Three easy indoor plants with patterned, striped foliage, sold together as a set for a shelf or a shaded windowsill.
Chlorophytum comosum, the spider plant, makes an arching clump of narrow green and cream ribbon-like leaves and sends out plantlets on trailing stems once it is established. Maranta leuconeura 'Lemon Lime' is a prayer plant with bold lime-green leaves marked in darker green along the midrib. Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura 'Fascinator' is the red-veined prayer plant, dark green with vivid red veins and pale green centres. Both marantas fold their leaves upwards in the evening and open them again at dawn.
Grow the set in medium indirect light, or a lower light corner, and keep it out of direct sun, which scorches the prayer plants. Water when the top of the compost begins to dry, keeping the two marantas a little more evenly moist than the spider plant. Use tepid rainwater or filtered water if you can, because the minerals in hard tap water brown the leaf tips on all three. Group the pots or stand them on a tray of damp pebbles to raise the humidity, which the marantas want. Keep them between about 15C and 25C, away from cold draughts, and feed monthly through spring and summer.
Supplied as three established plants in 1 litre root balls, ready to pot into containers of your own.
Cultural Information
Common Name: Spider plant, lemon lime prayer plant and red prayer plant
Fully Grown Height and Spread: Spider plant 30 to 60cm; each maranta 20 to 30cm
Growth Habit: Arching clump with runners, and two low spreading clumps
Perfect For: Shelves, tabletops, bathrooms, kitchens and shaded windowsills
Foliage: Green and cream striped; lime green with dark markings; dark green with red veins
Flowering Time: Grown for foliage
Planting Position: Medium to low indirect light indoors, out of direct sun
Soil Type: Free-draining, peat-free houseplant compost
Hardiness: Tender, indoor only; keep above 15C
Maintenance: Easy to moderate; the prayer plants want humidity and soft water
Seasonal Interest: Evergreen foliage
Type: Houseplant collection of three plants
