The philodendrons we commonly carry — compact self-heading hybrids in copper, cream and near-black, plus the velvet-leaf trailing micans and two split-leaf selloums — all of them at home in an air-conditioned Arizona room.
If you want the look of the fashionable aroids without the fuss of a calathea, start here. Philodendrons tolerate the low humidity of a Queen Creek house better than almost any other tropical foliage plant, shrug off a missed watering, and grow steadily in the bright indirect light most living rooms already have. The hybrids we carry are bred to stay compact — a ‘Birkin’ or ‘Prince of Orange’ lives happily on a side table for years — while micans trails from a basket and the selloums grow into floor plants.
We commonly carry seventeen kinds: the pinstriped ‘Birkin’, the orange-flushing ‘Prince of Orange’ and ‘Ring of Fire’, silvery ‘Silver Sword’ and ‘Moonshine’, the dark ‘Choco Empress’ and ‘Sun Red’, chartreuse ‘Golden Goddess’ and ‘Colkins Gold’, plus the species collectors ask for. Everything on this page is grown for indoor life; the rest of the bench is on our Houseplants page.
These are the philodendron varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
new leaves change color as they mature
Dark green leaves with fine cream pinstripes that get bolder in brighter light. Slow, upright and tidy — the philodendron for a desk or shelf. Give it the brightest indirect spot you have or the striping fades.
New leaves unfurl bright orange and mature through copper to green, so the plant carries three colors at once. Self-heading, no support needed. Moderate light keeps the color without bleaching.
Long, serrated leaves splashed cream, orange and green, no two alike. Slower than most and worth the patience. A collector plant that still takes ordinary living-room care.
Blue-silver, arrow-shaped leaves on a climbing stem; give it a pole and the leaves widen. One of the most heat- and dry-air-tolerant on the bench.
Pale silver-green leaves on a compact plant that reads almost white against dark foliage. Keeps its color in medium light.
Chartreuse leaves mottled darker green on pink stems. A climber that stays manageable indoors; brighter light means more contrast.
New growth comes in a deep coppery red and holds the color for weeks before greening. Compact, self-heading and easy.
Broad, glossy leaves in a chocolate-bronze that darkens with age. A newer hybrid for anyone who wants near-black foliage.
Lime-yellow leaves that glow in a dim corner. A climber — a small pole keeps it upright and the leaves larger.
Golden-green foliage on a compact plant; the color is strongest with a few hours of bright, indirect morning light.
Marbled light-and-dark green leaves that are most variegated in bright light and revert toward green in shade. A climber for a moss pole.
New leaves emerge red and settle to bronze then green. Self-heading, bushy, and among the toughest of the colored hybrids.
A dwarf selloum with ruffled, deeply lobed leaves on a plant that stays under a foot tall. Full of character.
the vining and the big-leaved ones
Heart-shaped leaves with a velvet finish, bronze on top and wine-red beneath. Sold; trails a yard or more. Wants water a little more often than the glossy types.
A rarer climbing species with silver-blotched, heart-shaped juvenile leaves. Bright indirect light and a pole to climb.
The compact tree philodendron: big, deeply cut leaves on a plant that reaches three feet indoors. A floor specimen for a bright corner.
A selloum whose new leaves and stems flush red before maturing green. Same easy habit as ‘Hope’, more color.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Philodendrons want bright, indirect light: within six feet of an east or north window, or set back from a south window. In Queen Creek the mistake is a west window in summer, where afternoon sun through glass scorches leaves in a single day. The colored hybrids — ‘Prince of Orange’, ‘Ring of Fire’, ‘Birkin’ — need the brighter end of that range to keep their color; plain green types manage in a dimmer room, though they grow slower and leggier.
A chunky, fast-draining aroid mix — potting mix cut with orchid bark and perlite — in a pot with a drainage hole. Repot when roots circle the bottom, usually every eighteen months to two years, one size up. Climbers (‘Silver Sword’, ‘Painted Lady’, ‘Golden Goddess’, sodiroi) grow bigger leaves on a moss pole; the self-heading hybrids need nothing.
A balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength once a month from March through October, nothing in the cool months. Wipe the leaves every few weeks — dust builds fast here and blocks light. Watch for mealybugs in the leaf axils and spider mites in dry winter air; a rinse in the shower and insecticidal soap handle both.
Water when the top two inches of mix are dry, then soak until it runs from the drainage hole and empty the saucer. In an air-conditioned house that is roughly weekly in summer and every ten to fourteen days in winter. Yellow lower leaves almost always mean too much water, not too little. Our tap water is hard; flush the pot through every couple of months so salts don’t build up at the roots.
Philodendrons tolerate our 15–25 percent indoor humidity better than most tropicals, but they still resent a vent blowing on them. Keep them out of the direct airflow of the air conditioner and the winter heater. Grouping plants, or a pebble tray under the pot, lifts humidity enough for the fussier hybrids. The monsoon months of July to September are the easy season indoors.
A shaded, covered patio suits philodendrons from March into May and again from October until nights approach 45°F; the summer heat is too much for most of them even in shade. Never let one see direct sun. All philodendrons are toxic to cats, dogs and people if chewed, and the sap can irritate skin — wash your hands after pruning.
Yellowing, spots, no new growth — snap a photo of the plant and its window and we’ll diagnose it at the bench. Advice is free.
We stock indoor potting mix, orchid bark and perlite for the chunky blends aroids and epiphytes want, balanced houseplant fertilizers, insecticidal soap and neem for the usual mealybug and mite visits, and moss poles, hoops and saucers. The pottery yard has terracotta, glazed and lightweight pots from 4-inch up, plus hanging baskets and cache pots.
No. Every philodendron contains calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and throat if chewed; keep them out of reach of cats, dogs and toddlers. For a pet-safe plant with a similar look, ask us about hoya, peperomia or a prayer plant.
On the lower, older leaves, one at a time, it is normal shedding. Several at once, with soil that stays damp, is overwatering — let the top two inches dry out and check the pot drains. Pale new growth with small leaves is too little light.
Bright but indirect — a few feet from an east window is ideal. Avoid direct afternoon sun through a west or south window in summer, which bleaches and scorches leaves. Colored hybrids need more light than plain green ones to hold their color.
When the top two inches of mix are dry: about weekly in summer with the air conditioning running, every ten to fourteen days in winter. Water thoroughly, let it drain, and never leave the pot standing in a saucer of water.
On a covered, fully shaded patio in spring and fall, yes. Bring it in before nights drop into the 40s and before the summer heat sets in; direct sun and 110°F afternoons will burn it even in shade.
‘Birkin’, ‘Prince of Orange’ and the selloum ‘Hope’ are the most forgiving on our bench — compact, self-heading and tolerant of average light. Trailing micans is nearly as easy if you can water it a little more often.
Philodendron live on the houseplant bench; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.