Okay, I know I say I love every plant I write about but this week I’m not kidding.

I really, really love this plant and I thought I should save the best until last, or at least the last before Christmas.

The plant is the red maranta, aka the prayer plant.

Hailing from Brazil, this plant really adds a pop of colour amongst your green foliage plants.

It has the most beautiful deep red veins running through its leaves. It does flower but it’s so insignificant in comparison to its leaf.

The prayer plant gets its name because, as the sun sets your plant closes up as if hands are coming together to pray.

These have remained the most popular plant of choice for plant-lovers to own and gift mainly because of its ease.

Here’s a list of its care instructions:

  • Loves low light (bright sun burns through the leaves).
  • Water twice a week in the summer and once a week in the winter. I’d recommend using tepid, warm water and spray the leaves the same way. This plant loves humidity and this is one way to create it.
  • Fertilise once a month in the growing season.
  • Non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
  • Easy to propagate.
  • Low spreading and low light - perfect for apartments and homes that don’t get much natural light.

This is my last column until after Christmas. Thank you to you all for reading my column and taking the time out to come visit my shop to say hello, it’s definitely been a little dream of mine to write for an audience.

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and 2020 is a little kinder to us all.

Until next time, planters.

Plant One On Me is at 11 Upper Millergate, Bradford BD1 1SX, part of the Sunbridge Wells complex.

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