Not sure which plants are most suitable for your Hong Kong home? The team from Green It Up HK recommend a few pretty (and hardy!) house plants for giving your indoor space a bit of a spruce, and share some tips on maintenance.
#1 Bird of Paradise
The bird of paradise (strelitzia) has tall stems with big stunning leaves; it’s definitely a statement piece for any kind of space. It’s suitable for Hong Kong’s climate, too, and easy to care for. In fact, we haven’t received any bad feedback about this plant – even some of our newer “green thumb” clients can handle them well!
The plant is better to be in a bright space with good air circulation, preferably where it will get one to two hours of direct sunlight. It can still survive in medium-lit areas; we would just suggest that you move it to a spot once a week where it can get direct sunlight for one to two hours.
Keep an eye on soil condition and water it once the soil is dry.
#2 Monstera
With its stunning green leaves with holes, monstera is a plant that everyone can handle well. It’s best placed in a space with medium to bright lighting, with no direct sunlight, and with good air circulation.
All you need to do is water the plant to keep the soil moist, and spray water on the leaves to allow it a bit of humidity.
#3 Snake Plant
This is perhaps the easiest house plant of all to take care of. No matter what kind of lighting you have – from weak to bright, or from no direct sunlight to lots of direct sunlight – the snake plant can handle it well. If you have it placed indoors, only water it once a week.
Maintenance tips from Green It Up
• “All plants need light and air to thrive. So, when you choose a plant, first understand the lighting conditions of your space, and how well air circulates in it. We will then recommend plants that are most suitable. Note: most plants struggle to do well in areas with poor circulation; you may be left with only a small choice of options.”
• “Know how committed you are to take care of your plants. There are certain types of ‘lazy’ plants that don’t require much care, so even people with the busiest schedule can look after them. If you have plants that require more maintenance and you find that you’re short on time, we offer maintenance services to help keep them in good condition.”
• “Plants take their nutrients from the soil. We ensure there is enough potted soil for your plant to support its growth. We use premium soil with plenty of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) that’s well mixed with perlite, silica, coco peat and peat moss to provide good drainage; more importantly, it has been steamed and so is less likely to carry insect eggs.”
About Green It Up HK
The company offers everything from small, medium and large green plants, flowering plants and fruit trees, to soil, pots, fertiliser, landscape design, gardening tools and maintenance services, with delivery in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. They also provide free plant consultation to ensure you get the right plant for your environment.
Browse these three plant varieties and many others at the website; order online by 3pm, and your plants will be delivered at the earliest opportunity the next day. You’ll also get an email from the team about how to handle your particular purchases.
Liked this? See more helpful tips in our Living in Hong Kong section!
This article first appeared in the Summer issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
