5 Unique Plants You Will Love
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6-minute read
Are you looking for a unique house plant to add to your collection? If you already have lots of houseplants in your home, but you just need something different to add interest, here are 5 unique plants you will love.
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Lots of people hopped on board with the houseplant trend during covid. Alocasias, Philodendrons, Anthuriums, and Pothos have filled our homes creating indoor urban jungles.
I, myself, have grown my collection of house plants tremendously since my original 3 in 2016. I have always had a love for the more unusual and interesting-looking plants. These 5 plants are the most unique I have grown.
So, if you love house plants and want to try something more unique to grow, here are 5 you will love.
Diaonaea muscipula aka Venus Flytrap
Mimosa pudica aka Sensitive Plant
Pachypodium lamerei aka Madagascar Palm
Huernia Zebrina aka Lifesaver Cactus
Araucaria heterophylla aka Norfolk Island Pine
1.Dionaea muscipula aka Venus Flytraps
Dionaea muscipula, aka Venus Flytraps, are native to the subtropical regions of the Carolinas and are considered carnivorous plants because they eat flies and bugs for nutrients.
Venus Flytrap care is advanced and a bit of a challenge. However, it can be rewarding and so much fun to grow this plant once you figure out what it needs it will grow and thrive for you.
Here are a few crucial tips to get this one growing for you:
Sunlight
Flytraps can tolerate a good amount of sunlight, grown indoors place in a south facing window or get it a grow light. Eight to ten hours of sunlight is ideal for this plant.
Watering
This one is tremendously important! Venus flytraps are used to not having much for nutrients, hence why they eat bugs for their nutrient needs, therefore, be sure you are watering with rainwater or distilled water only!
Soil and pots
Well-draining soil is essential for Venus flytraps and placing in pots that allow the soil to dry out quickly. I suggest terra cotta pots and carnivorous specific soil like this.
These plants also thrive in terrarium setups too. How fun huh? So, consider growing your flytraps in glass terrariums or placing them under a glass cloche. They also grow great in your plant cabinet or grow tent.
2.Mimosa pudica aka Sensitive Plant
Mimosa Pudica or Sensitive Plant is native to the Caribbean and Central and South America. This plant is not only visually unique, it also is unique because it is touch sensitive. When you touch its leaves, they fold up. How cool is that? It will be the talk of your plant collection.
I struggled a lot with this plant in my previous growing days and finally have figured it out, I think. Yea, I can grow this plant happily now. So here is how, from my experience.
I first got this plant in 2019 from my local plant nursery. I fell in love with it immediately because of its pink pom pom like blooms. Then when I researched and discovered it is sensitive to touch and will close and reopen its leaves I was hooked.
I am not going to lie; I have grown several and several have died over the years. So, finally I got tired of spending money on these plants, only to have them die in a few weeks and decided to really experiment with them and try finding the best growing conditions for this plant.
So, I bought seeds. I have successfully grown this plant from seed to a mature plant and it is still thriving, I recently potted this plant up a pot size. YAY! So here are the steps I took.
Place seeds in a small 3-inch pot with some chunky soil. Here is the soil I use with added perlite and orchid bark for maximum drainage and aeration. Water the soil well and cover with a clear dome lid or plastic baggy to trap in moisture and place in a warm spot with bright indirect light.
Once seedlings sprout remove cover and continue to keep watered. I watered about 3 times a week or when the soil was mostly dry. As your plant grows, I find that the plant will let you know when it needs a drink because it will not open its leaves throughout the day.
Keep in mind they do close at night. But if they are not opening during the day check your soil, I bet it is dry. I use clear pots so that I can see the moisture level and the roots.
That is all I have done for this plant. I up the pot size when root bound and just keep an eye to be sure the leaves are opening. I have found this plant is fairly easy to grow once you give it everything it needs.
3. Pachypodium lamerei aka Madagascar Palm
Pachypodium lamerei aka Madagascar Palm is native to southern Madagascar, it is not a palm it is a succulent. I got this plant in wintertime around Christmas of 2021 to take pictures of to feature my kind of Christmas, palm trees and warm weather.
I struggle so much with the short, sunless, and cold days of winter and do all I can to battle depression during the wintertime. So, I bought a cool looking palm plant to brighten up the frigid days ahead.
Mellman is what I named my Madagascar palm. Little did I know I would grow to love this plant so much. Mellman is slow growing, but looking at photos he has grown in height some over the last couple of years.
This succulent is really easy to care for. I treat him exactly like my cacti. Direct bright sunlight in the summertime, and under a grow light in winter.
Water when soil is completely dry and fertilizer once a month during the growing season. In the winter months you will cut back on waterings and do not fertilize, this plant goes dormant during winter months.
4. Huernia Zebrina aka Lifesaver cactus
Huernia Zebrina aka Lifesaver cactus is a succulent native to South Africa. I do not have this cactus, but it has been on my wish list for a few years now and I do plan to add this one to my collection this season.
I have done all the research about its care and found it is a lot like my starfish cactus as far as how to grow it. Lifesaver cacti tolerate bright light and need well-draining cacti and succulent soil like this to thrive.
Terra cotta is my go-to pot for all my cacti and succulents and same as other succulents fertilize once per month in summer growing season and water when soil is dry. Also, placing in shallow pots will help to avoid overwatering.
5. Araucaria heterophylla aka Norfolk Island Pine
And last but certainly not least, Araucaria heterophylla aka Norfolk Island Pine is native to Norfolk Island and thrives on humidity.
Freddy is my Norfolk Island Pine, I got him during Christmas time in 2020 because I thought he looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
This pine is so interesting looking with its fringed-out branches and will bring visual interest to your home year-round.
To keep your Norfolk Island Pine happy, place in a room with lots of humidity, water when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil is dry to touch, this plant does not like to dry completely out.
Place in bright, indirect lighting and use fertilizer once per month in the growing season. This plant is fairly easy to grow if you can meet the humidity requirements.
These 5 plants are my favorites when it comes to unique house plants, and I hope you have enjoyed reading and learning more about them.
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In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed learning more about 5 unique plants for your house plant collection. Thanks for reading!
