupied house for six months and it was still decorative when I got back six months later.

Hi Wandrin'star

Tradescantia can be grown just by poking the "cuttings" directly into the soil of the pot also......

African Violets are another good one for sticking broken leaves in water and watch the little roots and baby leaves grow after which they can be potted on.

By the way - methinks I'll report you to the S.P.P.L. (Spider Plant Protection League) for cruelty and neglect to that poor spider plant!

That's a point - does H2G2 have a 'Care for House Plants' section anywhere? Another idea for a collaborative effort, perhaps?

(I'm not that good with African Violets; tried looking after a baby one and it did quite well for a few weeks until I accidentally over-watered it. It died. )

Azimuth

In that case,Gwennie, I'd better not tell you about a Chistmas cactus that slept behind a curtain for a year while I was away and was revived by being plunged in a basin of warm water...I think more plants are able to hibernate than is generally realised

Shame on you for neglecting your plants and leaving them without someone to talk to them, Wandrin'star!

Asimuth - try watering African Violets from the base (drip tray) and don't let the soil get soggy. I usually water mine once a week....

Gwennie
xxx

I don't neglect them deliberately - honest,miss.I currently have eight indoor, and four outdoor plants that have survived nearly 2 years in Hong Kong including my absences on leave. At the moment we have a red rain warning. So the outside ones, despite being on a "porch" won't need any water for a week.
Our boss has a windowsill full of African Violets,many of which are grown from leaf, but most offices here are very barren.I'm trying to get things going by giving the aforementioned easy stuff to people as birthday presents.

Excuse my ignorance, but what's "red rain"? I'm intrigued!

Good for you in attempting to brighten offices up! I always used to have plants around me in my old office! My house resembles a hot house garden - I just wish the house was hot though - my feet are freezing today!!!!!

*Wanders off to put some thermal socks on.......*

The colours are for the severity of the rainfall A red rain warning means there is or has just been about 40mm in an hour and black is heavier. (I can't find the right figures but it's a proper tropical downpour. The warnings are because HK is very hilly and bits of it are still subject to landslides. Also, when it rains like that, people want to get home before the railway line floods One of my airconditioners is full of water by the sound of it,so I've had to unplug it. Room now damp and very hot. Good for growing almost anything I would think.

Thanks! I had no idea what red rainfall was and thought it may have been due to some form of pollution!!!! Well, you learn something new every day!

Does your PC work okay in that sort of humidity? I would assume the plants and creepy crawlies love it!

For why cats like them, look at the other forum to this article. There's a posting about that very thing...

I've only ever managed house plants AND cats once and wish I'd known then what, thanks to you, I know now. Since I moved to one of the few remaining old bits of Hong Kong I am surrounded by everyone else's cats so I can concentrate on dangly plants,

[It's not my computer - one of the good things about working here is that we are provided with a PC and colour printer each AND they're due to be replaced by something a lot faster any minute now]

No problem- I'd just read both and wanted to tell you all so that you would know.
Hope you get a new computer soon!