The alien species or the EXOTIC PLANTS are a great source of excitement as well as ornamentation. Nothing else feels remarkable than sitting in a garden full of beautiful plants to
Relieve the work stress or relax your body.
The beauty of the garden is enhanced by implanting some foreign species in addition to the native plants. With their unique appearance and the beautiful flora, these alien species are introduced from some other part of the world; the introduction is usually deliberate. Still, in some scenarios, it is accidental.
Similarly, the exotic plants are beneficial in some cases, but they can also prove a threat to the typical ecosystem due to their extreme invasiveness. The foreign invaders, either intentional or accidental, have high reproducibility and can threaten the native vegetation.
The accidental spread of the exotic species may be through air, water, or human activities. Such exotic plants that grow on their own due to the above factor are a significant threat to the ecosystem, and they need to be controlled. They directly affect the native vegetation, which in turn affects the dependent wildlife.
You can use exotic plants to enhance your garden’s beauty and give your house a classic look. You can also use some exotic indoor plants. But in both cases, special conditions must be considered. You cannot implant these foreign species and leave them to reproduce freely, causing damage to the native vegetation.
A number of beautiful exotic house plants are available to add beauty to your garden. Exotic plants are a great choice when it comes to beautifying the garden of your house. These plants have a tremendous impact on the viewer with the vibes they give off.
Therefore, to give a glorifying taste to the garden, you can add some beautiful exotic plants with striking colors and soothing fragrances. The exotic plants with their extraordinary beauty, the brilliants colors, and excellent flora includes:
Passiflora
Passiflora, or the passionflower with 550 species, is an exotic flower used for ornamental purposes and has many health benefits. People often use the soothing effect of this flower to normalize their anxiety or to help their insomnia.
Every part of the plant is beneficial, including the stems and roots used in herbal medicines, fruits, edible and used in juices and jams; even the leaves, either fresh or dried, are used as a sedative in the form of tea.
Brugmansia
Datura hybrids are also named the angel trumpets because of the trumpet-shaped flowers on it. The plant has a total of 7 species and is considered endangered as the animals used to spread the seeds are extinct. Currently, only humans are responsible for the cultivation of this plant.
One of the most common ornamental plants, Brugmansia, has many active ingredients, which are of great importance as medicine. These include scopolamine, atropine, hyoscyamine, and many other anticholinergics, anesthetic, narcotic, and spasmolytic components.
The plant requires a cold or warm temperature. Extreme weather, either summers or winters, are not suitable for the plant.
Strelitzia reginae
An attractive exotic houseplant, also called Bird of Paradise, is famous for its beautiful bird-shaped flowers. The plant does not require any specific conditions to grow, and are 42 species within the same genus. An evergreen plant, also known as a crane flower, is used to treat allergies and STDs.
The principal use of this plant is ornamental. It’s beautiful and colorful flowers must also enhance the beauty of the flowering arrangement or flower bouquets.
Dipladenia sundaville
The healthy and robust patio plant, Dipladenia sundaville, is an exotic species suitable for all sorts of climates. It has unique branching, and the select colors make it an excellent choice to beautify your house or garden with this plant.
The flowers blossom in spring and continue to bloom till October when applied. Particular conservatory conditions can extend the flowering period till Christmas.
Callistemon citrinus
Callistemon citrinus commonly called the red or lemon bottlebrush because of the shape of its flowers. Australia’s native plant is the first to be cultivated outside the country as an exotic plant. In ideal conditions, the plant is flowered throughout most of the year.
The plant is used as a natural herbicide. It is a widespread species because of its adaptive capabilities. It can easily adjust to different environmental conditions and grow.
Bougainvillea
An ornamental plant with thorns, bougainvillea is famous for its colorful and beautifully shaped flowers, which blooms in summers and autumns. The plants are highly rated and famous among the people as a patio plant. The actual flower of the plant is white and small but is surrounded by bracts of striking colors.
The bougainvillea flowers are referred to as paper flowers because of the extremely thin bract around the flower. The plant has an appreciable tolerance to unfavorable conditions like droughts and hot climates. The flowers of this exotic species are extensively used for ornamental purposes.
Zantedeschia
The increasing demand for zantedeschia is due to the extremely eye-catching beauty of its flowers. The flowers of zantedeschia are called Calla Lilies. The flowers and the leaves of the plant are equally important and are commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes.
