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8 Easy House Plants for the
Brown Thumb Gardener
Who is with me on the Brown Thumb Gardener? My mother in law is amazing with plants. I love her yard and the plants that she has in her home. She has the knowledge and ability to grow some of the most finicky plants. I am such a brown thumb when it comes to plants. The 28 + years of being part of the McMullen family, very little has rubbed off on me. There are very few plants that I can grow and they last for a while
Let me tell you about our daughter’s wedding. First off, it was gorgeous. I might be a “little” partial but the setting, the intimate guest list, and the decorations were perfect. We used live Succulents in her wedding. In between 150-200 of those precious plants.
We chose succulents because of the look we wanted plus we were a little excited about being able to keep them for a long time. We have now celebrated their 2nd anniversary and I don’t have a single living succulent from the wedding. I even kill a plant that doesn’t require any attention. I have to work hard at keeping plants alive. At least we have pictures of all the beautiful bouquets, tablescapes and accents.
So with that little story shared, you now know that I have to have plants that are not hard to take care of. I have found these plants to be easy to care for and as long as you give them the light and the water schedule they need, you will be fine growing these 8 easy houseplants in your home.
8 Easy House Plants for the Brown Thumb Gardener
The Rubber Plant
What a funny name. The given name is Ficus Elastica. The rubber plant is from India. It can be a beautiful medium size houseplant or if put in a large pot, it can become a focal point and be a large indoor tree. That is the great thing about this plant is you can control the size of it by the size of the pot it is planted in.
The rubber plant goes through two seasons. The growing season and the dormant season. When the plant is in growing season, you need to keep the soil moist, During the dormant season, you just need to water every other week. Lukewarm water is best for this plant and its roots.
The Rubber plant likes bright light but not directly in the sunlight. So a window with a sheer hanging or a few feet from an open window or door.
The Peace Lilly
I think this is my favorite. A peace lily has been in my home since my mom passed 6 years ago. I have enjoyed caring for it. It has had it’s ups and downs but it is still alive. NASA says it is one of the top 10 air cleaning plants.
You have to be careful with the peace lily or given name Spathiphyllum. The Peace Lily is harmful to cats and dogs. It is a toxin for the pets to digest. You will need to have this plant in areas that will not entice the pets to chew on them.
Watering this plant is so easy! You can tell if the plant needs water by just looking at the leaves. They will start to droop. This is a sign that the plant needs to be watered.
This plant doesn’t require a lot of light either. You can set it in a corner and it will thrive or in a room that doesn’t get as much sunlight. That is what is so great about this plant. It will brighten up a dark corner in your home.
The Spider Plant
This plant is perfect for the newbie. It can take a lot of abuse and still thrive. You can place these plant by the window even in the winter time. They love indirect sunlight and moist soil. Spider Plants in the spring produce little flowers that then turn into little “Spider” looking offsprings that hang from the mother plant. It is a very cool look.
The tips of your spider plant might turn brown but this is very normal for these plants. When the tips turn brown, just trim them with scissors. This takes the energy from the plant trying to heal the dead spots to focus on new growth.
The Air Plant
The Air Plant is a fascinating plant. Forage in Louisville sales Air Plants This is where I first saw these amazing plants. The air plant is a low maintenance plant that grows without soil. You can set this plant on a stack of books, on a shelf, or on the coffee table. The plant just needs filtered sun.
Each leaf on an air plant is covered in specialized scales known as trichomes, which have the ability to absorb water and nutrients. So you can place this plant in a bathroom and it will absorb the steam from the shower and stay healthy. If you have it on a shelf or a table, the following watering instructions will keep this plant hydrated.
- Place the air plant in a bowl of water. (not softener water)
- Let it sit for 12 hours
- Take the air plant out and shake off excess water.
This will keep the plant hydrated for 10-14 days.
The Pothos Plant
This is hands down in my eyes, the easiest plant to care for. I have had these plants and never have killed one. The Pothos Plant is a vine plant. The vines will grow long. You can cut the vines and root them in water for more plants if you would like. What makes this plant easy? You don’t have to water until it is dried completely out. The leaves will start to droop and you will know it is time to water. If you are scared to get a house plant, this is the one to start with.
The Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are beautiful accent plants for the home. If you have a corner that needs some brightening up, this is a great plant for that. The flip side of the Boston Fern is it is a little hard to take care of. You need to make sure the humidity, the light and you have to watch them for pests. Boston ferns are great for the house and the Brown Thumb gardener like me can grow a fern but we just need to be attentive to this plant.
The Aloe Vera Plant
The Aloe Vera plant is known as the Healing Plant. It is easy to grow and a lot of people have this in their kitchen windows. The Aloe Vera plant is a dry ground plant. So water the plant well and then let dry completely out before watering again. There are so many health benefits of this plant. If you love to have items that have multiple purposes, this is the plant for you. You brown thumb will love it too!
The Cacti Plant
Cacti plants are in the same ballpark of the succulent. They are plants that are from the desert area and don’t require a lot of work. But as you read at the beginning of this post, you saw I struggled with Succulents. I have learned from my mistakes and now successfully growing two little cacti plants. They are making it. You just need to not be over anxious with the watering and keep them in good sunlight. My advice to for this plant, when you think you need to water it, wait a couple of days and then water it. It doesn’t require much water. Remeber it loves to live in the desert.
Brown Thumb Gardner wrap up
This is a list of 8 plants that even a Brown Thumb Gardener can grow. I know because I am a brown thumb gardener. I have not grown every one of these plants before but after doing the research on each one, I have a check off list to add these to my home.
Having plants in your home creates an atmosphere that is comforting, relaxing and makes the air cleaner. Your home will be a better place of refuge for your guest to come and spend time.