Indoor Gardening Tips From A Man Who's Very Scared Of Plants

You Can Buy These 7 Beautiful Indoor Plants and Flowers Online

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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our daily lives, particularly when it comes to how and where we're spending much of our time. With many of us sheltering in place as states begin re-enforcing lockdown policies — and with winter's chill quickly settling in — it's safe to say we'll be spending a lot more time indoors at home. That means that keeping our indoor spaces feeling fresh is about to become more important than ever. And there's an easy, effective way to do that: houseplants.

This one simple, easy-care addition to your living space can make the situation notably better — with lasting results that, with the right TLC, will boost your mood long after the pandemic subsides. These pots of greenery not only add color, character and cheer to your home, but they can also help to purify the air you breathe and may even reduce your stress levels. But with renewed quarantine measures in place, you might hesitate to run out to your local garden center and fill a cart with fantastic flora. Fortunately, you can purchase houseplants online for convenient delivery right to your doorstep, keeping your new gardening endeavor as touch-free and COVID-safe as possible. Ready to get started? Check out seven top options for designing your personal jungle.

How to Care For and Select the Best Plants for Your Home

One of the interesting things about plants is that they have their own personalities — or at least their own preferences. Different plants thrive in different conditions, so it's essential to take several physical factors of your home into consideration before you start selecting varieties.

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Light: This is one of the most important considerations to think about for any plant — it's what plants get their energy from, after all. Some need much more light than others, and you'll need to position them in different areas of your home to provide optimal light conditions so they can thrive. Look at the light requirements for a plant first before you get it home to ensure you have an appropriate spot for it — and remember that even plants labeled as "low light" still need their fair share of brightness.

Ventilation: Plants thrive when there's good air circulation around them — but they don't love the temperature exchange that happens when they're in drafty areas. During winter, you may need to move your light-loving plants away from windows and into a spot with a full-spectrum lamp that provides the brightness they need without the chillier air.

Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air also plays a role in how comfortable your plant will be. Many houseplants are from tropical or subtropical areas, so they do best with higher humidity levels that mimic the conditions in the regions they come from. If your plant's care requirements note that it prefers higher humidity levels, you can mist the leaves using a spray bottle to provide this extra moisture.

Growing Medium: What your plants grow in is as important as what they grow around. Some plants, like cactuses and succulents, like coarser, well-draining soil, while others do well with denser potting mix. Find out which type your prospective plants prefer, and have it on hand when it's time to repot.

Before selecting your plants, walk through your home and figure out spots for them that best provide the conditions they prefer. Once they arrive, follow their watering, fertilizing and repotting instructions. These elements can make a big difference in how well each plant does in your home.

Pothos

These climbing plants are delicate and elegant, with a beautiful vining character and broad, almost heart-shaped leaves. Pothos are fairly hardy — though they prefer a relatively high level and duration of sunlight, they can tolerate low-light areas.

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In addition, while they like moist soil rather than wet or extremely dry conditions, they're tolerant of more or less water than they'd like as long as they don't go without (or with too much) for too long. These plants are prolific growers, so you do need to be careful that they don't get rootbound. As they grow, transplant them into larger pots every 12–18 months if they're smaller or their roots are coming through the pot's drainage holes and every two years or so if they're larger.

Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera Deliciosa)

If you like the look of tropical foliage and plants with a taller, less-bushy profile, Swiss cheese plants could be an ideal selection. Though the plant, which is native to Central America, doesn't feature the kind of holes you'd find in a slice of Swiss, the broad leaves are punctuated by deep wedge-shaped slices that cause the leaves to fan out.

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Like most types of Monstera plant, this variety can do well in lower light — but it prefers brighter, indirect sunlight most of the day. It's best to mist this one; it's a humidity fiend, but it can acclimate to typical home levels of humidity quite well if you don't remember to add moisture at the two-week intervals the Swiss cheese plant prefers. To keep these dramatic tropical plants healthy, plan to repot yours once a year until it reaches the size you want.

Spider Plant

If your green thumb is typically more on the brown and wilted side, a spider plant may be just the type you need to get some practice with plant care. It's highly adaptable and tolerates almost anything you can throw at it, whether you forget regular waterings or it's not situated in the brighter, more indirect sunlight it likes. In fact, spider plants are so easy to care for that, before long, you might find that your plant is reproducing with minimal effort from you, which it does by sending out grassy shoots called "spiderettes."

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Once you have some spiderettes that are growing strongly, you might find that you want to place spider plants in other areas of your house or share them with friends. You can do so by propagating them, which involves cutting the spiderettes from the main plant and placing them, cut-side down, in pots of soil.

Bird's Nest Fern

Ferns make a statement wherever you put them, mainly because of their substantial width and long, feathery leaves, which are called fronds. Ferns are also plants that thrive in moisture, which is why they're often seen out in the wild in the South, the Pacific Northwest and other humid climates.

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Bird's nest ferns have similar growing requirements to most ferns, but they look a little different with full, solid leaves. The center of each plant also looks remarkably like a bird's nest. Surprisingly, these tropical beauties can do well in cooler climates, and, because they naturally grow on forest floors, they prefer filtered, indirect light. They do love humidity, and they tend to thrive in bathrooms where the steam provides the warmth and moisture they need.

Snake Plant (Sansevieria Laurentii)

This plant has solid canes of leaves that rise sturdily out of the dirt. These dramatic spikes are reminiscent of snakes ready to strike, but the snake plant certainly isn't as volatile. In fact, it's one of the top houseplant options when it comes to hardiness, and it can withstand almost any conditions you provide.

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Despite its low maintenance requirements, it does do better in certain environments. It likes to get dry between waterings, and the snake plant also prefers medium light levels — but again, high and low light levels are usually fine for this striking silhouette. It also doesn't mind air on the drier side, but it'll do almost as well in a humid bathroom as the bird's nest fern.

Heart Leaf Philodendron

With broad leaves that curve in at the top, this plant easily earns its nickname. It's not only a beautiful, solidly green vining plant, but it's also extremely easy to grow. The heart leaf philodendron is tolerant of both high and low light conditions and can hang in there through bouts of too little or too much watering. However, it does prefer bright shade and likes its soil to stay moist (not soggy) most of the time.

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Once you see how you like it and you get your caretaking program set, you can easily propagate heart leaf philodendrons. As the plant grows, it sends out dangling shoots like the spider plant. You can trim them off, place them in water until roots sprout and plant them in well-drained soil to expand your indoor garden.

Dracaena

The striped leaves of this tropical plant add color and contrast almost anywhere in your home. The Lemon Surprise dracaena in particular boasts striking, sculptural leaves in a cheerful hue, so this is an ideal choice if you want something more colorful — but something that doesn't flower.

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This type of dracaena does well in medium to bright — but indirect — sunlight, so you'll want to keep it away from windows and sliding glass doors on the southern and western sides of your home. However, you can hang sheer curtains to create the softer, diffused light the Lemon Surprise loves. This variety is particularly well-known for its air-purifying qualities, which helps keep things in your home as fresh as possible. Keep a close eye on it, though; as it grows larger, it could be prone to becoming rootbound. If this happens, transplant it to a larger pot with aerated soil.