Anthurium, also known as laceleaf or flamingo lily, is a gorgeous plant that can bring some mesmerizing, striking colors to your household.
This herbaceous perennial is known for its waxy surfaces and stunning spathes surrounded by huge foliage.
Sadly, a lot of folk are confused about this plant entirely. It looks exotic and hard to care for, but it’s not.
The Flamingo plant is actually a good choice for those looking for something unique, but doesn’t take too much time to care for.
Since it does have a somewhat nasty rep because of its poisonous coat.
While true, you can still safely tend to it and enjoy those flowers with care.
Let’s dive in and see how to care for and grow it!
Last updated: 6/23/22.
Guide Contents
Quick care guide: Anthuriums (laceleaf)
| Plant type | Perennial herb |
| Origin | Europe, Colombia, Guatemala, Brazil, Jamaica, Asia |
| Scientific name | Anthurium sp. |
| Other names | Anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, and laceleaf |
| Soil type | Fertile, loamy, well-draining |
| Soil pH | 5.0-5.5 (acidic) |
| Sunlight requirement | Partial sun, 6-8 hours per day |
| Bloom season | Spring, summer |
| Colors | Purple, white, green, pink, red, yellow, blue, black |
| Max height | 20 inches |
| Max width | 12 inches |
| Low temperature tolerance | 60F |
| High temperature tolerance | 90F |
| Ideal temperature range | 75-85F |
| Humidity | Moderate (60% or higher) |
| Watering requirements | 1-2" per week |
| Fertilizer requirements | Moderate feeding during spring, summer |
| Plant food NPK | 5-10-5 |
| Days until germination | 1 week |
| Days until bloom | Blooms in June or July for 2-3 months, up to 6 times per year |
| Speed of growth | Moderate |
| Hardiness zones | 10, 11, 12 |
| Plant depth | 0.25" from seed, 3-6 inches from cuttings, same depth if root ball |
| Plant spacing | 24 inches |
| Plant with | African violet, aglaonema, bonsai, ferns, orchids |
| Don't plant with | Plants in the same family |
| Propagation method | Seeds, cuttings, root ball transplants |
| Common pests | Spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, thrips, scale |
| Common diseases | Blight, leaf blight, root rot, nematodes, anthracnose, leaf spots, bacterial blight, bacterial wilt, and stem rot |
| Indoor plant | Yes |
| Outdoor plant | Yes |
| Grown in container | Yes |
| Flowering plant | Yes |
| Beginner friendly | Yes |
| Care level | Low (easy) |
| Best uses | Houseplant, centerpiece, garden piece, pathing, bordering, foreground plant, background plant |
What is anthurium?
Did you ever want a houseplant that requires barely any care and you can pretty much ignore entirely, yet will continue to produce gorgeous flowers for you all season?
Pardon the run-on question, but that’s exactly what Anthurium spp. is.
It’s a genus that includes some 800 species that have distinctly shaped spathes that add tons of bright colors to your house with little care.
- Want colorful flowers? Check.
- Doesn’t need constant care and TLC? Check.
- Grows well on its own? Check.
Anthurium is one of those pretty houseplants that thrive with minimal lighting, so you can enjoy the flowers all year even during winter. It thrives in shady household conditions.
It doesn’t need to be next to bright light so you’re not tied to a specific location for it. The shades of orange, red, yellow, pink, purple, green, and everything hybrid are just mesmerizing to look at.
With their glossy and unique flowers, they really look like a plastic houseplants.
But they’re real.
And they’re spectacular.
Poison warning
Anthurium makes a good houseplant, but they ARE poisonous to people, dogs, cats, and other species.
The plant will cause burning, swelling, pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and more if ingested even in small quantities.
This is due to the calcium oxalate, which is found in the plant. Always handle protective equipment and wash your hands upon contact.
When you water, prune, or otherwise contact it, you need to be careful not to transfer the poison. The danger is there, so take no risk.
Read up here for more info. Keep pets away at all times.
Types of anthurium
There are many different types of anthurium to choose from.
You can mix and match endlessly as their multitude of sizes, colors, and spathe shapes vary.
Here are some of the most popular cultivars to get you started:
- Velvet cardboard (large lobed veiny leaves)
- Anthurium scherzerianum (curly spathe)
- Black anthurium (purple leaves)
- Bird’s nest (dark green leaves)
- Flamingo flower/lily (waxy pink foliage)
There are 800+ different types in the genus. So it’s not an easy task!
I’d suggest finding one that grows well in your zone. Then breaking it down from there by something that complements your garden or household. It’s hard.
Is it easy to grow?
Yes, these plants are extremely easy to grow and care for. Anthurium requires very little maintenance other than basic watering, pruning, and enjoying!
