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10 Colourful Mushrooms To Grow At Home

Growing mushrooms is both an easy and a cost-effective hobby. Having a mushroom garden in your home may not be a hobby you have heard about, but it is unique enough to try. The best part is that you don't need to put in too much effort into growing mushrooms. Ever heard of the term 'mushrooming'? It is used to refer to something that is growing very fast.

Mushrooms are wild by nature so they do not need too much care an maintenance. Given the right conditions, mushrooms can grow at an alarming speed. In fact, you might need to restrain the speed of their growth when you have a mushroom garden at home. Many mushrooms are also edible, so you can have them as a part of your kitchen garden with the vegetables and herbs.

Mushrooms can't be called garden plants because biologically they are fungi. That is why all mushrooms are not edible. In fact some are even poisonous. Mushrooms cost a lot because their health benefits were recently discovered. However, once you buy them, there are no additional costs. You can grow mushrooms in damp places. Keep them away from direct sunlight because mushrooms usually grow under the shades.

If you are growing mushrooms solely for decoration then you must choose the colourful ones. These are some types of mushrooms that look bright and colourful.

Mycena interrupta or Pixie's Parasol

Mycena interrupta or Pixie's Parasol

The brilliant aqua blue colour of these mushrooms makes them excellent as decorative plants. Some of these are edible but most are toxic so it is better not to eat them.

Pholiota sp.

Pholiota sp.

This is a special type of orange mushroom found mainly in Australia. These mushrooms grow well among moss or tree barks. You can make a fine artistic piece from these mushrooms in your garden.

Hygrocybe coccinea or The Scarlet Hood

Hygrocybe coccinea or The Scarlet Hood

These mushrooms are easily recognisable due to their vibrant red colour. Grow them for sheer aesthetic pleasure.

Pink Mycena sp

Pink Mycena sp

Mycena mushrooms appear in many colours. This pretty pink one will look great as a centre piece for your living room.

Marasmius sp.

Marasmius sp.

Many mushrooms from the Marasmius sp. family are edible so grow them in your kitchen garden.

Mycena purpureofusca

Mycena purpureofusca

These are text-book mushrooms that look like miniature umbrellas. They are leather brown in colour and will be great to grow with the plants in your herb garden.

Phlogiotis helvelloides

Phlogiotis helvelloides

These are unusual mushrooms that look like colourful whorls of flowers. If you grow them in your garden, an uninformed spectator might think they are exceptionally beautiful flowers.

Ramaria sp.

Ramaria sp.

This mushroom is also called the golden coral mushroom due to its lovely yellow colour. It is shaped like a piece of coral. There are 200 different sub-species of this mushroom and many of them are edible.

Pleurocybella porrigens

Pleurocybella porrigens

These mushrooms are pearly white in colour and look like divine flowers. Their body is delicately veined. These mushrooms are eaten in many cultures.

Amanita virgineoides or Ogre Mushrooms

Amanita virgineoides or Ogre Mushrooms

Traditionally, these mushrooms were considered ugly because they have spiky boils on their body. However, they make quite a striking presence in your garden.

Story first published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 16:23 [IST]
Read more about: garden plant gardening