If your New Year’s resolutions, like mine, include: ‘make my home cozier’ and ‘stick to a budget’, I’ve got the perfect late winter pastime for us: houseplant propagation. It may seem counterintuitive to propagate plants in the winter, but the nice thing about growing plants indoors is that they can pretty much be propagated all…
Orchids don’t bloom well by accident. Over the years, I’ve learned that consistent feeding matters far more than occasional watering or guesswork. A quick splash of tap water isn’t enough to support healthy growth or reliable flowering. Orchids need nutrients delivered in the right way, at the right time, and in the right amounts. What…
Certain indoor plants shed baggage when winter hits, much like reasonable people shed their social obligations. It’s a clever move, and they’re perfectly fine. There is a difference between a dead stem and a smart survivalist conserving energy. All you need is to learn more about biological budgeting. The 11 Bald and Beautiful Houseplants While…
Your Schlumbergera needs a careful diet as much as my extended family. And while I do not expect my cousins to suddenly flower (a disappointment I have learned to manage), I do have high expectations for my Christmas Cactus. My trick is in dialing in the perfect micro-snack every month. Get the feeding right, and…
Accept the truth. Your Christmas Cactus looks up to Meryl Streep. Both are highly talented and both have very specific requirements before they deliver a show. Your cactus’s potential for glory is 80% placement, and the other 20% is you not touching it. Besides, it’s not the only one that cares about its (indoor) zip code, so…
The Christmas Cactus is a lovely little houseguest. It shows up for the holidays, throws out some festive colors, and has only a few straightforward demands. Unlike your in-laws. Regarding pests, this cactus usually requires the same amount of attention as that dust bunny under the sofa. Almost none. Yet, microscopic party crashers can arrive…