The exotic plant is used as a popular choice to be grown outdoor as well as indoors. The leaves of the plant are used as a dressing for wounds or as analgesics to reduce pain.
Benefits of the exotic houseplants
There are several benefits of growing exotic plants, including the fresh and vibrant feel of the view and the plants’ use with ornamental flowering in specific floral arrangements. The plants also contain individual beneficial components, which are of great help in medicine or herbal treatments.
The fruits and certain other parts are also edible and are extensively used in manufacturing juices and jams. The exotic plant’s growth rate is very high, providing enormous wood each year, which can be used to make expensive furniture.
Unfavorable facts about exotic plants
Along with all the benefits of exotic plants, there are certain disadvantages of cultivating exotic plants.
Exotic houseplants require special treatment and special conditions for growth and survival. Maintaining the critical condition, including a greenhouse within the residential premises, may cause you many research and expenditure efforts.
Exotic plants are often hardy with a lot of woody trunks and extended branches. This may invite a lot of pests and can cause a significant problem. The pests also damage your plants. So, pest control is a must to grow exotic plants.
The unnecessary or accidentally growing unwanted exotic plants should be cut down and removed to protect the typical vegetation of the native plants.
In addition to the exotic house plants in home gardens, individual tropical plants are also used as an ornament indoors. People love to adorn their houses with such exotic indoor plants. The plants enhance the home’s overall look, and these exotic plants help to purify the air inside the house.
Exotic indoor plants are loved for many reasons, including their unique flowers with glowing colors and the beautifully patterned leaves, which are much larger and different from the conventional leaves of native plants.
Some people love to have greenery inside their houses. They like to add up a bit of tropical woods in their dining room, lounge, at the side table of their bedroom, or even in the corner of their bathrooms. People love them all around their house.
Below are some of the exotic indoor plants which are considered a great choice to be placed inside your houses:
Anthurium andraeanum
An exotic plan to grow indoors, Anthurium andraeanum is an expensive yet worthy tropical plant. This plant’s beauty lies in its flowers, which are famous for its bright and striking colors. The cultivars for anthurium andraeanum are readily available to grow these beautiful plants.
To successively grow them, make sure the potting soil is not so hard, and the roots are not too wet. This exotic plant requires many efforts to make it survive, but at the end of the day, its beauty pays you off.
If you want your exotic indoor plant to stay fresh, avoid direct sunlight, and ensure proper moisture in the pot.
Strelitzia reginae
Bird of paradise is an exotic house plant that can also be conveniently grown indoors. The rate at which the plant grows is very high, so they must be kept within the pot, and you should add fertilizers every week.
The flowers bloom after 3 to 5 years of growth on the plant. The blue and orange colors are cultivated, and the plant needs a bit of direct bright sunlight.
Alocasia x Amazonia
Also called Amazon elephant’s ear, it is a unique and majestic indoor plant. The arrow-shaped leaves are splendid, and silver ribs are visible on the leaves. These plants are the natives of Southeast Asia. They require a lot of attention, regular watering, and irrigated pot soil.
The plant is favored mainly because of its leaves. Amazon elephant’s ear grows wonderfully indoors, in shady places. Special care must be taken when you have this exotic plant inside your house as it is poisonous.
Bromeliads
One of the simplest tropical plants that can quickly grow in fast-draining soil pots indoors is the bromeliads. These plants are way too hardy and tolerant and can conveniently adapt to the available conditions.
There is a wide variety of color combinations in which they are cultivated. They are usually found as wall hanging in the houses. These are lovely yet straightforward exotic plants to grow indoors. They do not require regular watering; instead, water them once a week.
Cordyline terminalis
Cordyline terminalis is considered a representative of tropics, also called a Ti tree or Hawaiian Ti tree. The plant has distinguishing features of colored leaves, which gives a unique look to the area where the plant is placed.
The plant is demanding. It requires a warm environment and quality potting soil with once in a week feed. For the excellent survival of the plant, make sure you don’t keep it moist in winters.
Ficus Benjamina
Ficus Benjamina or the ficus plants requires a lot of hard work and effort for growth and survival, but the beauty they depict is worth all the steps. The plants are considerably large and glossy, with an impacting effect on the viewer. Ficus plants require a warm environment; when placed in cold places, they shed their leaves.
