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Save Money By Growing These Houseplant Beauties From Seed
By SARAH COGGAN
Polka Dot Plant
With a variety of sizes and colors, Hypoestes phyllostachya is a tropical plant that needs high humidity, so you should mist its leaves with water during winter.
They bloom in late summer or fall and are hardy in USDA growing zones 10 to 11. Thriving in bright, filtered sun and moist, well-draining soil, they grow up to 30 inches tall.
Monstera Deliciosa
Also called the Swiss cheese plant, monsteras can grow up to 15 feet tall and 3 to 8 feet wide, but usually stay under 8 feet tall when grown indoors.
Monsteras bloom in summer and are hardy in USDA growing zones 10 to 12. They like partial or dappled sun and need well-draining, acidic or neutral soil.
Coleus
With a variety of cultivars, coleus is a low-maintenance plant that lives happily on a windowsill. It blooms in late summer and grows from 6 to 36 inches tall and wide.
Coleus are hardy in USDA growing zones 10 to 11. Some prefer partial shade while others love full sun, and they need slightly acidic or neutral, moist, well-draining, loamy soil.
Bird of Paradise
Growing 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide, the Strelitzia reginae only blooms when mature, which typically takes three to five years from seed.
They bloom in late winter or early spring and are hardy in USDA growing zones 10 to 12. They prefer full sun but will tolerate partial sun and need loamy, slightly acidic soil.
Rex Begonia
One of many cultivars, rex begonia is best left to experienced gardeners to grow from seed. They need a lot of humidity and grow up to 20 inches tall and 18 inches wide.
Blooming in mid-spring to mid-fall, they’re hardy in USDA growing zones 7 to 12. They like partial sun or shade and need moist, well-draining, slightly acidic soil.