5 Houseplants for Your Home Office this Fall

Fall is officially here and it’s time for a change of scenery. Whether you just want to liven up your workspace with this season’s colors or change up the room’s scenery, these houseplants are just what you’re looking for.

Unlike many outdoor plants, houseplants aren’t always affected by the seasons. Fortunately for us, there are many plants that have the Fall color schemes that we’re looking for.

If you are like me, your office is likely someplace you spend a daunting amount of time in. So why not spruce it up the best way we know how? Here are a few of my top picks for houseplants that will make your office feel like Fall.

Croton

When someone asks me what houseplant has the best Fall colors I automatically think of the Croton. This plant will amaze you with all of its combinations of sizes and colors. Its colors range from red to green and everything in between.

When placing this plant keep in mind that they vary in size and can easily become too much for a desk or small shelf. Crotons love warmer sunny spots, but be careful that it does not become too dry. Mist this plant regularly and it will thank you with its mesmerizing colors.

Prayer Plant

If you are wanting something up on a shelf or in a hanging basket then a Prayer plant is perfect! They have variegated leaves that fold up at night like hands praying and reveal a beautiful solid color underneath. The Prayer plant brings in many deep purples, pinks, and reds making it rich in color and catches one’s eye with its candy cane like leaves. I know I can’t help but feel calmer when I stare at this plant.

While they don’t require full sun, they are quick to dry up. Avoid overly sunny spots to make sure this plant does not get burnt by the sun as well.

Oxalis Triangularis

Oxalis are a beautiful little plant that, like its name suggests are shaped like triangles. The leaves come in deep colors and have dainty pastel flowers that bloom in the spring and summer months. Their darker red and purple colors are the perfect addition to an office and will help your concentration with its soothing scent.

Sunny spots are perfect for these little guys and they prefer to be kept cool and watered regularly in a well-draining soil. Though this plant is considered an unruly weed among gardeners, they can be contained and enjoyed indoors.

Polka dot plant

Hypoestes is commonly known as the polka dot plant. These beautiful plants are a great addition to a room that is lacking in color. They come in many sizes and have different kinds of polka dot patterns and variations. This plant will double as a winter accent to the room if you find the red leaf variation. To really bring out its amazing colors, place in a spot that gets bright light.

This plant is much more tolerable of warmer temperatures and loves a good misting due to its native tropical climates. This is an easier houseplant to care for and you will be rewarded with amazing colors and beautiful petite flowers in the Summer.

Alocasia

Alocasia are also known as Elephant ear plants and are easily spotted due to their huge leaves. These plants vary in color but most have purple under their leaves. The veins on the leaves also vary in color and accentuate them.

Keep in mind when placing this plant that the plant can grow over twelve feet. Alocasia love sunlight and water so place them by a bright window with frequent waterings to keep the soil moist. Keep this out of reach of children and pets due to this plant being toxic if ingested.

I hope you have enjoyed this Top 5 and look into these plants for your workspace! I personally have each of these colorful cuties and love having them around me.

Until next time, stay safe!

10 Winter Flowers That will Melt Your Heart

Winter is a littler late here in Arizona, but we’re feeling it now! Coats and scarfs are out and I’m loving it. While not all plants love the cold, I wanted to make another list of my top ten favorite winter-loving plants for your garden this season.

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1. Snowdrop

True to their name, the Snowdrop is an adorable little bulb that is a perfect ornamental flower. These flowers can grow in all light exposure and will keep growing throughout winter and spring. While these sweet smelling flowers look dainty, they are actually poisonous and should be kept away from pets and always handled with gloves.

2. Witch Hazel

While there are many different kinds of Witch Hazel my favorite is the Chinese Witch Hazel which can reach up to twenty feet! I love its name and spidery petals that give it an eerie look. It is a popular spicy smelling flower that grows from small trees in the fall and winter months. Witch Hazel is not picky with its sunlight but does need well draining soil.

3. English Primrose

Most Primrose can be found in full bloom during spring months, but the English Primrose is a must have for your winter garden. There is a multitude of colors to choose from and they grow well in all light. They have a wonderful smell that will attract birds to your garden. Containers are great for this flower and it doesn’t require much maintenance.

4. Winter Jasmine

Growing up, my mom always had vines of Jasmine crawling up the side of our home. Because of this I’m always nostalgic when I smell it’s sweet aroma. While a vine is very common, Jasmine also comes in the form of bushes, small trees, and large shrubs. The Winter Jasmine is a shrub that can grow up to seven feet tall with yellow flowers.

