Indoor Plants

[DaisyD]

Living in an arid climate, and being a lazy waterer means that I do much better with indoor plants. I have orchids (phalaenopsis and oncidium), an african violet, bromeliad, Venus fly-trap, goldfish plant, and aquatic plants in a small fish tank also inhabited by a dwarf frog, beta, and snail. I use the water from the fish tank to water the plants (except the fly-trap) and, boy, what a difference! 

Anyway, let's talk houseplants. 

[GuineaPigCourtship]

I'm in CT so it's pretty cold here at the moment.  I have a pot of mint that did well all summer and I wanted to bring it in so we'd have fresh mint all winter, too, but it is really failing to thrive.  It's in a 5 gallon planter and is mojito mint.  I've been watering it as needed based on soil dampness so I'm sure I'm not over or under watering it, but it looks so sad and mostly brown.  I have it in the bay window during most of the day so it can get as much sun as possible, but of course that's not as much as it was getting outside.

Any suggestions from those with green thumbs?  I usually do okay with plants outside but houseplants are a disaster for me.  I just want to love and grow them...  And seriously, if I can't keep mint alive I should probably hang up my indoor gardening apron.

[DaisyD]

I could barely even keep mint going in the aerogarden. FWIW it doesn't mind freezing in winter. May I suggest picking all of the green leaves and freezing them? It's probably the closest to fresh you can really get in winter... The good news is, if you give it an unused space next summer, it will take over in no time. It's actually fairly invasive if not kept in check.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

I planted mint in the garden when I was a kid and the decade I spent weeding it out of everything else before I moved away has me convinced never to plant it in the ground again, or I totally would.  I was dreaming of mojitos on demand this winter, but looks like I'll have to settle for something else.  Maybe eggnog.

[Destiny]

I need a good houseplant that doesn't want a lot of sun. My office is shady, and even in full sun, I don't get much in that window. Anyone have a brilliant idea for a house plant that hates sunshine? 

[Maggie Mae]

Have you tried repotting the mint? That might help. 

I have a couple of different bonsais for my office, but they require that I bring them home on the weekends and give them sun. How about a spider plant? Those are plants that thrive on neglect. 

[DaisyD]

On 5/13/2018 at 6:12 PM, Destiny said:

I need a good houseplant that doesn't want a lot of sun. My office is shady, and even in full sun, I don't get much in that window. Anyone have a brilliant idea for a house plant that hates sunshine? 

Ferns and philadendrons (sp) do fine in low light.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

My mint was/is in a 7 gallon pot and it wound up coming back.  It was on and off all winter although there were always SOME fresh leaves.  Now it's back outside for the summer and couldn't be happier.  I never did get around to making mojitos all winter after all that fuss, which is very like me.  There is an excellent recipe I have for a blood orange mojito that can only be made in January/February when they're in season, so naturally I completely forgot about it.

[Essie]

On 5/14/2018 at 2:12 AM, Destiny said:

I need a good houseplant that doesn't want a lot of sun. My office is shady, and even in full sun, I don't get much in that window. Anyone have a brilliant idea for a house plant that hates sunshine? 

Aspidistra? I have a Boston fern (nephrolepsis) that seems bomb-proof as well, just needs to be kept moist and grows really nicely in a shady part of my dining room.

[Destiny]

Aspidistra? I have a Boston fern (nephrolepsis) that seems bomb-proof as well, just needs to be kept moist and grows really nicely in a shady part of my dining room.

I think I’m gonna try a fern. I’m historically not great with houseplants though, so I hope I don’t end up killing it.

[Alisamer]

I'm crossing my fingers that the plants in my new fairy garden in my office do well! I think they get enough light but if they struggle I'll get a grow light for them. My main problem right now is that the fountain is losing water somehow and so the creek isn't running properly in front of the house. I think I'm going to have to pull out the whole front and re-do that bit, but it'll have to wait a month or so. 

 

[Essie]

Sounds like a plan @Destiny! I have honestly neglected mine pretty badly this summer as the vegetables have needed more attention, and it’s doing fine.

@Alisamer I love your fairy garden, that is so cute.