How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged

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Once journalists get their hands on them,those curt, day-to-day messages can be just a tad embarrassing — as this week’s expletive-laden evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry confirms. A good piece of advice I once heard is that your houseplant should be able to see the sky from where you've put it to grow. By choosing the right plant, watering properly, providing the right amount of light, keeping your plants clean, providing proper ventilation, keeping pests away, and repotting when necessary, you can ensure that your houseplants thrive and add beauty to your home for years to come. The truth is that houseplant ownership isn't always plain sailing and things do go wrong, even if you have the best intentions.

Foliage and flowering plants, bromeliads, cacti, succulents, orchids, carnivorous plants and herbs make up the indoor garden.Just like Senecio rowleanus, this highly decorative, easy-to-grow species is a native of south-west Africa and relishes the warm, bright, sheltered position that it's been given, as does a fleshy, spiky agave (a nameless gift) that grows in a pot on the nearby windowsill.

Now that you know how to take care of your plants properly, you may be wondering which plants are best for you. As the large leaves accumulate dust, you can gently wipe it away or give the whole plant a light shower. The year was 2015, and I was head over heels, completely obsessed with House of Hackney’s Palmeral wallpaper. If you do notice pests, you can use an insecticidal soap and there are products to also treat any larvae that may be living in the soil. Other houseplants suitable for these kinds of growing conditions include the ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata);the baby rubberplant (Peperomia obtusifolia); the Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) and the Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens).The latter, in my defence, is a diva of a houseplant, so demanding in its particular set of requirements- it hates bright light, cold draughts or any temperature below 12C or above 24C, and insists on a growing medium that’s kept perpetually damp yet never sodden, using water that’s ideally lukewarm to the touch– that I happily conceded defeat years ago.

Overwatering is the most common cause of houseplants dying so, if in doubt, it’s best to wait for signs of wilting in the leaves before you water.

Except for direct afternoon sun, most houseplants will thank you for giving them bright (not direct) light.

If the problem persists, it could be a soil issue — add sand to the soil to promote better drainage. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there? It’s like watching fish, an activity prescribed those who are stressed, anxious, and even heart patients.

Situated close to a large south-facing window but out of direct sunlight, the warm, bright, draught-free spot it occupies is the perfect place for my Senecio rowleanus plant. It was also there where I began to notice the subtlety of plants/nature and the many delights it offered.