Finding The Best House Plants

English: Potted House plants. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most House Plants require Medium to Indirect Sunlight.  When you buy house plants it’s good to follow the Directions that are found on the little plastic inserts in the soil.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eggrole/6351521937/

Misted golden pothos by Eggrole

The Golden Pothos is a good starter plant.  The only thing is the rapid rate at which they grow.  I had one that hung from my porch on the second story of the home, to the very ground and then some.  You will have to cut the vines or find a way to wrap them on a suitable pole or screen so that they won’t  shrivel with no where else to grow.  What I did was use hooks on my wall and strategically placed the vines so that the water would flow through  them easily.  It truly worked.  I have one now that is touching the floor so I will either have to cut it or create another system to place the long vines. 

When you buy this plant, make sure that you follow the directions on the little plastic insert.  They need indirect to low light actually so a South window would be fine.  if you give them too much sun and water they will yellow and die.  Keep the soil moist and re-fertilize every 2 months, and make sure you follow the instructions. They work!  This plant sits in my South Window.

The biological name for this plant is Sansevieria Laurentil plant.  It is commonly called the Mother-In-Law Tongue or the Snake Plant.  It has strong longevity and requires bright, indirect sunlight.  It can also tolerate lower lighting.  Allow soil to dry before watering it so always touch before you add water.  Keep in warmer temperatures.  This is one of the easiest most attractive plants as they grow.  Mine is huge and started out like the image above after a couple of years ago!  This plant sits in the West Window.

A very good plant with very Strong Longevity as well is the Aglaonema or it is sometimes is referred to as the Snow Queen plant because it has sort of light grey flecks in the leaves.  This plant grows large leaves like you would imagine almost on a species of a Palm Tree.  They require medium light, moist soil and re-fertilization is the same as the Golden Pothos and Mother-in-tongue in general.  About every 2 months.  This sits in the West Window.

I have had a table full of plants, perhaps 10 to 14 of them all on a huge table at the back of my couch.  It was like a house plant wonderland because I thought I couldn’t grow plants. They were beautiful for some time. Through trial and error, I found that plants with a lot of color requires a lot of light and must be dealt with much differently.  The more vibrant the color the more you need to know.  In short, they didn’t make it.  Florescent lights can be good for the colorful plants but they are not always perfect for the home, unless you know.  I will try them again, once I am more sure of how to maintain them.  But start with the easiest house plants and you will be surprised. There are so many more easy ones. Ask your Florist!