I bought my first indoor plant, a pothos from a grocery store checkout display, almost on a whim. I had no plan, no research, and definitely no idea it would turn into the collection I have now. Looking back at that first year specifically has taught me more about how to actually start than any … Read more
Lists of “low maintenance plants” tend to grow over time, and I’ve noticed some genuinely fussy plants sneaking onto them lately, seemingly because they’re popular rather than because they’re actually easy. I’ve now grown most of the plants that regularly appear on these roundups, including a few newer additions I hadn’t tried before, and I … Read more
My apartment is genuinely small, and for the first year I kept my plant collection modest specifically because I assumed space was the limiting factor. It wasn’t until I started thinking vertically instead of just adding pots to available floor space that I realized how much more I could actually fit without the apartment feeling … Read more
I’ve killed more succulents than any other plant category in my collection, which is a little embarrassing given their reputation for being nearly foolproof. Looking back over a few years of trial and error, the losses weren’t random — they clustered around a handful of specific mistakes, some of which I made repeatedly before actually … Read more
I added plants to my bedroom specifically because of claims I’d read about them purifying the air and boosting oxygen while I slept. Three plants later, I don’t think that’s really why my sleep improved, and I think it’s worth being honest about that distinction rather than repeating the same claims every other plant blog … Read more
I ran a soil-based indoor herb garden for about a year before a friend gave me a hand-me-down Aerogarden, and rather than replacing my soil setup, I kept both running side by side for several months out of curiosity. That comparison ended up teaching me more about what actually matters for growing herbs indoors than … Read more
I started indoor gardening with a single basil plant on a windowsill and, within about a year, ended up with a small dedicated shelf running two grow lights, growing lettuce, herbs, and a somewhat ambitious cherry tomato attempt. Along the way I’ve had genuine successes and a couple of outright failures, and I think the … Read more
Most roundups of low-maintenance indoor plants describe every single entry with the same handful of words — “forgiving,” “tolerates neglect,” “perfect for beginners.” Having actually owned most of the plants that show up on these lists, I can say that description hides real differences between them. Some are forgiving of everything. Some are forgiving of … Read more