They’re a good choice for a beginner looking for a houseplant that flowers with ease.
If you want some foliage-oriented indoor color that grows like crazy with little work, this is it.
Plus, you can enjoy them all season as they produce those gorgeous blooms for you.
Perennial or annual?
Anthuriums are perennial plants.
They’re considered to be herbaceous.
With the right care, they’ll grow every season whether inside your house or in your garden. For those growing this plant outside in the colder zones, they can be grown as annual plants.
The cuttings can be used to regrow future generations. Anthuriums will not do well in the winter outside, so consider it annual if you do grow it in the elements.
How to grow anthurium
This section of the guide covers the basics for anthurium (laceleaf) care.
Depending on the type of anthurium cultivar you’re growing, your plant’s needs may vary.
However, use these guidelines as general advice so you can see how difficult or not it is to grow and care for them (see if they’re your type of thing).
Hardiness zone
Anthurium grows in USDA hardiness zones 10 or higher. They’re a warm weather plant so it’s ideal to grow them in a warm weather zone.
If you’re in a cooler zone, you can still grow them indoors, within greenhouses, or even in your garden if you mulch it properly.
There are ways around the poor cold tolerance of laceleaf!
Propagation
Propagating anthurium is similar to any other root ball plant, such as Cuban oregano, or even bluebells.
The easiest way to get a head start is to use an existing plant and then divide it.
But if you don’t have one, you can always start from seed. Then once you get a nice strong plant going, you can harvest the root ball and divide it for your next batch.
We’ll cover both methods below.
From seed
Starting from seed takes quite some time and is not for the impatient.
It may be worth your time to just invest in a grown one from the nursery if you’re in a hurry. If not, then sowing from seed can be a neat little project for the winter.
First, find out which strain you like, then read about it.
Buy a packet of seeds online or locally. Read the package. It contains useful info about that specific cultivar.
Anthurium plants don’t reliably germinate, so it makes it difficult. Use flats or starter kits to sow. Choose a loose well draining substrate such as vermiculite, peat moss, or coconut coir.
Press the seeds into the substrate with 3” between each seed with 0.25 inches of depth between.
Place the starter kit somewhere with temperatures above 70F at all times.
Humidity should be high with a humidity cover. Water when the soil is near dry. Keep an eye on the moisture level. It shouldn’t be to the point where the plants are constantly sweating.
Germination should take 2-3 weeks.
When the seedlings sprout, remove the cover. Move each seedling to its own containers or your garden, whichever one you plan to grow them in.
Spathes will produce in about 3-4 years, so it’s not quick. This is why if you’re in a rush to see those spathes, buying is the right choice!
Starting from cuttings (rooting)
Starting off with cuttings is the easiest way to propagate this plant.
It’s much faster than starting from seed as you already have a baby plant that just needs to root.
You’ll also need an existing anthurium, whether it’s from a friend or from last year’s foliage.
Keep in mind that this requires a grown plant for it to work. If you don’t have any of these resources, you can buy a grown one from your local nursery or online. Or you can just start from seed. It’s up to you.
For those that have access to existing anthurium, you’re in for a treat. You’re going to see how easy it is to grow it from cuttings!
First, get a sterile pair of scissors. You can sterilize it by soaking it in rubbing alcohol for a few seconds.
Locate a stem that’s fully grown.
This is usually at least 7 inches in length, as a rule of thumb. There should be at least a few leaves on it. If you use a smaller stem, you risk no new roots which will be a total waste of time. The longer they are, the higher their chance of success. Generally.
Using your pair of scissors, cut the stem off from the plant. Get rid of all the husks, spathes, or other plant matter stuck to it. You can leave a few pieces of foliage on it.
Cut the stem into small pieces. Each piece should have at least two leaf nodes for rooting. If you don’t know what this is, it’s where the roots will come out of. They look like small black bumps on the stems.
The leaves should be opposite to the nodes. Each cutting should be 3-4 inches in length.
Get your container of choice. Fill it with a half mixture of peat moss and sand. Place the cuttings into the substrate with the leaf nodes 1 inch below the substrate. The leaves should stick up above the soil line.
Space each plant a few inches from each other. It doesn’t really matter at this point since it’s temporary.
Put the pot somewhere that has filtered sunlight. Keep temperatures around 75F. Mist often to keep humidity high. Check regularly for mold or pests.
The cuttings should root within 4-5 weeks. You can check by gently tugging on the stem and seeing if it’s firmly in place. If you accidentally uproot it, put it back. It’s obviously not ready yet or the roots are too small.
Depending on the temperature, the rooting may take some time.
Warmer temperatures with more sunlight roots quicker.
