New to Gardening? How to Choose and Care for the Perfect House Plants
Starting off with some indoor house plants is a great idea for everyone who is interested in gardening. You can get sense of what gardening is all about, while adding an exotic vibe to your space. House plants relay a cool and clean atmosphere, help freshen up the air and brighten up any room in your house. They are the ideal source of relaxation and comfort. You just have to make sure that you choose the best house plants to fit your purpose: whether you love leafy plants or impressive blossoms and flowers, from tropical house plant installations to fake house plants, the list is endless.
Step by Step Guide: Picking the Perfect Room
Different rooms might lend themselves better to different types of house plants. As Hometalker ForRent.com explains, the kitchen is the best place to grow herbs like basil or rosemary, which have a strong connection to food. Go with a bamboo house plant for your bathroom, as it likes humidity and can cope with less sunlight. For your living room, choose house plants that need lots of sun, like succulent house plants or cacti, as ForRent.com demonstrates. Get tutorial here
Be Smart About Your Indoor House Plants
When choosing a house plant, you should decide whether to go for one that will also produce more plants. If you would like an easy plant that does not require excessive care but will also repay you by producing further plants, then Aloe Vera is a great option. Hometalker Kate Kashuba is happy to report that her Aloe Vera is one of her most productive plants – it can yield up to 50 new plants each year from one mother plant shown in the picture. Kate Kashuba keeps her aloe vera indoors, as it can tolerate dry air very well and requires little watering. Get tutorial here
Crazy about Large House Plants? Meet Schefflera
If you are into large house plants, then you really have to try out Schefflera, also known as Umbrella Plant. Hometalker The Garden Frog with C Renee has always been obsessed with house plants, so she should know what she is talking about. If you are looking for one of the most gorgeous tropical house plants that will easily adapt to your space, she recommends a Schefflera. Make sure the plant gets lots of sunlight - but not direct - and prune occasionally. Hers started at only 4’’ tall and look at it now! Get tutorial here
Grow an Amaryllis for New Year’s
Growing indoor house plants can be a nice family tradition, something grownups and kids can do together. This is what Hometalker Sensible Gardening and Living suggests as a new New Year’s tradition: Plant an amaryllis bulb with the whole family. Start with placing the bulb in a 6-8" pot and water occasionally until you see roughly 2'' of growth - then start watering regularly. To keep the stunning flowers blooming for longer, keep it out of direct sunlight. Get tutorial here
Floating Spider Plants
The spider plant is widely considered to be one of the best house plants for newbie gardeners. It is adaptable and forgiving, which makes it easy for you to take care of. This is why it is one of the most common house plants and probably the most popular hanging house plant. Hometalker Trish M keeps hers in a burlap sack in full sun for most of the day and she is proud to report that it is so durable and tolerant of change, it will even grow in the desert. Get tutorial here
Philodendron: A Stunning and Reliable Choice
The easygoing philodendron is a top choice when it comes to tropical house plants – and for good reason. Originally from Central and South America, the philodendron is one of those rare exotic house plants that can be easily taken care of almost anywhere. It is evergreen and a very popular decorative choice thanks to its stunning big leaves. It's also perfect for container gardening, as Hometalker Ur Goodbuyz demonstrates. Get tutorial here
Making Your Own DIY Succulent House Plant Pot
If you are into succulent house plants, then this great DIY idea for a different succulent pot will come in handy. Placing your succulent house plants into different pots and at different heights can spice things up a bit. With items that you can find at the dollar store, like a glass candlestick and a small bowl attached with some E600 glue, you can easily make your own DIY succulent pot, just like Hometalker Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom did! Get tutorial here
Turning Geraniums into the Best House Plants
Geraniums are often thought of as an outdoor plant because they require lots of sunlight. But Hometalker Jeanne Grunert proves geraniums fare just as well as inside house plants. Simply choose your best and healthiest geraniums and cut them to about a third of their original height before converting them into indoor house plants. Keep them on a sunny windowsill like she did and clip dead leaves and petals frequently. Get tutorial here
Air Plants: Perfect for People with a Black Thumb
If you are worried that it will not be easy to care for a plant, why don’t you start out with the most laid back of house plants? Meet air plants, widely regarded as the best house plants simply because they need so little attention. As Hometalker The Prudent Garden explains, they do not need soil to grow – they simply absorb the necessary nutrients through air and water. The Prudent Garden recommends bright, indirect sunlight, and has decorated the pots with stones for a smarter look. Get tutorial here
Everything Is Coming Up Roses
Roses are probably the most beloved flowers – but they are hardly among the most common indoor house plants. Hometalker Jeanne Grunert aims to fix that. She has a few tips for newbie gardeners that wish to grow roses indoors. Simply choose miniature roses – a descendant of the Minima rose. Place them on a southern window with lots of sunlight, just like she shows in the picture, and remember to keep the humidity going by placing the pots on little saucers filled with water. Get tutorial here
Lemon Tree: The Most Fragrant of House Plants
Lemon trees are simply a delight to have in your house: beautiful and elegant, they are a visual and olfactory gamechanger. A lemon tree is gorgeous to look at, simple to care for, and has an incredibly nice scent. Hometalker Homestead Chronicles explains how to grow them from seed. Simply put the lemon seed in some damp potting soil about half an inch deep in a 6'' pot, keep in a warm and sunny place, and spray water occasionally. Homestead Chronicles' method led to the incredible 10'' plant in the photo. Get tutorial here
Remember to Divide Your House Plants
When you take good care of them, then your house plants are going to quickly outgrow their original planters and pots. All plants need space to properly grow, so it is important to divide them every few years. Hometalker Vidya: Whats Ur Home Story finally decided to divide her Chinese evergreen in the picture after keeping it in the same planter for way too long. She ended up with three plants, one of which she turned into a wonderful gift for a friend! Get tutorial here
Making DIY Fake House Plants
When done well and in a tasteful manner, fake house plants can be the best of both worlds: They give you the cozy feeling of having plants around at next to zero effort or cost. Hometalker Toni-Scott Daniel can show you how to create your own stunning fake house tree with a few simple materials. She painted roughly 10 sheets of green construction paper with natural green color on one side and a darker green on the other, then sprayed with a clear coating, cut in strips and used a hot glue gun to assemble her plant. Get tutorial here
How to Keep Your House Plants Safe from Cats
We all know that a kitten will do what it sets its mind to do, and there is often little you can do about it. But when it comes to your house plants, you need to step in and make your cat understand that it is not okay to nibble on their leaves or flowers. Lucky for us, Hometalker CreekLineHouse has a great non-toxic and easy to implement trick. She just mixed a teaspoon of cayenne pepper with water and sprayed her house plants! Get tutorial here