To make your plants survive, make sure they get enough moisture, light, and warmth. Pest control is a must to protect your exotic indoor plant from mites, aphids, whiteflies, etc. In the growth period, watering at regular intervals is highly necessary.
Kentia palm
Tropical growths are represented typically through palm trees. You can put them in any corner of your house or offices. In the doorways, in the corner of the room, or anywhere in the kitchen, palm suits everywhere. These trees are magnificent and can be used for ornamental purposes.
Kentina palm requires the potting mix to be fertilized every month regularly, and a warm temperature is best for its growth and survival. They don’t require regular water supply on a daily basis. Water them once a week and it is enough for their survival.
Spathiphyllum
Spathiphyllum also called peace lily, is an exotic indoor plant being a lovely site to view when it blooms. The plant is elementary to grow and survive. All you have to do is to maintain a warm atmosphere and protect the plant from direct bright sunlight.
It requires a little additional attention in winters. Make sure you don’t water it frequently in winters. Watering lowers down the plant’s temperature, and in winters, when it is already cold, the plants’ overwatering may be dangerous for their life.
Aren’t, they all beautiful? They can give a boost to the greenery in your house. You can quickly provide an aesthetic appeal to your home by placing different exotic plants around the corners, doorways, and other parts of the house.
Well, keeping exotic plants at home requires a lot of attention and hard work to make them survive and flourish. Exotic plants are not native, so they need special conditions to survive. Below are some of the tips to manage your exotic plants to grow indoors
Starting from the necessities of plant life, make sure the plant receives adequate light and water. In addition to that, moisture content and the temperature inside the house are also a critical factor.
While looking for an exotic plant for your house, you need to take care of the species’ conditions to survive and bloom. Afterward, try your best to adjust the house’s climate, similar to where it is displaced.
One other factor to consider while selecting an exotic plant is the area where you want to place the beautiful plant. Make sure the site is not too congested and small. Also, ensure proper ventilation and moisture for the plant to survive.
In addition to that, check out different signs such as color change, dullness, cracking in the potting soil, and many more. Some factors which should be taken care of when you grow exotic indoor plants are given as under:
Dehydration
To check out when your exotic plant is properly hydrated or not, look for the signs. Dehydration is depicted by the wilting of plants and the cracking of the potting soil. Dehydration can damage the roots of the plant leading to internal stresses.
This might result in decreased leaf growth, curled leaf edges, the color of leaves turning brown or premature dropping of flowers and leaves. So, whenever you have an exotic plant to grow indoors, make sure you water them regularly and adequately.
Overwatering
Likewise, under watering, overwatering an exotic plant also causes a lot of damage. Overwatering simply opens the doors to welcome harmful bacteria and molds that kill the plant’s roots number one that causes plant death.
Signs that show the plants overwatering include fungal growth on the soil surface, falling of new and old leaves simultaneously, and water, standing at the container’s bottom.
Quality of water
Warm regular tap water is suitable for the plants even if it has chloride or fluoride. However, a continuous supply of soft water with sodium is dangerous for the plant’s health.
Drainage
The pots in which the plants are placed should have appropriate drainage. Before adding the soil, add some pebbles at the bottom and regularly check that the holes do not get clogged.
Don’t let your plant stay in standing water for long.
Light
The requirement for sunlight also varies for each plant. Some plants require direct bright sunlight, others want it indirectly, some need shades to grow well, and others require filtered sunlight. So make sure that the light is as per the requirements of the exotic plant to grow indoors.
Temperature
Different plants need different temperature ranges to survive. Some can thrive in a range of 60-75° at daytime and 50-60° at night others might need a straight 90° atmosphere to grow. Before selecting an exotic indoor plant, keep the temperature requirements into consideration.
Humidity
A lot of plants require high humidity to thrive, but houses are much drier. The dryness gets even more when the house is artificially heated during winters.
For exotic plants to survive healthily, make sure you use a humidifier to meet the plant’s humidity requirements.
Fertilizers
Plants require nutrients daily to grow. As the plants are placed in a limited amount of soil, they will make the soil depleted of nutrients. To overcome this, you need to add up nutrients in the potting soil using nutrient-rich fertilizers. Fertilizers should be used at least once a month.
Repotting
When the plant grows in size, make sure you change the pot size. During repotting, take care of your plant’s roots and don’t just compact the origins in your hand. Place the plant in a bigger pot with the top of soil slightly lower than the pot’s edges. Water the plant thoroughly and let it settle.
