Zamioculcas: Houseplant of the Month for January

Smart appearance, super-tough and an exceptionally fine work of nature: meet stylish Zamioculcas.

Green god

Zamioculcas is the superhero amongst houseplants. An imperturbable powerhouse that also looks good. Thick dark green stems with feathered leaves with a beautiful shine, ranging in size from mini to around 60 cm. The larger specimens fan out so beautifully that they can effortlessly fill the gap left by the Christmas tree. It’s an exceptionally low maintenance domestic companion, and it grows slowly so that it can be years before it needs repotting. That makes the green god an impressive success for people who don’t have a green fingers.

Breaking news! There is also a Zamioculcas which is almost black: very unusual, extremely stylish and a guaranteed hit on Instagram.

3 reasons to love Zamioculcas

Zamioculcas can cope with you forgetting to water it once (or even twice) in a while.
It needs hardly any care, and in exchange it offers a stylised shape that offers lots of green volume.
There’s no need for leaf shine spray – the leaves are shiny enough on their own.

Welcome to 2020!

As a houseplant Zamioculcas suits people who have had enough of living in the bubble of their timeline and like mixing different styles to create something new with more character. The upward pointing leaves give it an optimistic look, and the plant’s stylised calm means you can combine it with both industrial elements and artisan pots. They can be colourful and cheerful, and you can opt just as readily for antique or plastic. Anything goes – as long as you find it beautiful, that’s what counts.

A plant that can look after itself

Zamioculcas zamiiflora has been known to botanists for over a century, but it’s a relative newcomer in the home and is about to mark its 25th anniversary as a houseplant. It grows on rocky soil in lowlands or at the foot of highlands in East Africa, in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Malawi. The thick leaves and roots help it to store moisture in order to cope with drought in its natural habitat. That characteristic makes it such an extremely easy houseplant.

It also does something in return!

Zamioculcas purifies the air and thereby contributes to a pleasant climate indoors. The plant is able to absorb benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene and get rid of them through the soil, according to research by the Department of Plant and Environmental Science at Copenhagen University.

How to keep it looking beautiful

Zamioculcas is not fussy, you can put it wherever you want.
Handy to know: if there’s not much light the stems will stretch, so that they become less strong. If there is sufficient light the stems will remain more compact, more attractive and stronger.
If you really want new shoots and leaves, place the plant in filtered light, such as through a curtain. And be patient: this plant is the epitome of chill and is in no hurry.
Leave the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. The only thing that Zamioculcas really cannot cope with is too much water.
A bit of plant food for houseplants once a month is enough.
Zamioculcas likes to go in the shower from time to time, but does have to be left to drain completely afterwards.
Repotting in good time is advisable: the powerful roots (they’re actually tubers) can break a pot if they get too big.

Bang on trend

A mixture of colours, cultures and styles is a leading interiors trend at the moment. Make Zamioculcas utterly contemporary by placing it in a pot with something extra: think of a plastic liner with a wicker exterior that is woven in attractive patterns, a pot with a funny face or folkloric designs, or crocheted, painted or spool-knitted. Multicultural in your home as befits citizens of the world – that’s the thinking. Preferably in bright colours with lots of pink and orange and a bit of black and green to retain some calm.

For more information see: www.Thejoyofplants.co.uk

Published on: 31 December 2019