Got any House Plants?

[John5097]

Just added a few house plants and love them! It was fun picking them out. There were so many options!   

So do you have house plants? Do you and guest like them? Please share a picture even if lighting isn't good! 

 Do you prefer artificial or real? How old are they and do you need to re pot them as they grow? These are in the plastic containers that sit inside the ceramic ones. That way after watering them the ceramic pot catches the water and has plastic plug over the hole in the bottom. 

[Huma0]

@John5097 

Your plants looking healthy and happy. Unfortunately, I don't have a good track record with house plants (I do a bit better out in the garden, but even that is hit and miss). I had a housemate during lockdown who was a big fan of house plants and her enthusiasm rubbed off on me and I bought quite a few but have managed to kill most of them!

However, I do have quite a few houseplants still holding on. I normally manage to keep orchids alive, but getting them to flower again is tricky. I also have quite a few succulents and similar low maintenance plants. While I still manage to kill off a few, some have been with me for a while so I think I'll stick to those. The Christmas cactus seems to do okay here too. Finally, I try to grow herbs on the kitchen window sill. I keep them going for a few months but they do eventually expire!

[Gillian166]

one of my secrets is: Water Wednesday. that's the only day of the week i water, and if I forget, they can usually go another 7 days without it. My family know not to water plants. Overwatering is the #1 killer of houseplants, and perhaps not finding the right spot. Once a plant is happy I won't move her. (although I do rotate about 10º on water wednesday).  

[John5097]

@HumaO

So cool! Herbs are fun! I have a few window baskets on the porch with herbs. Basel is super easy to plant from seeds. 

Used to toss a bunch of herb and wildflower seeds in the front beds. Dind't get enough light for veggies. But turned into a jungle. Just planed some shrubs and grasses there, and will keep doing herbs. 

[Jay1798]

I’d love to have live plants but I’m worried they’d die on me or they wouldn’t be cared for properly in my absence, sadly.

I used some fake vines to cover up the railing outside my listing’s window that faces another home across the street for privacy, but I’m hesitant to use fake plants inside because I fear they’d collect dust which would end up affecting my perceived cleanliness negatively.

[John5097]

@Jay1798 

I happened to see a fake plant at the dentist office that looked real. Thought it was a great idea. Doesn't seem like it would be a problem to dust but have overlooked things in the past. 

[Emilia42]

@John5097 I used to have house plants. But 9 out of 10 guests will check-in and then shut every blind in the place. So many plants slowly died from lack of sunlight. I do have one small high window in the kitchen without a blind so a few small plants can survive there. I wish I could have more 😞

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Emilia42exactly, same here... and keeping A/C on 17C in summer and heating on 25C in winter didn't help either. I had to replace them with artificial ones. We are hosting plant killers 😄

[John5097]

@Emilia42 

That's actually very insightful! Some of my guest close the blinds in the day but I don't really keep track. I always wondered if they just thought someone may be trying to look inside, which would never happen. But I did consider if the blinds would be open enough. These were so inexpensive thought I would give it a try. I almost got some little window sill ones as well, so cute, and where only $4. 

[Emilia42]

@John5097 I thought about putting a little note (perhaps in a small picture frame) next to the plants that said something like "This little plant loves sunlight, please leave the window blind open when you're out during the day." But I decided against it because the vast majority of my guests seem to value privacy above all else. And I didn't want to feel discouraged/frustrated when guests didn't follow through.

So I removed the plants and now go with single flower stems in mini vases which I scatter in places to add more color, like the corner of the bathroom sink or next to the kitchen sponge and dish soap. Just like this picture here:

 

[John5097]

@Emilia42 Such a great way to add a personal touch in little paces like that. I was actually thinking of something on the kitchen counter and that is so perfect! 

I always cut some flowers before each guest. 

[Quincy]

Hi @John5097! I have multiple houseplants, but the cat tends to gnaw on some of the leaves. Some of them don't look as nice anymore as a result of that 🐱. 

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[Colleen253]

@Quincy  have you tried bitter apple spray on the plants as a deterrent? How is your cat doing btw?

[Quincy]

Hi @Colleen253, I've never tried that before! I will do some research on this tonight 😃. Thankfully, the cat has fully recovered!