5. Crocus

Crocus are an adorable flower that blooms primarily in the spring, but there are types that bloom in the winter months. I love the Firefly Crocus which is a purple flower with a golden center that is normally just under four inches. These little guys love the light and will add a beautiful pop of color to your winter garden.

6. Winter Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle are an amazing vine that is loved by hummingbirds! Sun is best for this quick climbing vine and will give off an amazingly sweet smell. Sitting out by the garden during it’s blooming months make for a serene experience.

7. Hellebore

Hellebore are white flowers with speckles of purples, reds, and blues towards the center. It reminds me of taking a lightly coated paintbrush and using it to create a splatter effect on a white canvas. Among the Hellebore is the Christmas Rose which is crisp white in color and adds a light touch to your garden. These flowers prefer shaded areas with moist soil.

8. Calendula

The particular type of Calendula we are looking at is a Daisy Mix. This flower comes in gorgeous yellows and oranges that will remind you of a sunset. If you are in a warmer climate, plant in partial shade to keep the flowers from getting too hot. You can also add the petals of this flower to recipes since it is edible!

8. VIBURNUM

The Viburnum will bloom on a shrub that can grow up to twenty feet tall! This shrub also produces deep colored berries in blacks, blues, reds, and pinks. Full sun and a drier location is best for this plant.

9. Winter-Flowering Cherry

Cherry Blossom trees are my favorite tree and I’m so happy they made it on this list. These beautiful trees need full sun and are known to create beautiful shaded areas beneath them. The flowers vary in shades of pink and white and have a sweet refreshing smell when in bloom.

10. Cineraria

The Cineraria comes in many colors and is a beautiful addition to a garden. This plant likes bright light, but a cool environment and moist soil are a necessity if you want to see yours flourish. Keep in mind that this plant is poisonous so be sure to keep it out of reach of children and pets.

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There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this list and try some of these wonderful flowers in your garden. Let me know if you have a favorite winter flower that I didn’t mention.

Until next time!

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Source: Better Homes & Garden, https://www.bhg.com

5 Great Plants in My Home Office

Hello everyone!

I have been spending a huge amount of time in my home office which also doubles as my art studio. Since this room has a west-facing window and really great indirect light throughout the day, I decided to place a few plants in this room.

It really boosts moral to look over and see a beautiful green plant rooting for me! (Pun intended)

But, back to the main reason for this post. I have been able to narrow my favorites down to five from my studio and wanted to share them with you all in case you’re looking for a great addition to your favorite space.

Spider Plant

I have two Spider Plants that are super adorable! They have very long leaves with variations of green lining them. This plant is super bushy and heavy when happy. They even have little shoot that branch in warmer months that you can actually propagate or re-plant for a new Spider Plants!

Nerve Plant

The Nerve Plant is such an attractive plant and it feels just like it looks, FUZZY. The leaves have a fuzzy texture that pretty much covers the whole plant including the stems. I could just stare at this plant all day and obsess over its leaves. The Nerve Plant can also have wild red veins that remind me of the green and red candy canes.

Sansevieria

Sansevieria is also known as the Snake Plant. This guy is such a versatile plant and can grow happily in direct or low-light. The snake plant has an arsenal of different types of leaves, colors and shapes. My personal favorite is the Trifasciata which commonly have deep green leaves that have a lighter green pattern on them.

Monstera

Monstera deliciosa is an amazing plant that demands the attention of the room. You can keep it tamed and trimmed or let it grow along a moss pole to loom over any room. This plant is native to the tropical forests of Mexico and is known to grow more that sixty feet in their natural habitat and up to eight feet in your home. The leaves on my big guys are wider than my hand already!

ZZ Plant

The first time I saw the name Zamioculcas Zamiifolia I think I stared at it for a good five minutes trying to get the name out correctly. While it’s name is a mouthful, this plant is better known simply as the ZZ plant. I love the way its leaves are arranged along the stem and the fact that it has an upward growth and fills out nicely when taken care of.

There are so many other wonderful plants that weren’t included in this post. If you have an awesome plant in your favorite space, I’d love to know! Leave a comment down below and share your favorites.

Until next time!

How I Killed My First Succulent

Since starting my plant journey I have stuck to buying primarily green leafy plants and skipping over succulents. I have nothing against them, you just tend to see a lot of them in Arizona.

I decided to try my hand at growing after seeing a few beautiful succulents which I didn’t even know existed. Now if you remember in my first plant post, Finding the Light, I did buy two snake plants, but I thought I would try my hand at smaller succulents.

