Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Spring Green Houseplants

Let's face it. Spring is nowhere near the midwest and I think it's going to stay that way until June, probably. Last week we had some warmer days (48 degrees!) and sunshine... my spirits were lifted and all was right in the world. Today? Snow. Tomorrow? Snow. Fat fluffy flakes and a single-digit forecast to follow. I need some sort of boost, and I've got spring green plants on the brain.

Now that Chris and I have a house of our own, I've been wanting to incorporate some houseplants into our decor. I've honestly never been much of a indoor plant person, mostly because I'm pretty clueless on how to keep them alive. In fact, I killed a mint plant a few weeks ago. Too much water? Not enough sun? Who knows. But thanks to this list of hard-to-kill house plants plants I discovered last week, I've found a few hardy plants that just might work and have just the boost of green I need to get through these gray days.


1. A "Donkey Tail" might not sound like a pretty plant, but this succulent is the cutest thing with trailing stems that flower the summer. This plant requires a lot of light and minimal watering, so hang it from a window or on a sunny shelf and you're golden.
2, 3. Moonshine Sansiveria and Snakeskin Sansiveria seem like the best bet for our home. They are hardy plants that don't need a lot of sun or water, and I love those spikey tendrils. Plus they're excellent air purifiers, and have even been known to filter out toxins like formaldehyde.
4. I have been wanting a fiddle leaf fig for ages but didn't know what they were called until I read this post by Emily Henderson. Oh man those trees are beautiful. According to Emily, a sizable tree can cost upward of $500, but this ten inch guy is only $12.99 at IKEA. I'll take it.
5. Lest we forget the blogworld's mascot, the succulent. Ikea's assorted succulent mix are adorable, pre-potted and super affordable. At $2.50 a pop you can buy one (or more) for every room in your home.

I'd also love to own a potted citrus tree someday, but considering that I can't keep a simple garden herb alive indoors, I'm going to stick to hard-to-kill vegetation for now. You can most of the above plants online, but I bet you could find most of these plants at your local nursery, too. I've even seen the sansiveria at my grocery store. Slap any of these guys in a white ceramic pot (or perhaps copper?) and you have instant Spring -- just what I need.

3 comments:

Nicole said...

Yay! Happy to see you blogging again! I've been contemplating some hard-to-kill indoor plants, too. I love how they look, but I am not great with plants. I'm on my 4th air plant because I wanted to put it in a cute place that does not get sunlight. #4 is alive and well because I moved it to the window sill, ha. Thanks for sharing these!

Katherine Ross said...

Thanks Nicole, I'm glad to be back! Oh man, I forgot about air plants! They're pretty hard to kill... what with not needing soil and water. Maybe your first three were duds ;)

Tang said...

I'm getting a fiddle leaf fig tree for the house this summer! So excited. They sell large ones for about $40 here. Also always wanted a Meyer lemon tree!