There are two categories of indoor (house) plants: 

• Foliage Plants 
• Flowering Plants

Foliage plants
These are grown primarily for their leaves because they either do not bloom under average indoor conditions, or if they do, the flowers are not showy. These include:

• Aspidistra
• Dieffenbachia
• Aglaonema
• Begonia Rex
• Nephrolepsis fern (Boston)
• Asplenium fern (Bird Nest Fern)
• Peperomia
• Dracaena
• Epipremnum (pothos)
• Cordyline
• Fittonia
• Hypoestes
• Blechnum Gibbum
• Adiantum (Maiden hair) fern
• Radermachera (china doll)

• African violets
• Begonias
• Orchids
• Spathiphyllum
• Bromeliads

CONDITIONS FOR BEST GROWTH
Growing indoor plants successfully requires the correct lighting, good potting soil, fertilizer and water.

LIGHT 
Most indoor plants require an area which is out of direct sunlight since too much sunlight often results in the burning of the leaves.  There are some plants however that can be placed in direct sunlight (in a window or by doorway) e.g. Cactus or Ficus.  There are also some plants that can tolerate alot of shade e.g. Aglaonemas.

VENTILATION 
All indoor plants require proper ventilation inorder to survive.  They should therefore be placed by a window which is opened frequently; plants do not survive indoors in hot rooms.  If this cannot be achieved, plants should be kept in a patio area and moved indoors when necessary.

SOIL
All indoor plants sould be potted in potting mix.  Some plants prefer a potting mix that is acid e.g.  staghorn fern, maidenhair fern, English ivy, spathiphyllum, Radermachera. Potting mix should be loose and well-drained: sand, coconut-fibre and perlite all help to improve drainage. Plants should be repotted periodically as their roots outgrow the container and they become pot-bound.

FERTILIZING
A complete fertilizer i.e. 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 is best for most houseplants and should be applied once a month.

WATERING 
Most indoor plants should be watered once a week (at most twice a week).  As your plant grows in its new environment, you will start to develop a routine for watering your plant which may be different from the above.  Remember the environment in which your plant is grown determines how often you have to water it.  For example a plant that is grown in an air-conditioned office might not dry out as fast as one growing in a home.

PRUNING AND CLEANING
Most indoor plants need pruning (removing dead or dying leaves), dead-heading (removing dead flowers) and cleaning (removing dust from the leaves).  Leaf shine can be used for indoor plants to make the leaves look glossy.  However, plants with leaf shine on their leaves should not be placed in sunlight.  This could cause burning on the leaves.

PEST CONTROL
Regularly examine tops and undersides of plants to detect insects. Examine new shoots for distorted growth and for yellowing or discoloured leaves.  If your plant becomes infected by a pest, take it outdoors in an area with similar light conditions and treat it before putting back indoors.