House plants

[Tw1nkle]

Hi.
I love house plants, but I'm not very good at looking after them!
Would it be too bad to get rid of them all?
Does everyone have them?

Of course not, do what you like!

They look lovely in other people's houses but in ours they just die a slow lingering death. I think no plants look better than dying ones.

I hate house plants- they get all dusty and cobwebby. Can just cope with fresh flowers as u can chuck them out.

Moth orchids are dead easy to look after and the flowers last for ages.

Try herbs instead. They're dead cheap and you can have them in a little window box on the kitchen windowsill. Once they get too big, plant out in the garden if you have one or put into pots and keep outside.

I love gardening but have only had one house plant, and that's the aspidistra that had to come inside in the winter. I like to look at plants through the window into a garden.

However, I did grow spider plants for my classrooms. They are tough as boots, easy to grow and hard to kill.

The trick with house plants is to find their favourite spot. Cactus's love hot, dry places in the house (e.g conservatory), others like warm, humid, other's like sunny windowsills, etc. Read the pot label to see what the grower advises. Move them around if they are looking droopy. Also, keep an eye on the watering. It's really easy to overwater. Most like to only just dry out before you give a bit more water. Feather dusters are good for dusting them. I sometimes put mine in the garden and give them a shower with the hose to perk them up

You need to know what you do wrong and go with the plants that suit your style of care and fit with your house as above poster said. If you overwater take plants that dont mond having wet roots ex:peace lily, bamboo (low light), Papyrus (v high light need). If you forget regularly like me Ficus Alii is great, F. Benjamini is a nightmare) and is not too demanding lightwise. If you rarely water cactees and other plants with water reserves are great.

I coudl not live w/o plants but it comes down to your preferences, no one HAS to have any plants

If you want more suggestions for plants just ask

Spider plants are amazing! I water mine when the leaves look dull, run it under the tap, leave on the drainer for half an hour then back up in its hanger.

I have lots of house plants but agree you need the right plants for your house/rooms. My house is new-ish and very warm so Yuccas and palms do well. I give them new compost every spring and repot to slightly bigger pots if outgrown existing pot. I also take them all outside every few months and hose them down to get rid of dust. They seem pretty happy with this routine!

I did give up on orchids though and have bought a very realistic fake one from the garden centre which was pricey but not as much as the amount I was spending on real ones!!

Get artificial plants if you can't look after them. But no you don't have to have them. I don't have a single plant here because they die

Orchids are not difficult (the ones comonly sold anyway)
but they are v different to regular plants. They need to be soaked for 10-15 min. once a week. In the morning. if darkness settles and there is water on the core of the plant it will rot and die. I killed two by accident bc I did not know this. To produce flowers the plant needs a variation in temperature. But there def. are easier plants!