Houseplantflowering houseplantSome care needed

Anthurium

Anthurium andraeanum

Grown for the glossy coloured spathe, which is a modified leaf rather than a petal and lasts for weeks. It flowers reliably indoors given enough light — which is the single thing most owners do not give it.

Position: Bright, out of direct sun
Water: moderate demand
Drainage: Free-draining
Grows to: 40–70 cm × 30–50 cm
Frost: Frost tender
Difficulty: Some care needed

August

Nothing to do

No sowing, planting, harvesting or pruning window falls in August.

Anthurium’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

Activity	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Take cuttings				April.	May.	June.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

Conditions it needs

Light: Partial shade, Dappled shade
Frost: Frost tender
Grows best at: 18–28 °C
Soil: Peat-free compost
Soil pH: 5.5–6.5
Drainage: Free-draining
Water needs: moderate
Drought: poor tolerance
Waterlogging: poor tolerance
Heat: good tolerance
Wind and exposure: poor tolerance

Where these figures come from

LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — position
Checked 2026-08-13
FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — hardiness
Checked 2026-08-13
Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — temperature
Checked 2026-08-13
SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Anthurium andraeanum — culture
Checked 2026-08-13
DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

Soil	Verdict	Why
Heavy clay	Works, with one condition	Anthurium will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Sandy	Works, with one condition	Anthurium will crop on sandy, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering.Water and mulch will carry it through. On this soil the watering is not optional in a dry spell, which is the difference between a crop and a failure.
Chalky and alkaline	Struggles here	Anthurium struggles on chalky and alkaline: The soil is substantially too alkaline for it: it wants pH 5.5 to 6.5, and this soil sits around 7.8 to 8.5. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering. A container or a raised bed of imported soil sidesteps the problem entirely.
Loam	Grows well here	Anthurium grows perfectly well on loam without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Silty	Grows well here	Anthurium grows perfectly well on silty without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Peaty and acid	Works, with one condition	Anthurium will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Shallow over rock	Works, with one condition	Anthurium will crop on shallow over rock, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It has little drought tolerance and this soil dries out fast — it will check and bolt in the first dry spell without watering.Water and mulch will carry it through. On this soil the watering is not optional in a dry spell, which is the difference between a crop and a failure.
Made ground and urban soil	Struggles here	Anthurium struggles on made ground and urban soil: The soil is substantially too alkaline for it: it wants pH 5.5 to 6.5, and this soil sits around 7.2 to 7.8. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy. A container or a raised bed of imported soil sidesteps the problem entirely.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height: 40–70 cm
Mature spread: 30–50 cm
Rooting depth: 20 cm

Where these figures come from

Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13

In a container

Minimum volume: 2 litres or more
Minimum depth: 15 cm

Where the container figures come from

Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13

Keep it slightly pot-bound. Over-potting into wet compost is the commonest way one is lost.

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

Method	Suitability	What it needs
Indoor pot	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Container	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13	Indoors, or outdoors in summer only
Greenhouse	Well suited source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Windowsill	Workable source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13
Open ground	Not suitable source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability Checked 2026-08-13	Tender: will not survive a British winter outdoors.

Growing it

FeedingFeed weakly through the growing season if you want spathes. Light comes first, though — feeding a plant in a dark corner produces larger leaves and no flowers.
PruningCut spent spathes back to the base as they brown. Old flower stems do not repeat and leaving them draws energy from the next set.
WateringWater thoroughly when the top two or three centimetres of the mix are dry, then let it drain completely — the thick roots want air as much as water and a saucer left full will rot them. Reduce from October, but keep it more evenly moist than most of the plants around it: an anthurium that dries out repeatedly stops producing flowers and yellows from the oldest leaves. Use rainwater or water left to stand where the tap water is hard. Brown crisp leaf edges mean dry air rather than dry compost, and misting does very little — a pebble tray or a group of plants does more.
TransplantingEvery second or third spring, into a coarse open mix — orchid bark with some compost and perlite, never ordinary potting compost, because the thick roots need air and suffocate in anything dense. Keep it slightly pot-bound, which encourages flowering. Aerial roots pushing up out of the surface are normal and are a sign it wants top-dressing rather than a bigger pot. Autumn repotting sets it back badly.

Where this guidance comes from

FeedingSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — feeding
Checked 2026-08-13
PruningSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — deadheading
Checked 2026-08-13
WateringSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
TransplantingSourced guidancemoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13

The bud you cut to becomes the new shoot, and it grows in the direction it points — which is why an outward-facing bud opens the plant up and an inward-facing one crosses the middle.

Safety and edibility

Cats and dogsPainful or persistently unwell; veterinary advice worth takingListed at genus level

Listed as harmful to cats or dogs

Anthurium is listed as harmful if eaten. All parts carry needle-shaped insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which drive into the soft tissue of the mouth on contact. The pain is immediate, which is why an animal rarely takes a second bite and why fatalities are rare — but the drooling and swelling that follow are real and distressing.

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic plant list — American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Anthurium — toxic plants list

Checked 2026-08-13

Affected parts: all parts.

Pets and livestockpetschildren
All parts contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing causes immediate burning of the mouth, drooling and swelling — painful and distressing rather than usually life-threatening, and the pain generally stops an animal after one bite.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Anthurium andraeanum — toxicity
Checked 2026-08-13
Keep anthurium out of reach of pets that chew plants and of small children. If chewed, rinse the mouth and offer water; seek veterinary or medical advice if swelling affects breathing or swallowing.

Sources for this page

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.