(Plants pictured from left to right: Arrowhead Philodendron, Pilea Peperomioides and a Succulent [Cotyledon maybe])
I never knew that I would grow up to be a collector of anything. Let alone plants. However, here I am a die hard collector of house plants and of course, Rae Dunn Pottery (but I'll leave that obsession for another day). Back to my plants. So I bought my first plants from my coworker a few years ago because her neighbor was selling a bunch of aloe vera plants. Her neighbor was also selling starter mint plants as well, which I decided to buy, since I was hoping to start a little herb garden at home. I brought them home to experiment and attempt to keep them alive. Prior to this moment of my life, I was a serial plant killer, and couldn't keep any alive. I came to the realization that when you're passionate about something, in any context, "that something" will thrive and meet all of your expectations and more.
After about 4-6 months of reading and following basic plant care instructions for aloe vera plants and other basic house plants, I was completely hooked. I enjoyed watching my aloe plants thrive, without much work being done on my part. Plant mom veterans might read this and think it sounds hilarious, because it really isn't that hard to care for an aloe plant, but trust me! If you aren't ready nor committed to care of your plants, they will suffer and die. Regrettably, I have killed many in the past. However, this was my season and I just knew I was ready and worthy of being a good plant mom. I orderd 4 more house plants with air purifying benefits to continue on in my new plant journey. By the way, aloe vera is also an air purifying plant and one of the reasons I had so much interest in introducing plants into my home, at that time, was because I was transitioning into more holistic lifestyle. I read about plants that naturally clean your air and that started it all.
I have no intention of making this a long post. I can't stand when I am searching a topic and have to scroll through 15 paragraphs before I get to the part I care about. HA HA! I simply wanted to share this in case there was anyone out there that needed some inspiration or words of encouragement to start their plant journey and actually keep your plant babies alive. So if you have always felt the same insecurity I felt in the past before I decided to believe in myself and give it a try, this is for you! It really isn't as intimidating as it seems. Especially if you begin with just a couple of the "hard to kill" plants like aloe vera, pothos and snake plant. Below I provided you a few suggestions of the best plants to get as a new plant mom, some basic care tips for each and a picture of each from my home. Thanks for reading!
Aloe Vera Plant
Lighting: Bright/Indirect sunlight
Watering: Only water when soil is dry (For me, it's every 2-3 weeks)
Fertilizing: Once every 2-3 months
Temperature: 55 to 80F (will tolerate lower temperatures as well)
Snake Plant
Lighting: Indirect light but do well in shaded areas as well
Watering: Only water when soil is dry (For me, it's every 2-3 weeks)
Fertilizing: Not really needed but if you do, the Spring and Summer is the time to do it.
Temperature: 55 to 85F (will tolerate lower temperatures as well)
Arrowhead Philodendron
Lighting: Medium to bright light
Watering: 2-3 times a week
Fertilizing: Once a month in the Spring, Summer and Fall
Temperature: 65-80F
Golden Pothos
Lighting: Bright/Indirect light
Watering: Only water when soil is dry (For me, it's every 2 weeks)
Fertilizing: Every 2-3 months in the Spring, Summer and Fall
Temperature: 70-90F (will tolerate lower temperatures as well)
Spider Plant
Lighting: Bright/Indirect light
Watering: Only water when soil is dry (For me, it's every 2 weeks)
Fertilizing: Not really needed but if you do, the Spring and Summer is the time to do it.
Temperature: 65-90F (will tolerate lower temperatures as well)