Calathea
The leaves of this tropical beauty offer so many different colours and decorative patterns, brilliantly striped, streaked and splashed in cream, gold, purple and silver, there is much to marvel at with Calathea. As they do not need much light they can happily thrive in more shaded areas of the home, so that’s one less thing to fret about! A quirky fact about the foliage of Calathea is that it opens and closes in response to night and daylight, this movement is how they also became known as the 'Prayer Plant'.
Colours and shapes
Calathea’s strength and beauty lie in its leaves: pointed or oval delights in various sizes and shades of green, purple, red and pink. Think of stripes, spots, patterns or a coloured edge, waves, ridges or a velvety texture. Some varieties also have eye-catching orange flowers. And that’s not all. As soon as the sun comes out in the morning those fabulous leaves spread themselves in order to catch the light, and at night they close again. That’s how your plant keeps fit.
Symbolism
The Calathea symbolises a new beginning. That meaning is derived from the expression ‘to turn over a new leaf’, which is what the plant does when it gets dark. So give a Calathea as a gift to someone who starting afresh. Or to yourself of course, at the start of a new week, when you’ve got a new hair colour or just because you adore Calatheas!
Feel better with plants
As well as the lovely symbolism, the Calathea also possesses other qualities:
- The plant is also known for its air purifying quality making it perect for your home or place of work where it will enhance the atmosphere.
- Fun characters - some varieties of Calathea look like there are eyes on the leaves just like Peacock feathers, others have stripes like a Zebra. This is why they are sometimes called a Peacock or Zebra plant.
- As they thrive in humid conditions, Calathea love being in the bathroom, so it is a good spot to place it.
We have a fantstic range of Calathea available in centre or through our Webshop and our team are always happy to give advice to help you keeping your Calathea looking beautiful!
Source: Thejoyofplants.co.uk
