Houseplants add so much to any home. Life, for one thing! And color, for another! But don't forget that it's been shown by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that many common household plants also help clean indoor air, according to Effie Moore of Plant Culture, Inc. She says the fiscus tree, peace lily and Chinese evergreen are but a few that can clean your indoor air of toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. These toxins are emitted to our indoor air by such common items as tobacco smoke, carpeting, paints, inks, dyes - even facial tissues and detergents.
Pothos is extremely easy to grow and is a plant with lush, beautiful foliage. If you think you don't have a green thumb at all, or even if you do, this is a good one for you. There are several varieties - some with dark green leaves and others with yellow specks in the green leaves. For years I have kept four pots of pothos which have thickened to appear as one, on a little round table - about 2 1/2 feet in diameter. Trimming them is the key. A round tablecloth drapes down to the floor, covering the inexpensive table and a round piece of glass covers the top, in case water gets spilled while watering the plants. As an additional function, the table also provides great storage underneath, hidden by the tablecloth. Pothos needs to be trimmed in order to grow thick and bushy. For additional plants, stick the trimmings in water to root them. Each time I water my plants (about once a week or less - whenever they dry out), I pull off any yellowed leaves. This is truly one of the most carefree and forgiving plants you can grow.
The peace lily, sometimes referred to as the plantation lily, is another favorite of mine and is also very easy to grow. When I see my peace lily droop, that is a reminder to water it and it revives in short time. It is a beautiful plant which does very well in front of a northern window, or a few feet from a sunny east, south or west window.
African violets are easy to grow as well, and add so much color to any room, even during the frigid and sometimes dreary months of January and February! In fact, they seem to show off their colors best during those months for some reason. Maybe they know that we all need the cheery colors of purples, fuchsias, pinks and blues to give us hope that spring is near! In January my African violets are especially loaded with blossoms and they will bloom sporadically throughout the year with very little care. I simply water the violets from the bottom up, by pouring water into the clear plastic saucer with sides - available in garden centers. They like to soak up the water, rather than having it poured over them. Sometimes I give them a little liquid fertilizer for violets and they stay happy and brighten up many months in our home. They set on a table in front of my southern exposure window with a porch roof helping to protect them from too much sunshine, though I've read that they prefer an eastern window. You might want to start with just one or two bright African violet plants and see how much you enjoy them.
A few other plants that are easy to grow are spider plants, philodendron and Swedish ivy. You might also want to try a sweet potato plant, simply by cutting a sweet potato or yam in half and placing it in a half inch of water. Beautiful green leaves will grow from each sprout in a short time. Keep the plant trimmed if you want it to grow into a thick and bushy plant. Or how about a citrus plant? Plant 8 to 10 orange, lemon or grapefruit seeds about 1/2 inch deep in the soil of a 4 inch flowerpot. They will produce a lovely citrus bush with shiny leaves within a year.
If forgetting to water your plants is the reason you've given up on live houseplants, or haven't even tried them, check into a large variety of cactus plants (succulents), since they need much less watering. Not all of them are prickly. One succulent is the snake plant which is very easy to grow, also referred to as the mother-in-law plant! I'd hate to know how it got that name!
If houseplants have always made you nervous, but you are going to be brave and just start out with one houseplant, I'd recommend the pothos. Happy indoor gardening!
FOLLOW UP ON HOUSE PLANTS ~ BEWARE OF POISONOUS PLANTS
This is regarding the article, "Houseplants in Living Color," an article above. ~ Lois:
From Virginia Knowles, The Hope Chest Home School News, http://www.thehopechest.net
As a follow up to your great article on house plants, here is one very helpful web site that lists poisonous plants and gives tips on plant safety around children and pets. This site lists pothos as mildly toxic. I had pothos plants many years ago, but haven't had ANY house plants for a long time because, as a mom of 9, I've always had young children who don't know better than to chew on things, and somehow any leaves always ended up on the floor!
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