Plants I don’t kill

Hello there! Sorry for the late post today – the kiddo is home for the great Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We always move slow on non-school days. :)

So over the past few years I’ve become quite fond of having real, LIVE plants in our house. I used to have a lot of the faux variety, but I’m moving away from that and I’ve found real plants to be the perfect decorating accessory in more than one instance.

The problem is we have three cats and they LOVE plants. Eating them that is. So I have to think about them and do research before I bring in a new one. I’ll be standing at the hardware store or the nursery with phone in hand, researching what will work and what won’t. (I always refer to the ASPCA site – they have great info.) Most plants I find are toxic to cats, so I’ve found I can only stick to a certain few.

But those few are ones I can actually keep alive, so that’s good. First up, the easiest plants to grow, EVER – the air plant:

I blogged about them here and these three have done so well! I only dunk them in a sink full of water about once a month, that’s it. They have grown a ton and do well, even on the cold window sill. Seriously, so easy.

I have a little plant by the sink that does pretty well also – I used to have a little fern here but it pooped out. I can’t remember what this is called but it’s got very small, delicate little leaves. It looks great in my piggy planter:

 

You can’t really tell it’s a piggy anymore though. ;)

I picked up a new plant a couple months ago – this one is the spider plant and they are supposed to be no problem for cats:

I think they do better hanging so the little shoots can come off so I’ll have to think about where to hang this one. I haven’t had a hanging plant in eons but I hear macramé is coming back! ;)

In general palms are safe for cats, so I stick to those all over the place – just different varieties. This one has big thick palms and the cats LOVED it, so now I have it under a wire cloche to protect it:

I love this one with the light, skinny palms – I have it out of the way (from munching teeth) in good light and it does awesome:

We have a couple of larger versions as well. The one in our master bedroom is so pretty and full and the cats actually leave it alone. It does great with little attention:

I love a big full plant – this one is one of my favorites.

I know the fiddle leaf fig is all the rage but my favorite tall plant is the money tree:

I’ve had this one forever, I think three years now? It’s grown a ton and it’s another one that does great with little care. I LOVE the braided trunk.

It does really well with a little bit of direct sunlight. I have another one in my office but it doesn’t do quite as well:

I’ve had that one forever too but it hasn’t grown nearly as much. I think they need more of a direct light to flourish. 

I’ve tried the ficus a couple times and the only one I can keep alive is this one in the kitchen:

It loves that spot – I tried one in an area with less direct sunlight and it died, FAST. Oh, and I’ve heard conflicting reports on the ficus and cats – our cats have zero interest in this one so I don’t worry about it. I probably wouldn’t do one closer to the ground though.

I love these trailing plants too – the name escapes me though. Anyone know what these are?:

They do great in indirect light as well and grow like crazy. I think it’s so pretty as it gets longer.

There’s one spot where I love having a plant but can’t keep one alive. This area in our family room is full of light but I can’t find a plant that does well:

I’ve had three different ones now I think? None make it in that spot. That palm doesn’t look this good now, but it’s hanging on. Any suggestions one what may work with indirect sunlight?

I’ve blogged about our plants before but I think it’s worth mentioning again – for years I thought I couldn't have real plants with the animals, but it’s not true. And as I get older my thumb gets greener – I’ve been able to keep plants alive both inside and out and I quite enjoy it. They are an investment at first but will last forever with just a little bit of care.

Speaking of care -- all of these are incredibly easy to keep alive, and that’s from someone who couldn’t keep a plant green for years. I water them all every two weeks…and that’s about it. No fertilizer – it’s just a matter of finding the right plant and then finding the right spot for it in your house.

Do you have plants in your home? Do you have a favorite? I tend to add new ones to the house in January – I just enjoy having more green around I guess. I’ve become a bit of a “plant lady” – I have them in every room of the house now and am always looking for new pretty varieties to bring in.