Burro’s Tail was a plant that I had seen in a local store’s outdoor garden area. It is ADORABLE! I just love how it looks and the name made me smile the whole way to the register.

These cuties are known for being a low maintenance plant and great for novice plant enthusiasts like yours truly. With this information I was pretty confident with buying them along with a bag of succulent and cactus soil mix.

Now, I’m known for jumping the gun and getting ahead of myself when I start a new project. With that said, succulents were no exception. I should have realized that if the little ones were doing fine in the soil mix they were in, then I could have left them in it. This is the first mistake I made.

Once I got home I immediately went out back and re-potted them. Just writing this and remembering what I did has me wincing. I decided to mix regular soil with the succulent mix I purchased. My calculations were off though, while you want well draining soil, this mix just had water flowing right through it.

The next mistake I made was just assuming that since it is a succulent that it would want to be put in the sunniest happiest spot in the house. That was also wrong. Just like store bought fish, plants need to be slowly introduced to their new environment when coming straight from the nursery.

Unfortunately, the little guys just couldn’t handle the shock from my mistakes and started losing its leaves, browning, and then ultimately dying.

Rushing head-first into a new project is something I do all to much and this was a learning experience I had to have. I’ve slowed down and read a lot more before taking on any plant project. While I know now the mistakes I made, I’m still a bit timid to buy another succulent.

Maybe this weekend I’ll be brave and pick up another pair. With hard work and patience, I know I can make this work!

Here Come the Waterworks

I have learned a lot and my last post on being conscious of light placement was just the start. This hasn’t been easy, but I’m confident that I can help these plants thrive. To quote Natsu Dragneel, “Don’t give up, the beginning is always the hardest, so let’s keep on going till the very end.”

It has been a real test of patience and confidence. There have been times when I thought that buying the plants was a waste and that I ruined their chances at having a ‘good’ owner. I have had to push through the self doubt and regret in order to see that this is a learning experience and that I am ready to learn from it.

Something that I have had a troublesome time adjusting to is the watering schedule for our green friends. You would think that plants would just need to be watered about every other day, right? WRONG.

I have learned the hard way that each plant has a sweet-spot with individual water needs. The books I purchased in my last post, Finding the Light, gave a lot of information on watering. However, I found that it was more of a generalization or a guideline. Very few of the books I have found address my exact situation.

Every plant is different and there are a lot of deciding factors when setting up a watering schedule. House temperature, light exposure, and humidity levels are my key variables. Since I can not meet all of these conditions, I found that I do not rely on the book’s ‘recommended watering schedule’.

Since I am new to the plant life, I decided to play it safe and follow the book as best I could. I should have listened to my instincts and watched for the queues that my plants were showing. Unfortunately, I will need to just apply what I have learned into caring for my other plants.

Things that I didn’t know were real problems when having house plants were disease, infestation, root rot, and fungus. I know they sound horrible, but trust me, to a first time plant mom like myself I was terrified. I was afraid to touch or even water them and ultimately ended up doing more harm than good.

While not all plants developed a problem, just having a few with at least one issue was enough to send me straight to good ‘ol Google for guidance. My main issue ended up being the amount and consistency of my watering schedule.

Once I was able to pinpoint the issue and researched the individual problems, I was ready to act!

My English Ivy developed a bad case of spider mites. Spider mites are super tiny insects that attack plants that are too warm and dry. This was a real issue for me because of the limitations I have with the thermostat in my home. We tend to keep it at a steady seventy-nine degrees fahrenheit throughout the end of spring and most of summer making it a tad too warm for this plant.

I tried as many online remedies as I could get my hands on, but in the end I just didn’t catch the infestation early enough. In my attempt to rid the plant of the invaders I tried misting it with soap infused water, rubbing alcohol diluted in water, and things like repotting and cleaning the leaves. There are methods I did not try, like insecticides and sprays that may have worked. I’m a bit worried to get another Ivy in the future, but I definitely know to keep it misted often and kept in a cooler location.

Root rot and waterlogged plants were another unfortunate issue that I ran into. If we think back to the original post for this series, Going Green, you’ll remember that I purchased a few pots along with the plants. Well, I made a beginner’s error and I didn’t think of the plant needing to have a way to drain out residual water.

One of the Golden Pathos was waterlogged and developed beginning signs of fungus. This was found when I was spritzing away at the plants one day and happened to check the soil moisture with my finger. There were little yellow-ish crumbs on the surface and the soil was too damp.

