Dipping My Toes Into the Wonderful World of Houseplants
I have a shocking confession to make… Believe it or not, I’m relatively new to growing houseplants.
Yep, it’s true.
As a horticulturist, I’ve focused my career almost solely on outdoor plants with only the occasional foray into growing a houseplant or two. To be honest, I was almost embarrassed to admit that I didn’t have a house filled with plants.
However, with my life being so altered with Covid-19 and spending a lot more time at home, I’ve decided to change a few things. For one, I’m cooking more, creating more online gardening classes, and adding some houseplants to the inside of my home.
You may have seen a lot more interest in houseplants lately. Honestly, they have exploded in popularity and with good reason. People like the idea of being a ‘plant parent’ while enjoying the beauty and air-cleaning benefits of growing plants indoors.
There are countless different types of plants suitable for growing indoors.
Quite frankly, I am ready to embark on a new gardening adventure and I’m going to share it with you. To help me with my ‘plant parent’ journey, I visited Lora at Pink Moon Botanicals, located in North Scottsdale, AZ. This boutique houseplant nursery is located within Lora’s hair salon.
The shelves are lined with a healthy variety of houseplants in different sizes suitable for variety of growing conditions. Lora, is simply wonderful and provided me with helpful tips as to how to raise my new plant.
Lora chose a lovely Philodendron ‘Birkin’, which will thrive in the moderate light that hits my kitchen table.
It’s important to select a plant based on the light exposure available in your home – much like we do for outdoor plants. So, look at what areas you want to add a houseplant and see what type of light is available. There are low, moderate, and high light conditions within most interiors.
Low light
No bright light available.
Moderate light
Bright light, but no direct sun.
Sunny light
Area with direct sun for at least part of the day There are many houseplants able to do well within each different light situation. If you have a particularly dark space where you want a plant, look into adding artificial lighting.
*Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
To help me on my houseplant journey, I read the fabulous NEW book, “Houseplant Party” by Lisa Steinkopf. This book is available to pre-order, at the time of me writing this post. I received a free copy to review. Lisa breaks down how to grow houseplants into simple steps and lists her favorites.
She also shows how to create fun projects to highlight the houseplants in your home. One project I may do is to create wooden frames so I can hang houseplants on my walls. I enjoy exploring new things and am excited about gradually expanding my houseplant collection.
However, I think I’m off to a great start with my Philodendron ‘Birkin’, don’t you? Do you have a favorite houseplant or have any tips you’d like to share? Share it with me on Instagram and tag me @az.plant.lady – I’d love to see them!
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