So if you’re rooting during the winter, you can supplement with a grow light to speed it up.
When they’re a few inches in length, they’re ready to go to their new planter.
Rooting over water
For a really cool little experiment, try rooting your anthurium in water.
Place the stem cuttings into a mason jar filled with 3 inches of distilled water.
They shouldn’t stand up on their own just by leaning on the edge of the jar. The small nodes should be submerged underwater, but the leaves should be sticking out of the jar lip. Do NOT submerge the leaves.
This is neat because you can watch the roots grow out of the nodes in real-time.
Well, maybe not all day. Doing it using glass jars makes it easier to watch for roots.
Transfer when the roots are a few inches.
Soil
Use a well-draining potting mix made specifically for houseplants.
It should be free draining, but able to reserve water for slow feeding.
Don’t use garden soil for indoor plants. It’s not made for it. If you’re growing anthurium in a pot or indoors, get a high quality potting mix made for flowering plants.
If you’re growing in the garden, then use well-draining garden soil with moisture retaining properties. You can make your own mix with potting soil and perlite to create a well-nourished substrate for your plants to enjoy.
Ensure that potting containers have plenty of drainage holes. You can put a layer of rocks at the bottom of it so it doesn’t clump or get clogged. The soil should be water-retaining, but not completely wet. Limit watering.
Don’t overwater or you’ll introduce mold, mildew, pests, and other nasties. Use coarse, porous soil such as pine bark, coconut coir, or peat moss.
pH
These plants prefer a soil pH of 5.0-5.5.
They like acidic soils rather than basic or neutral. You can lower the pH of your soil using soil amendments.
For ideal growth, use a pH meter to get your soil’s metrics and adjust it as necessary. Anthurium is very specific with its range.
Though it’ll still grow outside of it, it won’t flourish.
Depth
Seeds should be planted 0.25 dep. Root balls should be planted to be completely covered with substrate.
Spacing
Plants should be planted in their own containers if potted. Or spaced at least 24” apart in the soil so they have plenty of room for their roots to grow.
Sunlight
Anthurium likes indirect sunlight but can tolerate even lower light conditions.
Just note that the less light you provide your laceleaf, the slower and smaller it grows.
These plants do NOT like direct sunlight, as this will easily scorch their precious pink leaves.
You should only offer filtered sunlight through a window if you’re growing indoors or in a full shaded area in your garden.
Direct light will ruin the leaves and you’ll be left with curled, browning, or dried foliage, which aren’t exactly pretty!
Provide indirect, bright sunlight or use a grow light. Set up in a west-facing dappled window if possible. Bright, but indirect light is key.
Place away from HVAC, drafty windows, or other areas where temperatures fluctuate often.
Watering
Water on a regular schedule, but never overwater it.
Feel the top 1-2 inches of soil with your finger. Water when it’s completely dry. Anthurium likes to be dried out between each watering session. You can use a moisture meter or a watering bulb if you can’t tell when it’s time to water.
Account for rain, drought, and temperature fluctuations. Adjust as needed
Overwatering will cause root rot which can kill your plants.
On the other hand, if it’s too dry, the plant grows slower.
However, that’s preferable to introducing some kind of rot at the root level.
The root ball may also dehydrate if you don’t water enough. If this happens, gently soak the root ball for 1 hour to kickstart it again.
It needs to be ‘rewet’ or else it won’t grow properly.
You’ll get a feel for how much water it needs by observing the foliage.
If they become droopy, try adding more water.
If the soil is constantly wet and takes time to dry, reduce your watering frequency.
Water at the stem, not the leaves.
Water deeply, but don’t go crazy!
Plant food
For fertilizer, use general-purpose balanced plant food. 5-10-5 NPK will do well since anthurium likes a good amount of phosphorus. This will encourage blooming so you can get those colorful rich petals.
Dilute the fertilizer to half dose and use once every 120 days during the growing season.
Note that fertilizer is optional. If you’re using nutrient-rich perlite or orchid soil mixture, you’re OK.
Do replace the substrate every few years when you move it into a bigger pot, but a good quality soil should be good enough. That’s why you don’t skimp on it.
Temperature
Keep temperatures between 70-90F.
If it’s cooler in your home, you can let the temps dip to the 60-degree range and that’s OK.
But ensure that daytime temperatures pick up so that it gets the warmth it needs to produce those pretty flowers.
Don’t let the temperatures fluctuate if you’re planting indoors. Choose a location that does not experience much change in ambient temperature. The baseline temperature should be at least 61F at all times.
Humidity
If you notice curling leaves, mist your plant regularly. Otherwise, there’s no need, or else you can introduce pests if overdone.
Mulching
Putting a layer of organic mulch can help insulate your plant from te