Tips for Happy Houseplants

While many of us have had a longtime love for filling our home with plants, in the last year, houseplants are really getting the attention they deserve! They brighten up our homes and workspaces and bring a space to life with a touch of the outdoors. Plus, they offer beautiful natural benefits to the air around us. Read about some of the benefits Jade Adams, owner of Oglewood Avenue plant shop, shared with us during our Winters Bounty event HERE!

To help you cultivate a happy and thriving plant collection, Jade also shared some quick tips for best practices as a plant parent. Different plants require different levels of care. Be sure to know a little about your plants so you can give them the best atmosphere for growth.

• Fit your plants to your lifestyle. You can choose plants that require the level of maintenance that works for you. If you’re a hands-off plant parent, or you’re away from the home a lot, get a hardy plant that doesn’t require frequent watering.
• Repot in the Spring. Try not to disturb your plants in Winter, as it’s naturally a more distressing season for them. Repotting once the weather has warmed makes the move less stressful, helping to ensure the plant continues to thrive in its new container.
• Know your water. Plants like rainwater, and even fish tank water, because of the nutrients. But tap water can have harmful chemicals that make some plants unhappy. If you water with your tap water and see that your plants aren’t looking healthy, or if you know you have naturally harsh tap water, filtered water is a great alternative.
• Play your plants some music! Plants have been known to enjoy classical music because of the vibrations.
• Don’t forget drainage. If you find a great pot, but it doesn’t have drainage holes, drill holes into the bottom to create a drainage system for excess water. If drilling will break the pot, place rocks in the bottom so that water collects in the rocks and not in the roots of the plant.
• Less is more when it comes to watering. You can always add more, but you can’t take water out.
• Regulate water temperature. When watering your plant, use warmer water in the Winter and cooler water in the Summer to help balance temperature – but remember plants don’t like water that’s too cold.
• Interact! There are studies that show that plants benefit from your interaction. When you talk to your plants, they take in the carbon dioxide that you exhale and convert it into the clean oxygen they’re sending into your space.