So, of course I was in a panic and ran out to my back patio to try and do some damage control. When I removed the plastic container from the ceramic pot, I saw my mistake.

There was about an inch and a half of water at the bottom and I could see that the roots had just been sitting in it this whole time. I felt so bad. Quickly I grabbed our spare bag of soil and started to slowly detangle the roots from the dirt.

Once that was finished I re-potted the plant and set it closer to the top shelf of the plant stand in the studio. It was a close call and I feel so bad that I over looked that detail when I was potting the plants. To make sure it wouldn’t happen again I bought terracotta pots with draining dishes from my local hardware store.

These issues happened within a week of each other and really got me down. I had a hard time even wanting to touch our plants in fear of ruining them so I got a handy little soil tester to help me out between waterings. A soil tester is a great little tool that is able to give a readout for ph levels, adequate sunlight, and moisture level when placed in the plants soil. It’s like a smartphone for your Monsteras!

This tool is so useful and has really helped me confidently monitor our plants. Once we were able to memorize the watering amounts and duration between waterings I was able to sleep easy.

It took a combination of instruction from the books, gaining appropriate tools, and whole lot of trial and error to reach this point. Some plants just can’t thrive in our home’s environment, and that’s ok. I have what I need now to ensure that I provide the best for my plants with conditions I have.

Remember, you need eight glasses of water a day, but your plants probably don’t!

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10 Autumn Flowers to FALL in Love With

Fall is finally here in Arizona! We have broken into our sweater vaults and using the heaters in our cars. Fall is my favorite season because there are so many opportunities to go outside in enjoyable weather.

This also means that if you have a backyard garden you can tend to it comfortably. To celebrate, I wanted to offer my top ten Autumn flower picks!

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1. Chrysanthemums

Mums are easy to plot if you keep in mind the distance between each flower. They should thrive through the fall and come back the following spring as long as you have given them time to develop a strong root system. They come in a vast number of color variants and variegations, you’ll have a hard time choosing just one!

2. Michaelmas Daisy

Asters love the sun and thrive in full sun-light. These cuties come in a few colors and have big golden centers. There are tons of different species of Aster. They are easy to grow and simple to maintain. Asters are gorgeous little wildflowers that are a must in your fall garden!

3. Heliopsis

Heliopsis or commonly known as ‘Ox Eye’ are usually a Summer flower, but due to our warmer temperatures in Arizona, they grow into our Fall as well. One great thing about having these in your garden is the amount of butterflies they attract. These flowers remind me of mini sunflowers and love the sun and require little water.

4. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet Alyssum are hands down one of the best smelling flowers for your fall garden! They have a sweet smell and they look like a plush carpet when planted. We actually see a lot of these in Arizona gardens since they are so resilient to heat during our summer months.

5. Dahlias

Fun fact, The National Garden Bureau has picked Dahlias as the bulb of the year! These big, beautiful, and bushy flowers love the sun and cool climates. However, they are not the easiest flowers to grow. While they can be grown in the hotter states, moist and cool weather is preferred for best results.

6. Cornflower

I love Cornflowers! They are my favorite little wildflower. Finches, Rabbits and Bees all flock to these sweet blue flowers. They are super tough and can hold up in freezing temperatures. They add the most beautiful pop of blue to any home garden.

7. Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia is another great wildflower that loves sun and doesn’t need too as much water as some of the others on this list. They are such cute flowers that look like little rays of sunshine. Their beautiful strawberry-like centers attract bees, but they’re worth sharing since they smell so great!

8. Pansies

Another cutie is the Pansy. They come in a huge variety of colors and they are easy to find in your local stores garden section. The reason these are a favorite of mine is because they have cute little faces that add life to your garden. This flower thrives in cool temperature and are sun-loving!

9. Dianthus

Carnations are my favorite kind of Dianthus. You may recognize this flower from store-bought bouquets and notice this flower is usually the last one standing. They are really tough beautiful flowers and they have such a fresh smell. The color and variegation possibilities for this flower are endless and they have many meanings behind their colors. Take a second to look them up!

10. Sunflower

Finally we end this list with my favorite flower, the Sunflower. I absolutely love this flower and they are so easy to grow and manage. If you can beat the birds you can even harvest the seeds! Some sunflowers can grow up to 16 feet and will turn their heads to follow the movement of the sun. I love the idea of having a little sunflower field and selling bunches of sunflowers.

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There we are, the top 10 Autumn flowers to fall in love with. I hope you enjoyed this list and leave a comment down below to share your favorite Autumn flower, I’d love to know.

Until next time!

