DocBlock® Anthuriums

DocBlock® is the Anthurium breeding programme of Dr Jeff Block, based in Florida. It is one of the most respected Anthurium projects of the last decade, focused on improved foliage cultivars for the houseplant market. Plants from the line are recognised for unusually good colour, vein contrast and vigour compared with most hybrid Anthuriums. Growtropicals is the UK's official supplier of DocBlock® Anthuriums.

Anthurium Michelle® is the flagship cultivar of the DocBlock® programme. It is recognisable for colourful emergent leaves that mature to a near-black green with bright silver venation, a compact heart-shaped leaf and noticeably stronger vigour than most velvet-leaf Anthuriums. The F3 generation took Best New Flowering Plant at the 2022 Tropical Plant International Expo, and Michelle® has since become a benchmark plant for serious collectors.

In April 2026, Anthurium Michelle® was shortlisted for the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year Award, the first foliage houseplant to make the list in recent memory.

No. DocBlock® Anthuriums are easier than most velvet-leaf species. Michelle® holds the dark mature colour and silver veining, but with a much more forgiving constitution. It tolerates lower humidity, recovers well from missed waterings, and puts on new growth quickly in normal UK home conditions.

If you already grow foliage Anthuriums, you will find the care broadly familiar. We see the DocBlock® line as a strong step toward the rarer end of the genus without the usual difficulty curve.

Use a chunky, free-draining mix. Water when the top 2 to 3 cm of substrate feels dry, and never leave the roots sitting in standing water. Humidity above 60% is ideal; new leaves can pucker if the air is too dry, though established plants cope with normal UK humidity better than most velvet types.

Place the plant in bright indirect light: an east-facing window, or 1 to 2 metres back from a south-facing one, works well. Feed every two to four weeks in spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertiliser, and keep the plant above 15°C. For broader care detail, see our Anthurium care guide.

Yes. Growtropicals is the UK's official supplier of the DocBlock® line for 2026 and beyond. Anthurium Michelle® is the first cultivar to land in volume, and further plants from the programme will arrive through 2026. We are working directly with Dr Jeff Block on what comes next.

To be first to hear about new arrivals, sign up to the newsletter at the bottom of any page, or check the DocBlock® collection regularly. Trade and wholesale enquiries can go to wholesale@growtropicals.com.