Philodendrons: What We Love About These Cornerstones of Indoor Gardens

This past week in the shop, we’ve been admiring a fresh crop of Philodendrons. You can generally expect to find at least one or two varieties of Philos here at Vault and Vine but, at the moment, we’ve got 7! in stock. What better time to take a few minutes to share some information about these plants?

In the wild, there are 489 species of Philodendron. Their ideal habitat is tropical– they thrive in the southern half of the world. They’re native to lower North America and South America. They can be found in pretty much any tropical climate, though.

There are two types of Philodendrons: vining and non-vining. Popular vining varities are: Micans, Heartleaf and Brasil. Some non-vining plants that we love are: Moonlight, Birkin, and Prince of Orange.

In the home they’ll thrive with just a semblance of their native environment– mostly the right sunlight and, for some varieties, humidity. Lightwise, these plants like filtered sunlight. Their natural habitat is on the rainforest floor, so picture the dense shade with speckled sunlight of a tropical paradise and mimic it at home. Philos love pebble trays and a daily misting during their growing season. If you have a humidifier for your calatheas or monsteras, your philos would love to be around it, too. Especially in the winter.

Philos like a fair amount of moisture– again, think about that lush rainforest floor! They are happiest in a loose, well-draining soil and should be watered once the top two inches dries out. Ideally, they’ll never fully dry out between waterings. But make sure they are in well draining soil with a container with drainage holes. Too much still water in their pot can cause root rot or fungus gnats.

We have a bunch of these beauties listed in our shop right now– stock up to keep some tropical goodness in your home as the temperatures drop outside. We love having them in our homes and we think you will, too!