Finding the Light

Having house plants has been a great upgrade from our previously drab interior. Everything is so lively and the air feels lighter!

Now, I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew by buying so many plants. Finding the right light for each plant was such a process that it felt like a research project. I had bought two books on Amazon to familiarize myself with the new additions.

The first book I bought was Houseplants by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf. This book was a bit pricey at 20.00 dollars, but you always have the option on buying used. There was so much useful information in this book! It goes over things like watering, light, illnesses, plant toxicity, and a bunch of other topics that were really fun to learn about.

For the plants that weren’t covered, I decided to get a book that would go into more species of each generic name of plant. I was able to find The House Plant Expert written by D.G. Hessayon. THIS book! This book is a whole Plant Encyclopedia. I was able to narrow my searches down to the exact species of plant and find what it’s recommended light and water needs are.

Once I found enough information on each plant purchased, which keep in mind I bought a lot, I was ready to start placing them. I wanted to make sure I was setting the little guys up for success in the optimal home environment possible.

The light aspect was a bit tricky and I had to compromise on some of the placements. I was limited to placing plants in the living and dining rooms with east-facing windows, en suite with a south-facing window, and my art studio with a west-facing window.

It was a real challenge getting each plant in what I believed was the best position. I ended up buying the cutest plant stand to put in my studio. I love how sturdy this item is and I was able to place a lot of plants over by the one and only window in the room.

Now, I really wish I would have payed more attention to the humidity needs of each plant. I end up trying to at least mist them twice a day since I also have a full time job. Something that I am grateful for is dehydration warning wilt that plants have to let us know they are not getting enough water. It is easy to see this warning and make sure they get a thorough watering.

Unfortunately, I have gotten some of the placements for the plants incorrect and have had to relocate a few of them. As a result, my dining room table has turned into a small plant nursery. Thankfully my boyfriend is a great sport and hasn’t asked me to re-relocate them.

I also found that I have a great little nook in my living room that has two windows in the same corner for double the exposure! We ended up putting an older plant stand we had in the corner and it works perfectly!

Now, to address the placements. In the dining area we have Monsteras on the kitchen table along with our ZZ plant and a Pathos, The Chinese Evergreen is in the magical living room nook and a Golden Pathos is on the living room table. Snake plants have been put on the top rack of the plant stand in the studio with the most light along with our Burros tail and String of Hearts. On the lower shelf we have a Fittonia Albivenis (Nerve plant) and the last Pathos. Also in this room is the English Ivy and Money tree.

Now that the plants have their respective homes we will cross our fingers and hope that they thrive. Wish me luck!

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Going Green

I had been living with my boyfriend for about a year and wanted to make some kind of a change in our home. He had been living alone in the house for about five years. The color scheme and placement of furniture were already determined and lacking inspiration. Living in a home filled with just brown and white was a real change coming from my parents very bold, tasteful and colored home.

So, in trying to add a bit of color and personality to the house I decided to look into houseplants. I had really taken an interest with indoor plants and was excited to bring their varying shades and colors into our lackluster home. I absolutely love the idea of coming home to a house filled to the brim with big, beautiful, green plants. However, that idea and the reality were very eye-opening.

In my haste to fill my home with plants I headed over to my local home improvement store. I had done at least some research before I bought just any old house plant.

I was on a mission to obtain relatively ‘easy’ plants for beginners. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the garden department the list I had prepared was shoved deep into the void of my purse. I quickly favored plucking plants from the first shelf that I could reach instead.

Now, I know it sounds bad but I did look at the plant tags to see whether or not they would be a good fit for my home. Sadly, I decided it was a good idea to stick with low-light plants considering I live in Arizona. Which lets be honest, it isn’t easy on the wallet to have light streaming through the windows all day. Another thing I had to pay close attention to was the chance that these plants could be poisonous to my pups back at home. For some reason this wasn’t displayed on the actual plant tag and I had to google the plants I was unsure of to make sure I was not bringing a death trap into my home.

In the end I definitely ended up with a plethora of plants. I snagged Monsteras, an English Ivy, Snake plants, a Chinese Evergreen, a ZZ plant, a Prayer plant, a few Ferns, a Money tree, and a few potted Pothos. Next, I was on to the pots and containers for my chosen plants. Once I had pretty much filled up my cart I was out of there, eager to get home and spread the plants throughout my home.

So, $85.00 and 15 minutes later, I was wrestling plants inside my house and finally ready to set everything up. An additional hour and a half later and I was finished. The plants looked happy, the house was smelling great, and I was happily exhausted.

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