In the hustle and bustle of modern life, bringing a touch of nature indoors through houseplants has become increasingly popular. However, to truly enjoy the benefits of having plants at home, it’s essential to understand their basic requirements and provide proper care.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE SELECTING YOUR PLANTS

For starters, you must learn your plant’s living conditions. This includes understanding the type of light your space receives, considering the temperature and humidity levels, and assessing the time and energy you can dedicate to plant care.

Learn more about How to Find the Perfect Plant for You.

Light:

Start by taking a look at how much natural light your space has. Does your room have a window? Does the sun shine directly through it? Is there space away from the window that your plant could live?  Answer a few of these questions before selecting your plant.

For corners, hallways, bathrooms, or a space without access to natural light, select a low light plant. Plants like ZZ, Pothos and Chinese Evergreen are great options.

Most rooms have medium light. The room has a window, but that plant will live away from it. The good thing is, most plants are suitable for these conditions.

If your plant will be living in front of a window, you’ll want to select a plant that can handle bright light, like Palms and Ferns.

Learn more about the Right Light for Your Plants.

Temperature and Humidity:
Temperature and humidity can plan a huge factor on how well your plants thrive in your home. Especially during the winter months when our furnaces are running non-stop. Be aware of drafty windows and air vents, these will affect your plant, and can prevent them from thriving.

Time and Energy:
Assess your availability for plant care. Determine how much time and energy you can realistically invest in maintaining your indoor garden.

Select a plant that matches your energy level. If you’re simply looking to add greenery to your space, but don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to its care, consider drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants like ZZ Plant, Pothos, or Snake Plant.

If you’re ready to step into your ready to flex that green-thumb, you can try a higher maintenance plant like a Palm, or Calathea. These plants need daily monitoring.

Color vs Green
Green isn’t your only option when shopping for house plants. Plenty of varieties come with pops of color or beautiful variations of green. If you’re choosing a plant for color, consider Bromeliads, Anthuriums or Orchids.

Variegated plants like Cortons and Calathea come in greens, purples and reds.

If you’re looking for something that will bloom, Kalanchoe, Orchids, and Cyclamen are great options.

Learn more about Our Favorite Blooming House Plants

BASIC CARE

Proper care is the key to thriving indoor plants. Knowing a few basic techniques will set you up for success.

Water:
Watering amounts vary depending on the type of plant and your home’s conditions, so knowing what to look for will help you be successful. Because plants can’t audibly let you know when they are thirsty or hungry, you’ll need to learn the signs. Some plants start to droop or have saggy leaves when they need water. Others may have lighter soil color or the soil starts to pull away from the pot.

Use the finger test to determine when it’s time to water. Press your finger into the soil about an inch, if the soil is dry, water thoroughly. Which means-water the soil, not the leaves, until water runs out the bottom of the pot.

Temperature and Humidity:

Plants love humidity, especially in the winter months when our furnace is running. Using a humidifier or pebble tray (placing a bowl of pebbles filled with water) near your plants can make a huge difference in their success.

Learn more about Caring for Your Plants in Winter and Spring House Plant Care.

Fertilizer:
Plants need food too, not just water. Using a water-soluble fertilizer every few months will help your plant stay healthy. Ask an English Gardens expert about how often your specific plant needs a boost.

MAINTENANCE

Regular maintenance is crucial for long-lasting plant health.

Deadheading and Trimming:
Deadheading refers to removing spent blooms from your flowering plants. Once the flower has faded, you can snap it off below the bloom. This will encourage more blooms.

Trimming and pruning can be done on your plants for a number of reasons. Uneven growth pattern, stems are getting to leggy or long, or removing dead or dying leaves and stems. The most important thing to remember here is using a good pair of pruning shears so you don’t damage the plant tissue.

We recommend waiting until the beginning of a growth season to trim your plants. That usually means later winter, early spring.

Pest and Disease Awareness:
Identifying pest and disease issues right away is key to lessening their impact on your plant. Inspect your plants regularly.

If you see brown spots, curling or distorted leaves, black spots or white fuzz bag a sample area from your plant and bring it our Garden Pharmacy so we can help diagnose and treat the issue.

Repotting:

Repotting is best done in the Spring thru Fall or right before your plant starts actively growing. You don’t have to repot your plant every year. In fact, plants typically do a great job of showing us when it’s time.

Here are a few signs:

• Roots are growing through the drainage holes
• Your plant is top heavy and keeps falling over
• The soil dries out very quickly or has pulled away from the sides of the container
• Plant is growing more slowly than usual

Learn more about repotting your house plant here.

Best Accessories:
Help your plant live its best life with accessories.

• Cork mats are a great way of protecting your surfaces from your plant’s container.
• Leaf Shine hydrates and removes dust and build up from our plant’s leaves.
• Water Cans and Misters make it easy to stay on top of plant care.

SELECTING YOUR PLANT

Now that you know the basics of house plant care and maintenance, here are a few our top recommendations.

Low Light Plants

• ZZ Plant
• Snake Plant
• Peace Lily
• Lucky Bamboo
• Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
• Cast Iron Plant

Medium/Indirect Light Plants

• Ficus
• Monstera
• Spider Plant
• Pepperomia
• Pontail Palm
• Philodedron
• Pothos

Bright Light Plants

• Cactus
• Succulents
• Citrus
• Croton
• Bird of Paradise
• Palms
• Most indoor flowering plants

Low Maintenance Suggestions

• Aglaonema
• Aloe
• Cacti
• Peace Lily
• Philodendron
• Pothos

Learn more about Easy Plants to Add to Your Family

BENEFITS OF KEEPING HOUSE PLANTS

House Plants add more to our homes than just a pop of green. They have been proven to improve our overall healthy and well-being too!

They Clean the Air by removing carbon monoxide and other toxins and provide oxygen. House Plants also increase humidity in your home, which helps reduce the transmission of cold and flu viruses, in turn helping Boost Your Immune System. Bringing Nature Indoors has an immediate impact on our mind and body. One way of helping Improve Your Mental Health is by keeping a few plants around your home.

Learn more about the Benefits of House Plants.

Now it is time to put your knowledge to practice. Select your perfect plant baby and bring it home. Remember that house plant care changes as the season change but you don’t have to do it alone. Whenever you have trouble, stop by any of our English Gardens locations and talk with an expert. They will help you keep those plants thriving.