Foliage Plant Care: Gardening Expert Mimi Saikia from Assam

When most of the time flowers steal the show, foliage plants are easier to grow and less challenging for urban gardeners. Foliage plants are plants that are grown especially for their beautiful and patterned leaves.

Inumerable varieties of palms, crotons, ferns, alocasia, coleus, caladiums, rubber plants, aglaonema, alocasia and many more are outdoor and indoor foliage. These plants do flower, but their leaves are adored much more than their flowers.

What if we say, learn from Mimi Saikia, an expert who is present in Plantohlics, one of the most trusted plant apps in India, a destination for gardening ideas and more, for years and kept inspiring gardeners.

Mimi Saikia has hundreds of plants in her hometown, Guwahati, Assam. Blessed with good humidity, thanks to the location and certainly her amazing love for nature, knowledge of organic gardening, she has made her home a real green heaven

We get mesmerised with her amazing collection of plants from foliage to flowers; here we are just learning about foliage plant care. How she made it from two plants to two hundred is certainly a lesson to learn.

Guwahati is known for its highly humid environment, which is perfect for growing orchids or any other humidity-loving plant. Be it a growing seedling or a mature fern, the plants just love it there. Mimi takes these facts to her advantage when growing plants. Her orchid plant flowering on the tree is a perfect example. 

Why Foliage Love

She says, ‘My love for gardening was imbibed at a young age by my mother. Maa was a passionate gardener; her garden a visual treat. This love for gardening turned into passion after my marriage. Initially, I started with vegetables. Then slowly my interest in foliage developed because of their low maintenance requirements and easy-to-care methods. Moreover, the different patterns, vibrant colours and shapes of the foliage enhance a positive and green environment’ 

Glimpse of Colourful Foliages 

Her collection of foliage is living proof of how much Mimi adores them.  From different crotons to varieties of aglonemas, she has every colour of leaves! Be it a caladium, ribbon plants, areca palm, you name it she has that plant. She has around 12-13 types of coleus and suggests that they prefer indirect sunlight.

Direct sunlight burns the leaves, and little sunlight dulls their foliage colour. Her front yard has an array of colourful plants arranged in such sync that it can make anyone’s morning beautiful just by the sight of it. 

Not only are the plants special, but they’re always thriving under her care. That’s what makes her gardening so special. 

How Mimi takes care of her plants in Assam
In her free time, she tends and cares for her plants, such as pinching the tips of foliage plants and fertilising them with a balanced liquid fertiliser. 

She makes sure the plants are branching well, and that’s how she keeps the pots full. The plants receive bright indirect light and regular watering. Mimi prefers to water only when the top layer of soil is dry and avoids over-watering. 

She likes using clay pots and also has a collection of beautiful ceramic pots. Clay pots have several advantages, such as retaining moisture as well as airflow. They’re eco-friendly as well as decomposable and very convenient. 

What are the challenges of growing Foliage plants? 

While foliage plants are very easy to care for, they are more susceptible to insect and fungus attacks. Mimi makes sure to regularly spray fungicide and keeps her plants healthy to avoid pests. 

Using neem oil diluted with water is a reliable organic option. Just use 2ml neem oil in 1 litre of water. 

Which fertiliser is best for foliage plants? 

We all know fertilisers are essential for overall plant growth. She says, ‘When I first started gardening I had six Jersey cows whose dung I used as compost, only difference is now I buy it’. We really agree with her that cow dung manure contains nutrients which help the plants’ growth. Dry cow dung is odourless and safe to use. Moreover, it helps in maintaining soil structure and texture.

Occasionally, she feeds the plants with homemade organic manure consisting of onion peels and banana skin.

Over the years, many of her plants multiplied due to propagation. She has around 12-13 types of Coleus. They prefer indirect sunlight; too much direct harsh sunlight scorches the leaves, while too little will make the colours dull. I avoid surplus watering and wet only the topsoil. The plants are fed a balanced liquid fertiliser diet once in two months.

She also uses organic manure that consists of onion peels and banana skin dried and used in the soil. Which she uses occasionally.

Which garden pots are best

‘I go for clay pots, though l have a few designer ceramic planters. Clay pots are breathable and water retainable helping the plants to grow consistently throughout the seasons, ‘ she confirms.

Indoor or outdoor gardening?

Mimi prefers outdoor gardening for l feel plants thrive better and get the necessary sunlight required for their lush growth.

Prune the plants when they get too long for bushier growth. They look good as borders, also adding a splash of colours in the garden. Among my collection are the Aglaonema plants, which are my personal favourites.

Soil for foliages

They prefer warm temperatures and well-drained soil. Avoid overwatering. Repotting is necessary after a gap 2-3 years.

Neatness Matters Says Mimi Saikia

In all the photos we’ve seen, there is not a spec of dirt or dry leaves around her plants. With so much foliage and flowering plants, it’s hard to maintain them, but even harder to keep the surroundings clean. She says, without everyone’s support and their husband’s help and raising eyebrows, it is impossible to parent so many plants and successfully maintain cleanliness and neatness all year round. 

“It’s a therapeutic escape offering solace and relaxation”, Mimi adds while we sign off. 

Want connect with Plant lovers like Mimi Saika? 

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