Philodendron collection thriving out of the tropics | A love of Aroids | Gardening Australia

Hundreds of rare and obscure Philodendrons kept in a heated greenhouse. Meet the man who keeps them thriving.
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Philo means 'love, affection' and dendron, 'tree'. Neil Crafter sure loves these plants. He is one of Australia’s biggest experts and collectors of philodendrons. Sophie finds out how he keeps his rare collection thriving in less-than-tropical Adelaide.
Neil started his collection at university when he bought a plant to sit on his desk - it was a philodendron.

There are nearly 500 recognised species. Neil says he loves “the diversity of the leaf colour, the texture. There’s so many species, I wasn’t going to run out of plants to collect…one species might have hundreds of forms, how could you ever get bored?”

He creates tropical conditions in a greenhouse to create the right levels of heat and moisture. He aims for 80% or more by using misters.

Feeding is crucial - he fertilizes weekly but weakly with a mix of liquid fertilizers.

Only use free-draining potting mix with lots of large bark pieces; Neil adds perlite and horticultural charcoal as well. There should be no pooling when you water plants.

When propagating cuttings, Neil pots cuttings into sphagnum moss then puts the whole pot into a ziplock bag to keep it humid and moist. Once established, they can be potted up.

Some can be grown outside - especially the thicker leaved, more robust tree species. Those with thinner leaves are more likely to dry out.

A favourite is the Ecuador Philodendron (Philodendron verrucosum), named for its hairy leaf stems. It has a lovely red blush on the back of its leaves.

Neil loves to escape to his greenhouse, but says he can always see blemishes and wonders what he could do better.

Filmed on Kaurna Country in Adelaide, SA

Featured plants:

Philodendron martianum

Philodendron warszewiczii
Ecuador Philodendron (Philodendron verrucosum)
Location: Adelaide, SA
Climate Zone: Warm temperate
Garden established: 1980
Look out for our other stories, such as Addicted to Aroids.
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