Weird + Wonderful Plants

A weird little succulent that looks like…well…baby toes!

Scientific Name: Fenestraria rhopalophylla

Common Name: Baby Toes

Growth: 2-3 inches tall

Watering: Let dry between watering 

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

Light: Bright, indirect light

A fun plant with leaves that look like it’s been splashed with paint. Comes in a variety of colours!  The Polka Dot plant originates from the island of Madagascar.  It is also found in South Africa and Southeast Asia. The beautiful polka dots on its leaves symbolize creativity and it is believed to bring positive energy and enhance the ambiance of any room.

Scientific Name: Hypoestes Phyllostachya

Common Name: Polka Dot Plant

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: Can grow up to 12 inches tall

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, likes to be misted

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

The Venus Fly trap is a unique carnivorous plant.  It looks like a creature from an alien movie but don't let this plant scare you, it only munches on insects!  With its leaves ending in little claw like hands, this plant closes the instant an insect lands on it.

The Venus Fly Trap originates from coastal bogs of North and South Carolina.  They have adapted to low nutrient environments by using the insects they eat to give them the nutrients they need. As long as you keep up with the watering, let them take care of catching the flies!  

Scientific Name: Dionaea muscipula

Common Name: Venus Fly Trap

Light Requirements: Bright indirect light, direct sun

Water: They are from Bogs so they like to have wet soil.  Make sure the air flow is good.  Be sure to take them out of their packaging as soon as you get it home.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate

A member of the nettle family, this plant is known for its moss-like dense foliage. It drapes nicely in a hanging pot! Baby tears originated in the Mediterranean Region. It's a creeping, mat-forming, evergreen perennial that thrives in damp, shaded area.  It is known to have calming effects on some plant lovers due to the texture and softness of the foliage.

Scientific Name: Soleirolia Soleirolii

Common Name:  Angel Tears/Baby Tears.

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: it can spread 3-6 feet

Watering: Keep well watered, don’t let dry

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate -  they like high humidity

MA jade plant variety with stripes of green, white, and pink!

These star-shaped flowers have pink overtones appear in showy clusters at the ends of the branches. This Jade plant is native to South Africa.  Also known as "Cassula Ovata", this Jade plant grows on dry, rocky hillsides. 

Scientific Name: Cassula Ovata

Common Name: Jade

Growth: 2-4 Feet indoors

Light: Bright indirect light to full sun

Watering: Let dry out between waterings

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

Delicate but hardy. Bring the forest inside with this adorable Blue Star fern. A popular beginner friendly plant known for its attractive blue green leaves.  It originates from tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas.

Scientific Name: Phlebodium Aureum

Common Name: Blue Star Fern

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: 2-3 feet indoors over several years

Watering: They need a very deep watering followed by letting them dry out.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

Originating from the rainforests of Brazil, in its native habitat, it thrives in the warm, humid, and shaded conditions found on the rainforest floor, growing under the canopy of taller vegetation.  With its stunning spotted leaves with beautiful dark and light green colours, this is sure to be a plant that everyone admires in your home.

Scientific Name: Goeppertia insignis

Common Name: Rattlesnake Calathea

Light: Bright,indirect light

Growth: Can spread 2-3 feet

Watering: When the soil in the pot is dry halfway down

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Difficult

Rare pink variegated leaves make this philodendron variety a prize to be proud of!  Originating from Columbia, this plant, in the early 2000's, was a rare and expensive plant often traded in small circles.

Scientific Name: Philodendron erubescens 'pink princess' 

Common Name: Philodendron pink princess, blushing philodendron 

Light: Direct-bright, indirect light

Growth: 3-4 ft tall, 1-2 ft wide

Watering: Let the top several inches dry between waterings; ensure proper drainage with airy, well-draining soil

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

In the Prayer family, its beautifully patterned leaves are sure to impress! Originating in the tropical rainforests of Brazil where it thrives under a canopy of dense forest and moisture.  One of the beautiful things about this plant is that it opens up and displays its colours during the day but then closes up at night.

Scientific Name: Calathea roseopicta

Common Name: Calathea roseopicta

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: 12-24 inches tall

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, likes to be misted

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Moderate

The Haworthia Cooperi grows in clumps of small rosettes of tiny, fleshy, light green leaves. One of the interesting features about this plant is that the leaves have transparent streaks around their tips.  Originating from the arid regions of South Africa.  It grows in the wild, often in the shade of rocks and other vegetation to protect its delicate, translucent leaves from the intense sun.

Scientific Name: Haworthia Cooperi

Common Name: Haworthia Cooperi

Lighting: 4-5 hours of bright indirect light in the morning sunlight per day

Watering: When the soil is completely dry, give it a good soak

Growth: 2-4 inches

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

A carnivorous plant with deep maroon pitchers.  Native to Southeast Asia, this plant is so unique in the fact that they use they're pitcher leaves to catch their food.  These pitchers lure, trap, and digest insects to supplement their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor soil.  Since they are from a tropical climate, they do thrive with lots of moisture and humidity.

