We here at Angus & Celeste would be surprised if anyone who is reading this didn’t know what a Peace Lily is. One of the most common houseplants due to its ease to grow, the Peace Lily is an old-hat at beautifying our spaces.
We recently shot some peace lilies in our A&C planters with @Raefallon and our wonderful stockist in Perth called Stackwood. We decided we definitely needed to add the Peace lily to the Angus & Celeste plant guide. The Peace lily feels like one of those plants that most people may have met at some time in their life. We can assure you, this humble little plant is really well worth re-visiting folks!
Peace Lilies are tropical, evergreen plants native to the tropical regions of the Americas and south-eastern Asia. They are most well-known for their flowers, which we will talk about a little more below.
Easy to care for, a Peace Lily is a welcome addition to any plant family. Read on for a little more info to help your Peace Lily thrive.
Environment & Temperature:
Peace Lilies are from the tropics, so they like high humidity. Regularly misting the leaves will help keep humidity high.
Keep your Peace Lily away from direct afternoon sunlight. We recommend an east-facing window, as your plant will enjoy the warmth of the morning sun while avoiding the intensity of the midday and afternoon sun.
Temperatures upwards of 21 degrees Celsius are ideal. Avoid leaving your plant in an environment under 16 degrees Celsius.
Watering:
For anyone who has ever come home to find their peace lily with its leaves thrown down, sagging completely and looking like its nearly dead, fear not! Peace lilies are very dramatic but are actually super hard to kill. When they look like this, they are just in need of urgent water. Once plants get bigger in size and have a lot of leaves, they do require a decent amount of water. Plonking them in your kitchen sink filled with water will see these plants come back to life with such miraculous speed! Within as little as 30 minutes their leaves will be back standing straight and tall. Sometimes it can be surprising how quickly they spring back!
Keep the soil moist, but avoid overwatering. Peace Lilies can tolerate short periods of dry soil. Leaves will begin to turn brown if unwatered for too long.
These guys are sensitive to chemicals commonly found in tap water, such as fluoride, which can cause brown leaf tips. If possible, use room-temperature, filtered water.
Fertiliser & Soil:
Use a well-draining, all-purpose potting soil.
To encourage growth during spring and summer, fertilise about every six weeks with a balanced houseplant fertiliser.
Peace Lilies can also grow in water. For best results, suspend the base of the plant above the water line in the vessel you are using. This will allow the roots to grow into the water while keeping the base and leaves of the plant from being constantly wet, which will cause rot.
Flowers:
The attractive blooms of the Peace Lily are also the source of its Latin name, Spathiphyllum, which translates to “spathe-leaf.” The flowers consist of the spathe (the white, sheath-like leaf) and the spadix (the spike of small flowers located within the spathe).
Most commonly, if your plant isn’t flowering it’s because it isn’t receiving enough light. Try moving your plant into a brighter location, where it will receive the bright, indirect light that it loves.
Pests & Diseases:
Causes of brown leaf tips may be the result of too much direct sunlight or over-fertilisation, a lack of water, or low humidity. Evaluate your plant’s environment to determine what might be the issue.
Yellow leaves usually indicate that you might be overwatering your plant. Yellow leaves also occur with age.
Scale and Mealybugs are more than happy to move in and set up residence on your plant if given a chance. Wiping down your plant with insecticidal soap is effective at stopping them, however, repeated applications will be necessary.
Did you know?
It’s said that the Peace Lily got its name from the spathe or the flower, which resembles the white flag of peace.