Grow Your Own Magazine

Can anyone who was around in that era tell me whether there were 'typical' houseplants of the time? I'm doing a bit of retro themed decorating and looking for some plants to fit in. I'm thinking spider plants were perhaps quite a sixties (and into the seventies) thing? Not sure of others though.

Claire

Hmmm, we had spider plants, boston ferns, christmas/easter cacti and african violets in the late 60s/early 70s - dont know whether that was just my mums taste though?!

When i think of the 50s i imagine aspidistra plants.

I have a 50s piano in the house if that's any good

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I wasn't around in the '50's but cast iron plants must have been about (Aspidestra).

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September

Beat me to it, Alexx

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September

"Mother-in-laws tongue" - no idea the real name, but they seemed to feature quite high when I was growing up in the seventies, and Mum had them for a long time prior to my arrival in '75.

Rubber plants (again, name?), they also seemed to be quite popular round our way...

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Aspidistras, definitely, partly because they're very long-lived and might have been an Heirloom (honestly, we had one that was 80+ years old in the 70s!) - and also because they're tough as old boots, and could survive the pollution of those coal-fired days. Begonias, I'd think - certainly my Mum had some long-lived ones in the 70s - and maybe silver-dollar plants. I'd try period fiction for research, but make sure it's really written in the 50s/60s, not just set then by someone who may not know what they're talking about! Also, you'd have to decide what social class your period room is going to reflect. Good luck with it!

Thanks, those are great suggestions. I had no idea aspidistras could live that long!

I've just picked up a sixties style wicker and bamboo plant stand from our local Don't Dump That (similar to Freecycle) so I think that will add to the ambience too.

It's an interesting point about which social class to reflect Rowan - I'm sort of aiming for middle class-ish, the sort of 'look' people who could buy all new stuff would have had!

Claire

We have a collection of 1950's valve radios as well as our '50s jukeboxes. I have an old houseplant book (from the 40's but the edition I have was revised in the 70's) so I could have a look in that if you want to check anything specific

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

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Seem to remember a rubber tree(plant) late 50s early 60s

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Sanseveria? Ma-in-law's tongue - spelling may be quaint!
Ficus elastica - rubber plant.

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Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Spider plants definitely, our house was full of them, Aspidistra too and we had the mother of all cheese plants in the corner - up the wall and across the ceiling before it got too big !!!!!!!!

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

What about those monstrous cheese plants???

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
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Cheese Plants grew faster than radishes !! Bloody triffid-like ability they had. Went out of fashion I think about mid to late 70's

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Oh Yeah - Indoor Yukka Plants - that was another I remember from when I was a kid

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Ooooh, cheese plants!!! They were in the back of my mind all along but I couldn't quite picture or place them!

Great suggestions everyone

Claire

What sort of Aspidistra is a 50s piano?

I split my Aspidistra plant up a few weeks ago and now I've got 7 of 'em. Trouble is I can't bring myself to throw any of them away.
Anybody want one (or two, or three)?

Busy Lizzies, coleus, begonia rex, mother in laws tongue, cacti, spider plant, tradescantia (that's definately the one) known as wandering sailor or wandering jew (are we allowed to say that) . For me that epitomises the period.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

While we are on a nostalgia trip what about those awful porcelain shire horses with carts??? Everyone had one!
Never see those any more......wonder whether there's any left....probably pop up as collectors items!

PS Just looked again at this...must have been in irrelevant mode last night! eek

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

A chap I know of reasonable vintage stated to me that the only plants he grew during the 60's had leaves growing in bunches of three and thrived in the airing cupboard... He spent a lot of time on Eel Pie Island as well...

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Big silver bird, come land low and slow
Cut your engines, cool your wings,
You've taken me home...

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Snadger, all the china horses with wooden carts ever made are currently gracing the bay window of one of my neighbours!

Madmax... perhaps NOT!

Claire

We always had African Violets in pots in our house. We also always had a rubber plant which stood in a corner for yesrs doing nothing but it did grow very tall eventually. Spider plants, tradascanthia, umbrella plants and ferns. Thats my memories anyway.

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And when you're back stops aching,
And you're hands begin to harden.
You will find yourself a partner,
In the glory of the garden.

Rudyard Kipling.