House Plant Tour | Spring 2019
Hi. I’m Abigail and I have something I need to confess… I have an addiction to plants.
There’s honestly something so rewarding about keeping plants alive. They make any space more beautiful, and the fact that I’ve managed to keep something alive that solely relies on me for existence is an accomplishment.
I asked on Twitter if y’all wanted to see this post, and it was an overwhelming majority of “yes please I kill every plant I own and I need help.” Shameless plug right here, but if you want to be a part of my content creation process, go follow me on Twitter!
I have two types of plants in my house: cacti/succulents and regular house plants. Their needs are essentially the same, but the way I keep and care for them are vastly different.
House Plants
These are plants that require low to bright indirect light and need to be watered when their soil becomes dry. Essentially they’re everything I own that isn’t considered succulents or cacti.
The scary thing about all of these plants is that I have acquired all of them except 4 in the span of three months. I don’t want to think about how much $$$ I’ve spent on plants since the beginning of the year, but it’s okay. They’re purifying my air, right?
ZZ Plant & Snake Plant
Two of my absolute go-to’s for low-maintenance, low/medium light plants. Honestly, you just plant and forget with these. They don’t require a lot of water so they’re super beginner friendly!
Rope Plant aka Hoya Carnosa Compacta
Ugh what a freaking beauty, am I right?? This is a newer addition to my collection, and I cannot believe I found him at Home Depot for only $15. I love the intricacies of the leaves, and they produce the most stunning flowers.
Pin Stripe Calathea
Another one of the plants whose leaves raise and lower during the day and night. This one has pink stripes which makes it even more beautiful! I was ecstatic when I found the perfect little pink pot at TJ Maxx.
Pilea
This plant is my #1 favorite. I searched high and low for this plant, and my #1 Trader Joe’s came through and had them for only $8. I love how it’s unlike anything else. The leaves and overall shape of the plant are so unique. Best of all, these plants love to sprout babies so you can grow your collection at no additional cost!
Snake Plant
I mentioned a snake plant before, but here’s another! There are so many varieties of snake plants! This one is a smaller version that doesn’t get super tall. It’s perfect for small spaces like desks, bathrooms, and bedside tables.
Nerve Plant
Oh boy is this a drama queen. It wilts and looks completely dead when it’s parched. A good drink will make it full again!
English Ivy
This is what started it all. I cut these from my backyard and they’re currently rooting in water. Some of the leaves look pretty bad because I gave them fertilizer and they burned… oops. You live and you learn!
Rainbow Moss / Rainbow Fern / Peacock Fern
I do not recommend for beginners. This guy is super finicky and requires so much humidity and moist soil. I keep it in a homemade self-watering pot and have it living next to a humidifier. SO MUCH WORK.
Dieffenbachia
RIP to this plant. I thought it was a gonner after Tom ripped its leaves to shreds, and I neglected it for months. It’s coming back to life thanks to a smaller pot and consistent watering. There are new leaves popping out so I’m hopeful. P.S. This plant is supposed to be so much more full. This photo does not do justice to how this plant is actually supposed to look.
Monstera Deliciosa
My pride and joy right here. This is the iconic plant with split leaves that you see EVERYWHERE. It’s super easy to grow, and it’s always a surprise when a new leaf uncurls!
Norfolk Pine
Trader Joe’s had this for $18 in December. It’s so lush and beautiful and is actually a tropical plant and not a pine tree at all!
Calathea
Just like the maranta plant, this one raises and lowers its leaves throughout the day! Super beautiful. Found this beauty at Trader Joe’s for $8. Highly recommend their house plant section if you’re ever looking for a cool, not-so-typical house plant!
Croton
Another one of my plants from before I knew what the heck I was doing. This one’s a drama queen and loves to lose its leaves if it’s the slightest bit unhappy. Do not recommend for beginners.
Dracena
This is one from the very beginning of my collection. Highly neglected & it’s in a state of recovery right now… oops. The tips got super duper crispy so I had to cut them off. There’s some happy and healthy new growth popping out of the top so that gives me hope that I didn’t 100% ruin this plant.
Maranta Plant aka the Prayer Plant
Can be a bit finicky… but even though she’s a drama queen, I still love her! Super cool plant because the leaves lower during the day and raise at night. They require a bit higher humidity or else the tips of their leaves will get crispy. It’s popping out new growth like crazy as well!
Neon Pothos
Super beginner friendly! This one has grown like a beast since I first got it. Half the growth that you see is brand new which is ~amazing~. Also, how freaking stunning does it look in this matte black pot??
Golden Pothos
Super beginner friendly!
Pilea Glauca aka Red Stem Tears
One of my newer editions to my plant family! Found her in Miami, and I couldn’t leave the store without her. I’m obsessed with the silvery leaves and red stems. I can’t wait for her to grow and watch her fill out her pot!
Succulents & Cacti
I genuinely have wayyyy to many of these to break them up via types and varieties so you’re just going to get the breakdown of succulents and cacti.
During the spring, summer, and early fall, I keep my cacti outside on my front porch. This gives them as much sunlight as possible, and they grow like crazy. I keep my succulents out of the direct sunlight, but still move them outside. They’ll be closer to the side of my house so they’re not being blasted by the sun all day long and risk being sunburnt.
If the weather falls below 55-60 degrees outside, I move the plants inside and keep them under grow lights. This gives them the light they require because the inside of my house definitely does not produce the amount of light that they need. Plus, my one window that gets enough light during the day is definitely not big enough to have all of my plants huddled in front of it LOL.
If you have a question about what kind of cactus or succulent is in an image, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
Cacti
A cactus is what started my entire plant addiction. It was purchased for me by my parents after my high school boyfriend broke up with me. I laugh whenever I think about that.
My most impressive cactus is the Snow Cactus aka a fuzzy prickly pear. It grows a ridiculous amount during the summer months and I love the uniqueness of it.
Succulents
A majority of these were gifted to me by Ashley of Magnolia Thyme. I work with her on photography, her website, and anything she really needs. Because she is a small business and was just getting started when I first began working with her, she would pay me in succulents, and I was 100% okay with that.
Did you know you can create new succulents by propagating the leaves of another succulent?? See that egg carton up there with tiny baby succulents in it? That’s my propagation station. If I find a leaf that’s fallen off and there’s a nice clean break, I’ll add it to my propagation tray. It’s so much fun seeing little baby plants grow from just a leaf!
Stay tuned for more plant related blog posts! Trust me, I have a ton of ideas… succulent and cacti care tips, regular house plant care tips, how to propagate succulents & cacti, how to propagate regular house plants, my house plant wish list, and the list goes on.
Would you consider yourself to have a green thumb, or are you someone who kills every plant they have??
~abigail gray
