Houseplants

For far too many of us, the only time we’ve ever seen our orchid in bloom was when it first came home with us. We bought an orchid, or one …

The current houseplant boom has everyone buying plants. As the houseplant industry has grown, the decorative planters available have boomed right along with the plants. For every houseplant bought, you …

With just five inexpensive ingredients, you can mix up the perfect potting mix for nearly any plant. Whether it’s houseplants, succulents, aroids, starting seeds for your vegetable garden, you name …

If you grow houseplants, especially these days, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the gadgets, potions and gizmos that you’re told you need. I’ve been keeping houseplants for three …

“Drain any standing water from saucer after watering.” How many times have you, as a houseplant owner, read these instructions for watering a plant? Yup, we get it; plants don’t …

I have a hidden greenhouse in my kitchen. Yup. I grow herbs and lettuce and houseplants and all kinds of things in my kitchen all year long. But you can’t …

Didn’t your mother tell you to mind your Ps and Qs? Well, we’re going to mind the Christmas Cactus Ps. (I don’t know that there are any Qs.) As the …

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera spp.) is a popular old-fashioned houseplant. But despite their popularity, they still retain a bit of mystery. When do you repot them? How do you get the …

Yes, you should dust your houseplants. No, none of us wants to do it. We’ve got better things to do with our time, and this chore always takes forever. Until …

If you happened to be walking behind me last week at the garden center, I’m sure you would have clearly heard me mumbling:  I hope nobody buys this! Yeah, this …

I’ve always thought that people who love plants generally tend to be generous. In my neighborhood alone, there are three little free plant libraries in which you’ll find everything plant-related …

When it comes to living Christmas decorations, it’s hard to top the Christmas cactus. This perennial favorite is known and loved for its tropical blooms that show up around the …

I think you could call it a tradition by now for me to introduce our readers to weird plants in the winter months. Once the gardening season is truly at …

Over the past few years, there has been a veritable explosion in houseplant popularity. Already steadily on the rise, houseplant sales grew 50% to $1.7 billion in 2019. Then COVID-19 …

When it comes to Christmas cactuses, there is one complaint I hear time and again: “I can never get mine to bloom.” That’s understandable, considering these plants need special care …

Christmas and other holiday cactuses are classic houseplants that, when given the right care, can live for generations. Lucky for us, that care is easy enough to give. Holiday cactuses …

Houseplants are wonderful in and of themselves. They provide a lot of beauty and liveliness to our homes and offices.  But what if your houseplants could also provide you with …

If you grow any vining houseplant, chances are, you wish it were fuller. Pothos, tradescantia, philodendrons, monstera adansonii – they’re all beautiful and popular houseplants. But they have a habit …

All it takes is one plant. Then it’s a couple, and what’s a few more? Now you have ten, but wouldn’t 12 be better? Once you’re up to 20, that’s …

I’m convinced that, fundamentally, there are two types of plant people. There are the folks who keep a select few houseplants, each carefully chosen for just a touch of greenery …

I’m curious if this ever happens to you. You think that something you know is so obvious that everyone else knows it too. When, in fact, they absolutely don’t. It’s …

Over my many successes and failures in houseplant care, I’ve learned one simple truth: The more light you can heap on your plants, the easier they grow. Pretty astute, I …

I’m a big believer in the fact that plants are excellent communicators. Not in a weird “I talk to my houseplants every morning” kind of way; more in a “I …

Winter is hard on us cold-climate gardeners. The days are short, and the nights so very long. It’s drab and dreary and gray pretty much all the time. The sunniest …