The Ultimate Houseplant Guide
My grandmother loves plants, she's an outdoor tropical plant lady, my dad loves plants, he brings home clippings from vacation and tries to get them to flourish, and my brother is a landscaper with a passion for local plants. I'm pretty sure plants run in my veins, maybe I have a few plant cells somewhere in my body, but while I love plants I have killed my share and am still learning.
As promised, we finally put together a comprehensive plant guide. This is a long post, but it's full of information. I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find an answer to most of your plant questions below (specifically houseplants). And if not, you can always consult Wikipedia :).
1. General House Plant Care Guide
The Sill has an infographic that shares information on light, watering, growth, and toxicity. The graphic has simple illustrations to help you identify a plant that you may already have, or one that you're looking for. For the following plants, consult the graphic below.
- Pothos
- Spider Plant
- English Ivy
- Rubber Tree
- Dumb Cane
- Fiddle Leaf Fig
- Philodendron (we have a few of these, one that we've had for a few years, it almost died but we gave it a "haircut" and now it's thriving again)
- Snake Plant
- Jade Plant
- Cast Iron Plant
- Peace Lily (we bought two of these that were basically dead last summer and they're just starting to come back...the guide below is completely accurate too)
- Ponytail Palm.
2. Large Indoor Plants
Looking for large indoor plants? Balcony Garden Web has a great list! From our experience, the larger indoor plants are actually easier to keep alive; they've usually been growing in a nursery for much longer and have established themselves. You can purchase these large growers as babies too, and it's always fun to watch them grow up if you're up for a challenge!
In our home we have a Bird of Paradise who is called "Birdie", a Monstera, and a Palm that is living temporarily in our bedroom until we're guaranteed no more freezing weather.
3. Succulent Identification
Do you have random succulents and have no idea what they are! Here is a graphic to help you identify what you have; knowing your plants specifically is always helpful.
4. Easy Plants
Looking for easy? Lauren Conrad's easy house plant guide is a great place to start. We'd love to get a rubber tree, they have beautiful dark green shiny leaves.
5. Hard to Kill
Hard to Kill? Real Simple has a few to consider. We have a "ZZ" in our office, and it's a very interesting plant, especially the roots. The leaves are beautiful and shiny, and it grows rapidly!
6. Plants that Clean the Air
Want to clean the air? Noble Carriage has nine recommended plants to keep indoors. We'd like to hope our air is pretty clean, although we don't have any of these...
7. Low Light Plants
Need some plants in your dark spaces? Maison Decor Magazine has ten plants that are low light lovers.
8. Specific Plant Care
For specifics, consult Justina Blakeney's "Plant - o - Pedia"
And that's it!
Some of you may be wanting tips for your succulents. Cacti are the easiest...if you want to start slow, get a couple of cacti and maybe an aloe plant. Less water is better for most succulents, and bright light is needed. We are working on a more specific guide for succulents; stay tuned or subscribe for updates!
