Houseplants!

[RandomWiktor]

Greetings fellow plant lovers. I recently fell into the world of house plant ownership, and have aquired a stunning 26 plant collection, which seems to be ever growing. The range of flora runs from cacti to bonsai trees. My favorites seem to include large tropical plants, and I have a general dislike for flowering plants.
I think plants in the house wonderfully lighten the mood of a place, and add to its liveliness; my house feels more like a home when there is a plant in every window. What's more, they're almost like low-maintenance pets; I greatly enjoy pruning them, watering them, misting them, and evaluating their "health." Some I've had for over five years now, and I haven't had any plant deaths in over a year.
So, what kind of houseplants do you have? Do you keep many house plants, or just a few? Do you dispose of plants when they stop flowering or grow too large, or are you "dedicated?" Show pictures if you have any!

 

[pebbles]

hi , houseplant in every window , yes i can identify with that [in summer anyhow]. I like a few green leafy ones that continue throughout the year , but then i have the flowering ones also . My window sills get taken up by all sorts from now on .young geraniums, fuschias and begonias , just till its ok to put them outside.

From this time on I will be repotting some and 'pampering' others of my streptocarpus collection ,this has to be my favourite houseplant . variety 'Kim' has very dark velvety blue flowers and is one of the compact smaller flowering varietys .

I also have a lone bonsai , any tips on these would be welcome .its a big one but cant seem to quite get it into the condition I would like .

I try to keep my plants as long as possible ,some plants I still have to get the knack of overwintering .

 

[lljdma06]

In my circle of friends, I am referred to as "The Hobbit". I live sub-basement in a small apartment that faces West. I have a bit of earth outside my two windows and I received permission to plant bulbs and roses. I have 8 bushes outside.

Inside, the main window is dominated by a large umbrella plant, and some other varieties, that I have no clue what they are. I have 7 plants on that sill. On a kitchen shelf, I have two very large varigated Pothos. The shelf is 4 ft from the floor and the Pothos touch the floor. Another pothos is on the coffee table. That was a cutting from the main plant. An additional cutting is in a vase until I can plant it. It's due, there are a lot of roots. Underneath the window, I have a little table and a growlight mounted on the wall. On the table are three african violets. One is blooming now.

Now, we'll move to the bathroom, where I have three large ferns growning there. An asparagus, and maiden-hair, and a hair fern of some type.

I had more plants, but the friends who take care of my plants during the holidays do not have green thumbs. I lost a 6ft ficus tree, a 5 ft Norfolk Pine, and a few African violets.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I need to re-shuffle my houseplants, but I generally go in for the more exotic types. I have a couple of cacti, a dracaenia, a bamboo-type one that I've forgotten the name of, and I want a bird of paradise plant, and I need to find somewhere to buy my very own sacred TFF yucca B)

 

[boozybears]

I agree RW that no house is a home without plants. They just add a certain warmth you don't get without them. That said I do NOT have a green thumb, however over the years have managed to keep two tropical plants alive for 8 years now My trick? I only water once every two weeks lol and otherwise just let them be. They're green, they're big and leafy and always sprouting new leaves.. so i'm assuming they're happy and healthy too

btw... I've never used fertilizer on them. Is this needed? If so.. how often?

 

[PlecMama]

I like spiders, you can't go wrong with a nice spider plant, just remember to water it once a month and it wont ever die. I mean never, they apparelty just live forever....I have one that is 40 years old now, it was given to me by my mother in law in 1993 and it hangs in my kitchen window in a basket.

I also have a nice spider dangling down off the bathroom shelf, I have a mini yucca thing I have had since 1992, it just gets an inch taller a year and doesn't do much else, and we have a big coconut palm in the living room.

There are a few more scattered round the house, a money tree, a weeping fig, some cacti, and my sons new addition, a pot of cress he grew at nursery

I have another spider on my filing cabinet at work. I have had to put a sign up that sayd "DONT water me" because people kept dumping what was left in their water glasses in it before they got another drink. Quickest way to kill a spider imhao is to over-water it. Grrr.

 

[emma12321]

I have loads of cacti, the kitchen windowsills and the office are full of them. I have a huge spiky one the size of a football on the shelf under my biggest tank. I also have a couple of aloe veras, 4 ferns, a couple i'm not sure of the names and 2 gerberas.

