The aglaonema plant also known as the Chinese evergreen is one of the most popular houseplants around. And for good reason! This attractive plant has many great benefits and uses that make it a versatile addition to any home or office. In this article, we’ll explore the top 5 most popular uses for aglaonemas.
1. Air Purification
One of the best things about the aglaonema is its ability to purify indoor air. Studies by NASA have shown that aglaonemas are excellent at removing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the air. These toxins are commonly emitted from items like carpets, cleaning products, and furniture.
So adding an aglaonema to a room can significantly improve indoor air quality and remove pollutants. This makes it a great plant for an office, bedroom, or any other living space. Their large, green leaves maximize air contact to filter out impurities.
2. Low Maintenance Houseplant
Aglaonemas are one of the easiest houseplants to care for. They adapt well to various indoor conditions like low natural light and drought. The plants only need to be watered occasionally when the topsoil feels dry and they thrive in moderate indoor temperatures away from drafts.
These hardy plants also rarely need repotting or frequent fertilization to look their best Their slow growth and resilience to pests make them an ideal low maintenance option for beginner gardeners or anyone with a busy schedule You can basically “set it and forget it” with an aglaonema!
3. Decorative Focal Point
With their brightly colored leaves featuring unique patterns and textures, aglaonemas make excellent decorative statement pieces. They come in a wide array of varieties with leaves in shades of green, silver, pink, white, and red.
The visual interest of these colors and designs can be used to elevate any space. Aglaonemas complement both traditional and modern interior decor styles. Place one in an entryway, on a desk, or any place that needs a pop of color. Larger varieties can stand alone as beautiful focal points.
4. Feng Shui Placement
In Feng Shui principles, specific houseplants are used to promote positive energy flow in a home or office. According to Feng Shui, aglaonemas attract good fortune, prosperity, and luck.
Practitioners recommend placing aglaonemas in “money areas” of a home to stimulate financial abundance. Popular spots are near the front door, in a home office, or the southeast corner of a room. The vibrant chlorophyll green color of the leaves is considered an especially fortunate color in Feng Shui.
5. Low Light Tolerant
One of the aglaonema’s best qualities is its ability to thrive in low light conditions indoors. They can handle shady spots and indirect light that would cause many other houseplants to decline. In fact, too much direct sun will actually scorch their leaves.
So aglaonemas are perfect for naturally darker areas of a home without many windows. Places like hallways, bathrooms, and corner spaces are no problem for these shade tolerant plants. Their adaptability to low light makes them one of the most versatile houseplants you can own.
The aglaonema truly is a multifunctional plant with many great uses. Give one a try to help clean your indoor air, decorate your home, bring good energy flows, and add lively color. And enjoy how easy they are to care for! With the right spot and occasional watering, an aglaonema will give you years of healthy, vibrant leaves to appreciate.
About the Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema) is known for being easy to grow and for its beautifully patterned leaves. This truly is the perfect beginners plant or for those with low light conditions. The leaves are large and lush and bring a low-maintenance, tropical feeling to your interior.
Chinese Evergreens have evolved over the centuries to have many color and pattern variations. They are most well known for having green with silver splashes, stripes, or speckles such as Maria or Diamond Bay Aglaonema. Some have colored stems, veins and leaf edges such as Red Siam or Lemon Mint Aglaonema while others can be almost entirely a new color like white, pink, or red such as in Red Star or White Joy Aglaonema.
Although they can get 3 feet tall, Chinese Evergreens are slow growing and great for desks and shelves. If they do get larger, their rounded forms fill a corner very nicely. Their slow growth means they only need a larger pot every 2-3 years and they actually prefer a tighter pot space. They can also produce blooms if given enough light. They look like dainty Calla Lily blooms and are very subtle.
Types of Chinese Evergreen
There are so many forms of Aglaonema and I recommend them all! Here are five that I currently or previously have owned that all look very different.
- Silver Queen – The Silver Queen is one of the most common Chinese Evergreens. It has long and skinny leaves with dark green and silver swirled together. Mine is placed in my bathroom a few few from a west window that is fogged out as its in the shower. It has been thriving and even bloomed last year!
- Red Siam – This is a gorgeous option if you want a plant that gives you rich color year round! The leaves are rimmed in red, speckled in green and yellow, and the stems are pink. It prefers slightly more light than its fully green cousins. As a result, mine sits a few feet from a south window.
- Diamond Bay – This is an option that has very large, long, lance shaped leaves. The center of the leaves are a pale, silver-green color that is a little more than half the width and stretches end to end while the outer edges are a dark green. Mine is sitting a few feet from a northeast window.
- White Joy – This is a newer and more rare varietal with stunning bright creamy white foliage with a deep green leaf halo and sparse speckled green variegation towards the edges. This will need brighter light to maintain its vibrant variegation. Mine is sitting a few feet from an east window.
- Lemon Mint – This is the latest variety I have gotten and I am obsessed. It is one of my favorite leaf colorings I have ever had. Lemon Mint has silver blotches throughout the foliage with striking green and yellow veining.
Top 15 Most Beautiful aglaonema Varieties | Most Colorful Stunning Chinese evergreen species
FAQ
What are the uses of Aglaonema?
Is Aglaonema edible?
What are the fun facts about Aglaonema?
Where is the best place to put Aglaonema?
Are Aglaonema plants easy to care for?
All aglaonema varieties (an estimated 21-14 species) are extremely easy to care for, making them office favorites worldwide. Although aglaonema ‘Silver Queen’ is one of the most popular varieties, you can experiment with cultivars like ‘Suzy’ or ‘Silver Bay’ – you don’t have to stick to ‘Silver Queen’.
Where can I buy Chinese Aglaonema plants?
Silver Bay, Silver Queen, and Suzy are easy to find in big box stores. Whatever variety of Chinese evergreen you decide to grow, here’s a list of the conditions for your aglaonema plant to care for it properly. Renowned as a low-light plant, the darker varieties of aglaonema are extremely popular as indoor plants in windowless offices.
Which Aglaonema is best?
Although aglaonema ‘Silver Queen’ is one of the most popular varieties, you can experiment with cultivars like ‘Suzy’ or ‘Silver Bay’ – you don’t have to stick to ‘Silver Queen’. Silver Bay, Silver Queen, and Suzy are easy to find in big box stores.
Should I repot Aglaonema?
The Aroideae subfamily has a manifold of ornamental plants. It has around 22 unique species. Such multiplicity allows anyone to opt for the plant they desire. These plantae aren’ If you grow this evergreen cutie, then ultimately you will have to repot aglaonema it. Mainly, it should be done when the plant