I have had a few requests for this post over the last months, and I have hesitated to write it because I am so NOT a plant whisperer. But, I do love plants so much, and I have found a few that are pretty easy to keep alive and can really make a room happy and fresh.
At the bottom of this post, I am sharing some simple tips for keeping your plants happy. It's nothing super science-y or difficult, but it's little things I have picked up over the years that have helped me.
These plants that I am sharing with you are the ones that I have found to be some of the easiest to keep alive & I love how they look.
1. Pothos Ivy // Epipremnun Aureum
2. Burro's Tail // Sedum Morganianum
^^ Burro's Tail loves light and it does very well in this south facing window. This pot doesn't have good drainage, but I compensated for that by placing some small gravel in the bottom of the pot to catch the excess whenever I might overwater it. I let it dry out well in between waterings.
3. Swiss Cheese Vine // Monstera Obliqua
^^ I have only had this monstera for 2-3 months, but I wanted to share it because I love how cute it is! And it grows so quickly. It is currently sitting on our westerly facing front porch and it receives bright, indirect light. I need to repot it as the soil seems to dry out pretty quickly. I'll typically mist this guy when I'm out misting my hanging ferns.
4. Old Man Cactus // Cephalocereus Senilis
^^ If you follow me over on Instagram, you've probably seen this cactus before. I bought it about 7 months ago at Home Depot of all places, and it has grown so quickly. I've never had a cactus grow this quickly for me before. I moved it outside on our east-facing deck during the summer and it seems to like the amount of sun there. I will say that all of my cacti and succulents do much better in terra cotta pots. I tend to overwater, but the terra cotta is so porous that that isn't an issue.
5. Baby Rubber Plant // Peperomia Obtusifolia
^^ I've had this plant for about 7 months as well and it is very easy to care for. It likes high light and likes the soil to dry out in between waterings.
6. String of Hearts // Ceropegia Woodii
^^ Although the String of Hearts is a messy plant, I love how dainty it is. I'm a sucker for trailing vines. This guy also likes my south-facing window, but I don't have it in direct sunlight usually. I let the soil dry out in between waterings.
Some simple tips for happy plants:
// I keep a watering can nearby so that I can easily and quickly water my plants. If it's not convenient, I typically let my plants go too long without water and sometimes they don't recover! I also set a reminder on my phone once every week (Sundays) to water my plants. Some need more or less than that, but at least I don't go weeks without remembering! :)
// If I pot a plant into a container that doesn't have good drainage, I make sure to place an inch or so of gravel in the bottom of the pot to keep any excess water off of the roots.
// Before you fill a pot with soil + your plant, place a coffee filter in the bottom of the pot so that the soil doesn't fall out of the hole.
// More often than not, my sad-looking plants just need a bit of rearranging so that they they get more sunlight. Most light-loving plants need to "see" the sky from where they sit.
// I will occasionally aerate my plant's soil to allow proper drainage and so the the roots can breathe.
Hi Emily, love your plants! Where did you get your Burro's Tail and String of Hearts from?
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen! Thank you! The Burro's Tail is actually from Trader Joe's back in the early spring! Every succulent I have purchased from TJ's has done particularly well. I have no idea why! The String of Hearts was from a local nursery here call Southwoods.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emily! I'm very happy to hear that the succulents you bought from Trader Joe's have been doing well. I noticed that their plants and flowers selections are reasonably priced. Hopefully I'll find something good next time. Will check out Southwoods too.
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