I've also got a yucca which i bought as a log from mallorca in 2001 its huge now, though the trunk will never get longer the leaves are getting higher. Everyone said it would never grow when i shoved it in a saucer on the window sill.

Emma

 

[Bloo]

This is my only houseplant - my little Asparagus Fern "Sprengeri Asparagus densiflorus". Poor thing probably needs repotting - it's been in that tiny pot for almost 5 years now, but seems to be doing very well under the circumstances
I can't really have much else (probably apart from cacti) because my indoor cat devours everything green - and then proceeds to throw up of course

 

[lljdma06]

I have a fern like that in my bathroom too. Yes, cats will be cats. You'd think that since they're listed as CARNIVORES, they wouldn't do that. But I think they do this on purpose, because they feel like it. Though eating a plant and promptly throwing up on a quality Persian rug or a leather sofa is not my preferred method of getting attention, it seems to work well for them.

 

[Elise]

I love plants. I get plant fever every spring---my mom usually kills all but one or two by the end of the year though... But this year they'll all be coming with me to the university when I transfer.

I have a Hibiscus and purple cala lillies (my favorite flowers) and a China Doll that recently survived too much chill out on the deck. We take all the plants outside during the day while it's sunny and put them on the deck where the cats can't bite at their leaves. And then we bring them in at night.

Oh and I have some bamboo that I'm begging to grow after my cat munched down on it's little leaves.

No doubt I'll have more by the end of the spring...

Oh and at mom's work (she brings the plants home when she goes on vacation) she has 3 ficus, 2 cacti, and some flowers I don't recognize...somehow she can keep those alive but not my plants at home....

 

[leggsbrazos]

Yeap, I am a house plant lover!!!



I have at least 100 house plants through the house. Only rooms that are not home for the plants is the Childrens rooms. My love of plants not only in the house but ventures outside on the porch and into the yard. During the winter time we find it hard to have enough room to place the Christmas tree.

 

[Lynz781]

Thought I would use this opportunity to show you my cactus flowering. I've had it two years and this is the first time. It was a nice surprise. Just when I was feeling peeved about uni work I turned round and looked at my little cactus People have said in the past I'm totally weird over plants but I love them and treat them like I would my fishes. Can't help being a geek. I'm afraid thats what comes with being a budding scientist
So its sprouting yellow flowers but I can't seem to find what species it is in my book:

(I know its not tradescantia )

Also I thought I chuck in photos of my xmas flowering plant. It's rather confused at the mo cuz its a little late to be flowering. But it flowered xmas last year and twice this year, bless its wee soul:

And this is my window sill:

From left to right (some sort of succulent could only come up with rat tail, another succulent similar to jelly bean plant, xmas cactus, cactus, succulent jade plant maybe, another wee succulent maybe ghost plant, and rubber plant

 

[Dragonscales]

Why not go with some carnivorous pitchers (or any carnivorous plant for that matter, however from your post I'm guessing you'd probably prefer something bigger than a butterwort/venus fly trap/etc)? A highland species of Nepenthes would be a good start, avoid the lowland species as these need more specific care in general (such as higher temps, etc). Personally I would recommend N. Ventricosa as a good one to start out with as they are fairly hardy compared to most and look great too.

 

[Dragonscales]

I also have a lone bonsai , any tips on these would be welcome .its a big one but cant seem to quite get it into the condition I would like .

What species of plant is your bonsai? This would help greatly in a diagnosis but it may just be a simple case of the plant in question being more suited to outside life rather than indoors. Plants such as pines, cedars, maples, etc do best outside all year round, only being brought inside for a few days at a time at the most for show. Other possible causes could be over/under watering, lack of fertiliser or too much, not enough light or a few other things such as needing to be repotted, etc. What exactly is it that makes you think it's not doing so well? What symptoms is it exhibiting?

Sorry for the million and one questions, but without knowing the exact plant and what it's doing it is virtually impossible to give any sound advice (same deal as fish really ).

 

[RandomWiktor]

Finally, shots of my plants! It doesn't show my (adult) spider plants, or the two trees I just planted outside. Notice all the little baby spider plants to the left; I'm hoping to donate them to a church plant sale funraiser this summer.