Summary: To increase the number of openings in the leaves, let the plant grow and allow plenty of diffuse sunlight. As the plant grows, it will produce fenestrated leaves. Juvenile monster plants often have heart-shaped leaves similar to other aroids and can be difficult to distinguish from other aroid plants. Fenestrated leaves are the result of a mutation in the growth of the leaves.
How do you get more holes in Monstera?
If you’ve been paying attention to the gardening world the last few years, you’ll know that a lot has changed in terms of how we plant and grow our veggie patch. Gone are the days of heavy hues and big pots. Today, it’s all about monochrome planting and low-maintenance gardening.
One of the most loved annuals of late – the black-skinned, frilled vine that continues to confound gardeners and botanists alike – grows best in cool climates where it’s prone to escaping its bounds and taking over the whole garden. That’s right, folks: it’s the Monstera.
Also known as the trumpet vine or the flowering maple vine, this fast-growing climber has been featured in a variety of guises in recent years as a backdrop to garden parties and cocktail bars – from bunting-lined terraces in the UK to rooftop terraces in Japan.
Despite its ubiquity, the Monstera has long been a plant-lover’s worst nightmare. The vine will continue to grow once you’ve planted it, and the more you prune it back, the more it’ll throw out new branches. If you’re on the hook for an evergreen hedge, you’re best avoiding this particular plant.
But what’s wrong with the Monstera? It’s foliage, in particular, that has led to its infamy, and the frilly pink blooms that it sports as it matures aren’t exactly the emblematic plant of a British summer.
Understandably, given its voracious appetite for climbing and its tendency to take over, the Monstera is a difficult plant to keep in your garden. If you’ve tried to stake it out in a pot and keep it within bounds, you’ll know what we’re talking about – the plastic ties that you use to secure its branches simply melt away after a while under the blazing sun and blistering rain. Of course, you could always move the plant to a location where it won’t bother anybody (like a roof terrace or a privacy hedge).
The trouble is, the more you keep it in bounds, the less opportunity you give for it to spread its limbs and take over – and that, we think, is what makes the Monstera so appealing to plant-lovers today. You see, if you’ve been keeping a keen eye on the gardening world, you’ll know that there’s a method to this madness: with some basic pruning, you can actually force the Monstera to branch out and make itself at home in your garden. If you live in an area where winters are rough, a snowflake tree or a fairy bush might just be the thing to brighten up your snow-filled winter days and nights.
The Domestication of the Monstera
If you’re starting from scratch and haven’t yet planted a vine in your garden, the best thing to do would be to seek out a local nursery to see what grows well in your area and offers some nifty winter flowering options. One such plant that has been successfully tamed – and it literally takes hold of the soil as it climbs – is the Monstera.
Introduced to the UK in the early 1800s, the Monstera has been dubbed ‘the climbing tomato’ and ‘the miracle vine’ due to its rapid growth and ability to scramble up and around the garden support that you provide. It requires a minimum of space and is relatively low-maintenance once you get the hang of it – which is fortunate for those of us that want to keep a few in our backyards to brighten up our days and provide some privacy in our gardens.
Why is the Monstera so appealing to plant-lovers? It’s the combination of its bright red berries with its spiky green foliage that catches the eye. The foliage, in particular, is highly sought after by herbalists and tea enthusiasts, who use it to make herbal infusions. Some even consider it comparable to ginger in terms of its medicinal properties.
As well as being a brilliant addition to any garden, the Monstera is also a classic choice for terrace gardening. Its ability to climb the garden support gives it a magnificent presence, and the tight twining of its branches creates a claustrophobic effect when viewed from the ground. It’s said to be best suited to locations where it can snake its way up the side of a building or wall and take hold of the brick or stone for support. So if you’re in need of some privacy in a city environment, where space is at a premium, the Monstera might be the perfect solution.
Make Your Garden A Haven
One of the major appeals of the Monstera is that it makes for such an easy and quick addition to your garden. You don’t need to head down to your local nursery to source a tomato or pepper plant to grow in your backyard; all you need is a bucket of soil and some pot pourri to stimulate the growth of fresh fruit throughout the year. What’s more is that it’s fairly straightforward to grow – all you need to do is stake it out in a pot, give it some water, and you’re good to go.
What’s great about this particular option is that you don’t need to worry about the conditions of your garden either. If you live in a temperate climate and get a decent amount of sunshine, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruiting phases of the vine throughout the year. If, however, you live in a more exposed environment where frosts are a common occurrence, you might want to consider planting a snowflake tree or a fairy bush instead so that you can harvest some berries as soon as possible. They’ll keep you warm as you wait for the snow to settle – and who knows, you might just like the color of their berries better than that of the Monstera.
The Perfect Opportunity To Experiment
Another fantastic thing about the Monstera is that it’s such an easy plant to experiment with. You can literally cut it back at any time and expect some new growth to appear within days – so if you want to try out a new plant or flower in your garden without fear of failure, the vine is the perfect opportunity. If you live in a temperate climate and get plenty of sunshine, you can even experiment with different varieties to see which ones do best in your garden.
You can also seek out some native varieties of the plant that are native to your area and that you can source from local garden centers or parks. What’s great about this option is that you’re not restricted to a single type of berry like with the domesticated varieties; you can literally pull off any color or combination of colors ranging from bright red to deep purple, depending on the variety that you choose.
Low-Maintenance
One of the major appeals of the Monstera is that it’s low-maintenance once you get the hang of it. The vine is relatively easy to grow and require only a bit of water to get started. You don’t need to coddle it with constant tending or fertilization like you do with some other varieties of plant.
If you live in an area where it’s prone to getting a bit of a struggle with weeds, you can apply some horticultural oil or compost to the soil to help combat the growth of unwanted vegetation. When it comes to watering, you really only need to do this when the soil is moist – preferably at the end of a warm day when the dew has settled. This way, you don’t watered-waste any precious drinking water by doing so in the morning. During the day, the sun will dry out the soil, so it won’t be needed – and if you don’t need it, you don’t waste it. You’ll also want to make sure that you don’t overwater it either – especially if you’ve had a lot of rain recently, you might find that the soil is already wet and you’ll be overwatering it. This will lead to all kinds of problems in the long run. So take your time when watering and make sure that you don’t drown your humble vegetable patch.
Weed control is also incredibly easy with the Monstera. If we’re brutally honest, a lot of this has to do with the fact that it’s a vine and vines have been traditionally used for this purpose. As a climber, it’s prone to taking over from both above and below – so if you happen to spot a few straggling branches that seem to be trying to take over your garden, you know exactly what to do. You simply need to nip these in the bud and out they come next time you water. Better still, if you want a low-maintenance alternative to a climbing tomato or pepper plant, why not try out the Monstera? It’s ideal for those of us that live in smaller spaces and don’t have a lot of floor space to spare.