8 flowers you can grow into a waterfall - hang one by the window and you won't even need to buy curtains
Purple Dew Plant (Othonna capensis)
Among succulents, the Purple Dew Plant counts as an extremely fast grower. From cutting to full waterfall, it basically takes only half a month to get there - it's practically made for lazy gardeners!
Care tips:
1. Plenty of sunlight
The Purple Dew Plant loves basking in the sun, so it's best to keep it on a south-facing windowsill, hang the whole pot up, and let its vines trail down - only then will it turn into a waterfall faster!
2. Water more
The Purple Dew Plant likes moisture, and the moister the environment, the more vigorously it grows. If it lacks water, the lower leaves will dry up, and even the whole stem may wither. Watering once every 1-2 days is about right, but never let it get rained on.
3. Loose, airy soil
The Purple Dew Plant fears stuffy heat, so the potting soil must be loose and airy. You can mix peat soil (or coconut coir) and granular soil at a 7:3 ratio to keep the roots breathing normally.
Air Plant (Tillandsia)
When it comes to the easiest plant in the world to grow, the first one Huahua thinks of is the air plant! After all, air plants don't even need soil - just mist them with a bit of water now and then, and you can grow a beautiful curtain!
Care tips:
1. Mist often
Air plants mainly rely on their leaves to absorb moisture from the air to sustain growth, so be sure to mist the plant and the air around the pot in good time to keep your air plant growing healthily.
2. Watch the ventilation
No matter how much you water, you must ensure good ventilation, otherwise your air plant will die in no time. After soaking an air plant in water, you can just leave it on the windowsill to dry, to prevent stuffy heat from causing the core to rot.
Blue Snowflower (Plumbago auriculata)
Next up, Huahua is going to introduce the Blue Snowflower! With summer weather this hot, the colour of the Blue Snowflower is sure to bring everyone a touch of coolness!
Care tips:
1. Plenty of light
The Blue Snowflower is called a summer blooming machine, simply because it loves light so much. The stronger the summer sun, the more the Blue Snowflower blooms - it will practically cover the whole windowsill! So a south-facing balcony is the most suitable spot!
2. Water diligently
The Blue Snowflower absolutely loves water. As the weather gets hotter, it basically needs watering once a day; if the temperature stays above 30°C, then basically 1-2 times a day. Watering can be done in the early morning or evening.
3. Add a bit of monopotassium phosphate
If you want the Blue Snowflower to bloom more over the summer, you need to give it some fertiliser now. Apply a 0.2% monopotassium phosphate solution to the roots, or spray it directly onto the plant, to make the Blue Snowflower produce more buds and bloom more and more!
Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans)
Actually, compared with the heartleaf apron plant, Huahua still prefers the lipstick plant a bit more. After all, the flowers it produces are especially cute. Keep one at home and it can not only serve as a heat-blocking curtain, but you also get to enjoy the flowers - killing two birds with one stone!
Care tips:
1. Not demanding about light
The lipstick plant tolerates partial shade and can grow vigorously without direct sun, so it can usually be placed somewhere indoors with good indirect light.
2. Water more
The lipstick plant likes moisture, but the pot must never have standing water, otherwise the roots will rot. Summer is its vigorous growing season, so you can water once every 1-2 days, and at the same time mist the leaves often to raise the air humidity a little.
3. Propagate by cuttings
The lipstick plant is mainly propagated by cuttings. You can cut 7-10cm-long branches from the mother plant and stick them straight into sandy soil. It takes only about 1 month to root; after rooting, transplant them into pots and they'll quickly fill them out!
Clematis
What's best to plant in spring and summer? Clematis, of course! Clematis blooms abundantly and densely, and it climbs walls easily - turning it into a waterfall is a matter of minutes, isn't it?
Care tips:
1. Loose, airy soil
Clematis has fleshy roots and is relatively poor at tolerating waterlogging. Once water accumulates, the roots rot, so the soil should be loose and airy. You can mix peat soil, perlite and pine needles at a 2:1:1 ratio.
2. Full sun
If you want clematis to bloom more, you must give it plenty of sunlight. Place it on a south-facing balcony or south-facing windowsill, and ensure at least 6 hours of light a day; without enough light it definitely won't bloom.
3. Support
If you want clematis to become a waterfall, you must let it climb a wall and give it enough support points. You can build a wooden frame on the balcony, or use thicker wire to hold up the clematis vines - only then will it quickly turn into a waterfall!
String of Pearls or String of Tears
String of Pearls and String of Tears are pretty similar, except that the beads of String of Pearls are rounder, while the beads of String of Tears are long like teardrops. These two subtly different plants are both very easy to grow into curtains!
Care tips:
1. Indirect light is enough
String of Pearls or String of Tears likes partial shade. If exposed to direct sun for a long time, the leaves will turn yellow-green - that is, they get scorched - and over time they may even wither and die.
2. Put tiles or coal cinders at the bottom of the pot
String of Pearls or String of Tears has thick leaves, so it's fairly drought-tolerant. Be sure to water sparingly to prevent waterlogging and root rot. So you can put broken bricks and tiles or coal cinders at the bottom of the pot to achieve drainage and aeration.
3. Water with a little rice-washing water
If you want String of Pearls or String of Tears to become a curtain as quickly as possible, you must give it extra nutrients. You can use fermented rice-washing water or yoghurt water, diluted with water at 1:50, to water the plant, supplying enough nitrogen fertiliser to make it grow more and more vigorously and become a curtain as soon as possible!
String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
If Huahua got to choose, then Huahua would definitely want to keep a pot of String of Hearts at home. Its leaves are heart-shaped - how romantic to hang one up as a curtain!
Care tips:
1. Likes plenty of indirect light
String of Hearts likes spots with plenty of indirect light. Summer sunlight is intense and easily scorches the leaves, so you can let it receive 2 hours of direct light in the early morning and evening.
2. Loose, airy soil
Use a ceramic pot for String of Hearts to ensure breathability. For the potting soil, choose one with good drainage and good aeration. You can mix peat soil, perlite and river sand at a 3:1:1 ratio.
3. Watering and fertilising
String of Hearts must not sit in water. Normally wait until the potting soil is dry before watering. You can feel the weight of the pot, and once it feels noticeably lighter, water thoroughly again; fertilising once a month with a compound fertiliser is enough.
Wax Plant (Hoya)
If you can't grow any of your other flowers into a waterfall curtain, then Huahua recommends you definitely grow a wax plant! Don't believe it? Come and take a look!
Care tips:
1. A suitable pot
Don't choose too large a pot for the wax plant, otherwise it will only grow roots and won't climb the wall. You can choose a suitable pot based on a 1.8:1 ratio of seedling length to pot diameter, so that once the roots fill the whole pot it will quickly grow stem nodes.
2. Cuttings
Take cuttings from wax plant branches after flowering for the highest survival rate! Choose 7-10cm branches that must have stem nodes on them. After cleaning the wound, stick them straight into sand, and they'll root in about 20 days!
As for flowers that can be grown into waterfalls,
that's all Huahua has to share.
If you fellow gardeners know any other flowers that can become waterfalls,
why not leave a comment for Huahua right away?