Plant Care Guides / Indoor / Moderate Care
The self-heading philodendrons are the ones that grow upright from a central crown rather than trailing or climbing. They form bold, architectural rosettes of large leaves and make serious statement plants in a room. This is a big group covering Xanadu (also sold as Kubla Khan), Birkin with its white pinstripes, Imperial Green and Imperial Red, Prince of Orange with its colour-changing new leaves, the sought-after Pink Princess and White Princess, Hope, Atom, Little Apple, Red Apple, Fuse, and the large selloum. Care is broadly the same across all of them, though the rarer varieties like Pink Princess can be a touch fussier, which is why this group sits in moderate rather than easy.
The colour-changing varieties are part of the fun. Prince of Orange produces new leaves in bright copper-orange that gradually deepen to green. Pink Princess and White Princess carry variegation that varies from leaf to leaf, and no two are the same. The amount of variegation depends on light: too little and the leaves revert to solid green, especially on Pink Princess. If a stem starts producing all-green leaves, prune it back to the last variegated leaf to encourage patterned new growth.
Bright, indirect light for the best results. The variegated types (Birkin, Pink Princess, White Princess) need more light to hold their patterns, while the solid green types (Xanadu, Imperial Green, Hope, selloum) cope well in medium light. Avoid direct sun on any of them, which scorches the leaves. Avoid deep shade on the variegated types, which causes them to revert to green.
Water when the top few centimetres of soil dry out. They like to dry slightly between waterings rather than stay constantly wet, and overwatering is more likely to cause trouble than underwatering. In winter, reduce watering. They appreciate humidity, especially the larger-leafed types like selloum and Hope, so mist them in dry weather or group them together. Brown leaf edges are usually a humidity signal.
Feed every two to three weeks through spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertiliser. The larger, faster-growing types (selloum, Hope, Xanadu) are hungrier than the compact varieties.
Repot in spring when roots fill the pot. The larger types (selloum, Hope) grow vigorously and may need annual repotting. Compact types like Birkin and Atom are slower and can go two years. Use a well-draining, chunky mix, standard potting soil with added perlite and bark.
Ask about availability. We keep a changing range of indoor plants. WhatsApp us to see what is in store, or pop in and we will help you choose.