Above all, the factors are critical as they determine the plant’s survival rate and the plant’s health and ability to bear fruits and flowers.
However, you still need to make some extra efforts to make sure your plant survives the cold season during winters. Following are some tips to take care of your exotic indoor plants in winters:
- Reduce the watering of the plant.
- Move your plant to an area where excess light comes.
- Ensure leaves’ cleanliness prevents a layer of house dust on leaves restricting light to enter the leaves.
- Keep your plant in a warm place.
- Pest control is a must for your exotic plants to survive and stay fresh.
Some low maintenance exotic plants to grow indoors
With time’s passage, life changes, and so do our priorities and you don’t always get time to look around your home garden. The exotic plants you adore start to wilt and die slowly. Seeing your plants to die is undoubtedly hurtful. But being an indoor horticulturist, I could never stop myself from growing exotic plants indoors.
Most people start adding succulent plants to their home gardens. Succulent plants, mainly the xerotypes, include different types of cactus plants. Such plants do not require regular watering, humidity and can handle hard, neglectful times.
However, if you don’t want to fill your house with the thorns of cactus, you’d probably love the plants mentioned below, for they are not succulent. These plants can be added to the beauty of your house, and they won’t even require your extra attention. These are the easiest plants to go with.
However, it won’t be wrong if I say that these plants don’t like much attention. The tropical plants usually die due to negligence, but the below-mentioned species would rather die if you try to give extra care, water, and nourishment to them.
Therefore, these are the best choices for a neglectful indoor horticulturist who loves exotic plants to grow indoors.
Orchids
Gone are the days when orchids were considered to be the plants that need a lot of babysitting. They never germinated and flowered until the environment was exactly what they need. They required a lot of attention.
However, newer cultivation techniques have revolutionized this concept. Today orchids have become the easiest exotic plant to go for. The aerial roots of orchids are particularly to anchor them with branches, and they absorb moisture from the air to survive.
It has become effortless to make them survive in a pot with highly neglecting conditions. The more is negligence, the more orchids will bloom.
Features
- They can survive months without water as they are found on the tree trunks in the forests with little rainwater sliding down through them. The rest of the water they absorb from the air.
- They can thrive in little and intermittent sunlight and humid environment as they are adapted this way.
- They can survive little to no nutrients, so they need to stuff Fertilizers in the soil daily or even weekly.
Therefore, if you want your orchids to bloom, just give them a tough time, and they will flower lasting for up to months.
Carnivorous plants
The list continues with the carnivorous plants, which generally grow in nutrient deficit lands. A diverse group can even thrive in highly acidic soil in which almost all the nutrients break down.
The name carnivorous implies the fact that these plants are insect eaters.
These plants do not want you to give them attention or care, but they care for you a lot. They can purify the air of your house and cleans out any insects in your home. As they feed themselves with the insects, they do not need fertilizers for nutrition. These are extensively beautiful species with brilliantly designed foliage as well as colorful blooms.
Whether you want a sundew or a pitcher plant, all of them are low maintenance, and they can survive on their own without you to continually look around for their needs. Flytrap is an exception here as it requires certain conditions that are slightly difficult to achieve.
Plant Care
You don’t need to do much for these plants to blossom in your house. All they need is a lot of sunlight and standing water under them to flourish.
Fertilizers are a big no for carnivorous plants as they fulfill their nutritional requirements by insects and arthropods. Fertilizers tend to be an enemy for the plant’s health and life. It is just like feeding and can be dangerous.
Dwarf citrus trees
One of the best low maintenance exotic plants to grow indoors is the dwarf citrus tree. It can be adorned anywhere in your house, on the main entrance, in the doorway, or any corner of the living room or dining room.
These dwarf trees can be grown in pots indoors, and they provide a lot of benefits to the people in the house. Firstly they are fruit-bearing trees, and secondly, they bloom, giving a beautiful sight and a wonderful tropical fragrance spread around the house.
Features
There are certain varieties of these plants. These include the species which grow in pots for some years but will die eventually if not planted on land. However, some other species are present that can grow indefinitely in a pot indoors.
These trees grow according to the space they are provided. This means the more significant the pot’s size, the more incredible these trees’ growth will be.
These trees require a lot of sunlight, so make sure you place them in an area where adequate sunlight reaches.
