My Most Loved Houseplants
After watching Jenna Marble’s video all about her houseplants it inspired me to write this as without a doubt one of the most loved things in my home is my plants and I shared her excitement for them all and their upkeep (apart from maybe the dusting). I’ve been collecting houseplants for around 5ish years now and whilst I’ve certainly had my fair share of casualties seeing them grow and thrive is something that I often wonder brings me far too much joy. Anyway, I thought I’d share some of my most loved plants in my collection, as well as the ones that I’ve found, are easiest to take care of.
Sansevieria trifasciata (snake plant)
You might know this plant as a snake plant or mother in laws tongue. I have 4 of these dotted around the house as they’re incredibly easy to take care of and they’re really resilient. They can have direct sunlight and are quite happy to be left to dry out in-between watering so don’t need that much attention. If you’re only just getting into plants and want something to get you started then this is a great one to get you going. There are quite a few variations of colour in these plants, personally, I just love the deep green as the markings are so beautiful. One thing I will say is because these plants are so low maintenance they can often get quite dusty so do make sure you give it a quick once over with a cloth once in a while.
Ficus Lytra (fiddle leaf fig)
A blogger favourite here is the fiddle leaf fig and as you can see, this is a little baby one that I’ve only just picked up so I can’t say too much about it in terms of how to care for it from a personal point of view. I decided to pick up a small one as if it does die then it won’t be as much of a loss as a large one. I will say, they are known for being very hard to take care of and can be extremely sensitive. From research they don’t like the following; drafts, soil that is too wet, soil that is too dry, too much sun, not enough sun and dry air. So I will keep you updated about this high maintenance baby, I’m really hoping that I’m able to succeed in helping her thrive.
MONSTERA DELICIOSA (swiss cheese plant)
I have to admit, I had a bit of a nightmare with my first Swiss cheese plant and didn’t feed her well enough so the leaves she was growing didn’t have any of that holey goodness. Anyway, this is my second one and I have had a little more success with the leaves and the key for me I’ve found is regularly feeding her with just a general purpose house plant food. These plants really enjoy gentle sunlight, a happy normal temperature, and regular watering. Again, another one that is happy enough to be dry in between watering and because of the size of the leaves you need to regularly give your cheese plant a good dusting. Just a note as well, the leaves are toxic to cats and dogs so do keep them away from them. Thankfully the whippets aren’t interested in my plants at all these days so I don’t have to worry much about them nibbling the leaves.
Ficus elastica (rubber fig)
Out of all my plants, I have to say my rubber figs are probably my favourite as they’re really easy to take care of. I have 2 really tall ones and then 3 smaller ones scattered around the house, their beautiful shiny leaves suck me in every single time. You will know if your rubber fig is happy because they can grow incredibly quickly and they are happiest in medium to high sun but avoid direct sunlight as that could burn the leaves (I had that happen a lot of my first one). This is a plant that likes to be reasonably soggy so I try to water them every week, but you can usually tell if they need watering by their soil. I have let mine dry out before and it’s been fine but I wouldn’t advise it as it can lead to some sad leaves.
Peperomia Prostrata & Dischidia nummularia
Two more new plant babies in my collection are these two trailing succulents. I’ve stayed away from succulents for a while as I wasn’t having much luck with them but I’ve felt brave lately after seeing my string of hearts flourish in just a few weeks. I’m completely obsessed with trailing plants at the moment as the way they hang over shelves is something I find so aesthetically pleasing and of course, plants are great for your environment. They like to be moist but they do not like to be soggy so regularly watering and misting should keep them happy. And they like to be somewhere that is bright but again, not one that is a fan of direct sunlight.
Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant)
My best friend gave me this plant years ago and I have to admit that I neglected it for quite a while but lately, it’s been thriving. I don’t find it particularly hard to take care of and it thrives in bright but indirect sunlight and regular watering. It can be left to dry out but do be careful with overwatering this one as it can easily get root rot. Apparently, they can blossom little white flowers but that isn’t something I’ve ever managed to achieve. If you do see the tips going slightly brown that’s ok and it isn’t harmful to the plant.
Epipremnum aureum (devils ivy)
I picked this plant up at the beginning of the year and I have to say, I’m shocked how easy it has been to take care of as it’s had so much new growth. I’ve got a climbing devils ivy but you can also get these plants hanging too which is something I’m really interested in picking up as I think they’re absolutely beautiful. These plants enjoy a light area but nothing too bright or direct, the soil should be moderately damp but not sodden. They also enjoy a regular misting and if the leaves become pale then they need a little more water.
Ceropegia Woodii (String of Hearts)
This is a plant that I’ve wanted for years but never found one until a month or so ago. The petals are the shape of a heart which is just adorable and obviously, it’s a trailing plant and it’s nicely making its way down my shelves at the moment. They can trail up to a 5ft long apparently which is quite a distance so hopefully, I can get this one to do the same. These plants really like sunlight although they can survive in indirect sunlight too which is always a bonus. Be careful of overwatering as the roots are very slender meaning that root rot is something that you can easily get with these plants. You might find your string of hearts needing a haircut every so often (mines already had one) as things can get a little tangly and of course, this can encourage new growth.