Scientific Name: Nepenthes

Common Name: Asian Pitcher Plant

Light: Bright indirect light

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated, likes being misted.

Growth: Slow growing, can take 5-10 years to mature.

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

Alocasia Jacklyn originates from the tropical rainforests of Indonesia. It is officially known as Alocasia Tandurusa and its local name, "Tandurusa," translates to "deer antlers" in Indonesian, referring to its unique leaf shape. The name Jacklyn comes from the fact that a woman named Jacklyn shared the plant online giving it a surge in popularity.

Scientific Name: Alocasia Sulawesi and Alocasia Tandurusa

Common Name: Alocasia Jacklyn

Light: Bright, Indirect Light

Watering: Water when the top inch of soil are dry.  They thrive in high humidity.  Keep evening moist but not waterlogged.

Growth: Moderate to fast depending on if it is in ideal conditions

Pet Safe: No

Care: Moderate to difficult

Rare snowy white variegated leaves make this philodendron variety a prize to be proud of!  Originating from Columbia, this plant, in the early 2000's, was a rare and expensive plant often traded in small circles

Scientific Name: Philodendron erubescens 'White Wizard’

Common Name: Philodendron White Wizard

Light: Direct-bright, indirect light

Growth: 3-4 ft tall, 1-2 ft wide

Watering: Let the top several inches dry between waterings; ensure proper drainage with airy, well-draining soil

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

This funny succulent has leaves that look like pickles!

This quirky little guys is native to South Africa. In the Spring and Summer this plant can produce cute little daisy-like flowers.  But if yours doesn't flower, the appeal and beauty of the pickle plant is all due to its cute, funny-looking leaves. Guaranteed to start a conversation with other plant lovers.

Scientific Name: Delosperma echinatum or Kleinia stapeliiformis

Common Name: Pickle Succulent, Stapelia Stemmed Senecio, Stapelioid Kleinia, Trailing Jade, Spider Plant, Inch Worm, Candle Stick, Candle Plant

Growth: A maximum height of 18 inches (45 cm). 

Light: Bright indirect 

Watering: Only when soil has completely dried

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

A peperomia variety that has fun textured leaves of red, maroon and deep purple

Light: Bright indirect light

Watering: When top soil is dry, ensure good drainage

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Intermediate 

The Philodendron 'Birkin' originates the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. The 'Birkin' is known for its signature white pinstripes on dark green leaves. 

Scientific Name: Philodendron Birkin

Common Name: White Wave and Birkin White Wave

Light: Bright, Indirect Light

Growth: Can grow 2 to 3 feet tall

Watering: When the top two inches of soil are dry

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

Looking like a palm tree gives this plant a tropical look! This variety has lovely pink edges to its leaves.  This plant originates from tropical Madagascar and It can live for decades under the right conditions.  

Scientific Name: Dracaena Marginata "Colorama"

Common Name: Dracaena Colorama/Dragon Tree

Light: Bright indirect light

Growth: 4-6 feet tall indoors

Watering: Keep evenly hydrated

Pet Safe: No

Care: Easy

The Cobra Fern is best known for its wavy, undulated leaves that resemble a cobra's head.  This is a low maintenance, air-purifying houseplant that thrives in low light and high humidity.  This plant originates from Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

Scientific Name: Asplenium Nidus 

Common Name: Cobra Fern

Light: Indirect/filtered sunlight

Watering: When top inch of soil is dry.

Growth: 12-18 inches tall

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

This Peperomia variety has lovely trailing stems than make if perfect for a hanging pot. Being native to South America these plants enjoy a humid environment, or a good misting. They like bright indirect light as direct sunlight can scorch leaves. The bright green leaves, reminiscent of beetle shells, are sure to add a pop of colour to your home!

Scientific Name: Peperomia Angulata

Common Name: Beetle Peperomia 

Growth: 2-3 ft length 

Light: bright indirect 

Watering: Water when top layer of soil is dry, likes to be misted

Pet Safe: Yes

Care: Easy

A curious palm sprouting straight from the coconut!  This palm, while kept indoors, will not grow into a tall tree. Their growth depends on the size of their pot. Coconut palms that are grown indoors are also not likely not reach a size that allows it to bear fruit.  As your palm grows, be sure to up the pot size to give the root system lots of room.  

Scientific Name: Cocos Nucifera

Common Name: Coconut Palm

Light: Full sun for as many hours as possible.  In the winter months, consider using a grow light to compensate for the shorter days.

Watering: Keep the soil consistently hydrated but not soggy.  Fertilize regularly if possible.

Pet safe: Yes

Care: Easy