Before selecting a dwarf citrus tree, decide the citrus fruit you want. Oranges, as well as lime trees, can be grown indoors with little effort and maintenance. These trees need nutrition to bear juicy fruits, so ensure a continuous slow-release fertilizer pot for them. Also, a little watering is necessary now and then.
Nutrition and water are only necessary to be taken care of when you want them to bear many juicy fruits. Otherwise, the tree will be okay even with it. The exception here is the lemon and lime trees as they demand a little more attention, but orange trees are fine without it and therefore is the right choice for low maintenance exotic plants indoor.
Air plants
These are the cute little plants that are deficient in maintenance. They can withstand even more tough conditions that the orchids could. Air plants do not have roots, and they fulfill their water need by absorbing them from the air.
Leaves are used for water absorption. This feature makes them even more Versatile for being placed at any place around the house. They need nothing else than soil to grow and bloom so that they can be placed anywhere around your home in any position, either hung to a wall or placed at a side corner. They remain happy wherever they are.
The plants have a variety of colors and sizes and are most commonly used in home decoration.
Plant Care
These plants don’t need anything at all. You can just hang them at any place in your house with a little sunlight reaching them. What else you have to do is dip them in water for 15 minutes once a month. And you are done. Just forget about them, and they will remain happy.
An important thing to keep in mind for air plants is that they require drying time between watering. If you don’t let them dry or water them; often, they will start to rot, and fungal growth will begin.
If the air plants stop looking healthy, just put it in some other areas of the house, and you will see it to start blooming again.
However, the above mentioned all the exotic plants are best. You just need to select which one suits you. If you are busy, it does not mean that you have to remove any plant in your house or bring a dessert to your home.
Do not cut out greenery from your house. Just change the type of plants you place indoors. Stay happy with your rainforest at home by changing it slightly.
What if you find out that your exotic houseplants have started to wilt? By the time you will notice the damage; the situation will be out of control. The plant has already been exposed to a lot of stress and resulted in wilted plants near death.
Summarizing extensive research about the possible causes and the methods which you can try to help your plant survive and prevent your plant’s death, I have given some tips for handling the damaged or wilted exotic plants at home:
Below is the detail of how to manage deteriorated or damaged exotic plants
- Overwatering may lead to root rot. To save a dying plant due to root rot, wash out the root properly after removing the plant from the soil. After that, cut out the diseased part of the root and finally repot the plant in fresh soil. Remember to disinfect the pot before repotting.
- If your exotic indoor plant is dying of starvation, try feeding them the proper amount of nutrition by using adequate fertilizers.
- If you change the plant’s position and after a few days it loses all of its leaves, it’s probably because of the change in atmospheric conditions. So before changing the plant’s position, introduce it to the new atmosphere for a limited duration and eventually increase the time limit.
- If fungal spores or molds cause damage to your plant, try using some antifungal solutions. Fungal spores can develop if your plant stays in standing water, so in addition to antifungal solutions, make sure to drain the standing water to prevent spore formation.
- If you have done everything, but your plant still seems to be exhausted, the problem lies within the pot of your plant. Try using some bigger size pots and add fresh soil to it. The plant will again start to bloom.
- Ever noticed spider web and mites on your plant? Isolate your plant and protect others from harm. Wash the plant with insecticidal soap and plenty of water. Regularly wash your exotic plant with water to prevent any favorable conditions for mites’ survival.
- Sometimes, a scale starts forming on the leaves, which deteriorates the plant. You can save your plant by merely scraping it off with a knife or some other sharp object. However, if the problem is severe, try using insecticides and cut down the plants infected part.
- Is the green color of the plant’s leaves begun fainting? Is it lighter than before? Is the height of your plant decreased? It is all because of improper sunlight. Put your plant in adequate bright sunlight and see how it does wonders.
- A powdery appearance on the leaves is due to a fungal disease called powdery mildew. To deal with it, remove all the infected parts of your plant and place it in a better-ventilated site.
- Some pests such as whiteflies cause the leaves to die by sucking the juice of it. Here again, use strong insecticides. Also, remove the insects manually to ensure complete removal.
Conclusively, exotic plants are such foreigners who add beauty to the world. There is a wide variety of such plants, and each plant requires different conditions to thrive. If you want exotic plants to grow indoors, make sure you provide them the best atmosphere to grow and bloom. However, adding exotic houseplants to your home garden requires a lot of hard work, but it pays you off in the end with their enchanting beauty.
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