I have a problem...or at least, I’ve been told I have one. It’s my houseplants; they’re everywhere! These happy, little, green friends populate every room in my house - the top of the toilet tank, the bedroom dresser beside photos of my human children, the fireplace mantle, basically on every available flat surface.
I’ve always appreciated houseplants, but they didn’t always do well in my care. As a full-time educator and parent, my family’s and students’ needs took priority. Time at home was ultimately used to care for family and home. Houseplants were often neglected, so they died.
After retiring from public education and finding my nest empty, I had the time and the need to care for something. Enter the houseplants.
I picked up my first beauty at the local grocery store. It was a fiddle leaf fig potted in a pretty white pot. I placed it on an antique trunk in front of the south-facing window in my Texas home. It seemed to like it there. It grew, and we were happy. Soon, similar potted plants found their way into my shopping baskets and home - a snake plant here, a corn plant there, and pothos everywhere! Within a few months, I had a whole brood that needed my care. Unfortunately, some of my plants died when moving to Madison at the tail end of winter. My fiddle leaf fig got left in the moving van overnight. It froze. I wept for the loss.
The thing about plants is they bring great joy along with the care and maintenance they require to flourish. A perky, tender, leafy vine reaching toward the sunlight makes me happy. It reminds me that I, too, might have to stretch and reach for the light to have my own new growth. A sagging pothos in dry soil needs water and reminds me that I, too, need to hydrate. Seeing the start of a new leaf and watching it unfurl over several days is pretty spectacular! The change is slow and often unnoticed until one day, you realize, “Hey, that leaf is fully open now!” Change comes to us in the same way - slowly and in its own time. Plants are excellent reminders of the importance of self-care.
An online article in Healthline, “A Hobby for all Seasons: 7 Science-Backed Benefits of Indoor Plants,” says research suggests living with and caring for indoor plants may have benefits. Caring for and keeping houseplants:
- Reduces stress
- Sharpens attention
- Is therapeutic
- Speeds recovery from illness
- Boosts productivity and creativity
- Improves work attitude
- Improves the quality of indoor air
It’s remarkable that, with the many benefits of keeping houseplants, the required care isn’t that complicated. Plants only need a few things to grow—water, sunlight, nutrients in the soil, space to grow, and carbon dioxide in the air. Once a plant has been potted, its caretaker must monitor watering and placement in the home for the right amount of light, temperature, and overall health.
So, how do you know what your plant’s individual needs are? Your public library has resources to help you find the answers.
After reading several houseplant care books, here are a few of my favorites:
My new favorite is Holly Theisen-Jones’s The Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants: 45 Unfussy Plants That Are Easy to Grow and Hard to Kill. The book’s layout is attractive and organized.
The color-coded sections, which categorize the plants by level of care, are straightforward and incredibly helpful. If you’re new to houseplant care, you want to start with something other than a drama queen!
Individual plant profiles provide all the information you’d expect: common name, botanical name, other names each plant is known as, basic care, place or origin, and toxicity. What makes this book so special is the information and humor you might not expect from a book about houseplants. Theisen-Jones is downright funny! For each plant profile, she includes Who’s it suitable for?" and " Where do you know it from? And How Not to Kill It, each of which is expertly written with wit and humor.
My House Plant Changed My Life: Green Well-being for the Great Indoors by David Domoney is another excellent book. Important plant profile information is presented in an unattractive page-spread format. However, tips to help the plant thrive are concise, specific, and easy to follow. In the “Help me feel at home” section, Domoney provides tips on creating the right atmosphere for each plant, including guidance on addressing potential problems during seasonal changes.
Specific information regarding each plant’s preferences for water, root space, temperature, and light is also provided. Domoney includes essential information on human and pet toxicity. For those with small children or pets, this is a must-have!
Though less colorful and more straightforward, Heather Rodino’s How to Houseplant: A Beginner’s Guide to Making and Keeping Plant Friends provides excellent information. The table of contents shows that Rodino covers what every plant owner must know.
The last few chapters provide valuable information on how and when to repot your plants, common plant problems and how to address them, and, finally, how to propagate your plants to make even more! Plant profiles include information on optimum soil conditions, light, water, and humidity; temperature; size; bugs and diseases to watch for; and helpful tips on the specific plant’s needs.
My last pick is Your Houseplant’s First Year: the Care and Feeding of Your First Grown by Deborah L. Martine, illustrated by Yu Kito Lee. Marine commits to a baby book format throughout the book.
Though the baby book references are a little too cutesy for my taste, Marine provides sound advice about what to do with and how to care for your new arrival from the day you bring it home.
Uniquely, this book also serves as a plant collection diary. There is a section for you to write the date you bring your new plant home, a note on why you selected the plant, and a spot to record its growth milestones. Marine provides information in three basic categories for each plant profile: Help Me Grow, Feed Me, and Love Me.
If you invest time and money in beautiful plants for your home, you should also invest in learning how to keep them healthy and happy. You'll liven up your home and contribute to your well-being.
This post originally was published on the Waunakee Public Library Blog. www.waunakeepublib.blogspot.com
All photos by Paulette Rodriguez
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