When I used to work in the Floral department at Hy-Vee, I was sent home with many plants that needed a bit of extra care, or were on the verge of being thrown out. This, as well as my mom's love for plants and gardening, sparked my interest in caring for plants in my own home. Since my days as a florist, I have around twenty plants in my living room. Each are unique, needing varying amounts of sunlight, water, and attention. Below are a few examples... it was hard to pick which six plants to show, but I decided to choose the ones that are commented on and complimented the most.
This Christmas cactus is my pride and joy. I have had her for about 5 years now, and while she hasn't grown much, she has survived multiple moves from house to house in Lakefield, to my dorm and back in Brookings twice, and now to my apartment in Sioux Falls. Sometimes she confuses me by wanting sunlight and then changing her mind, which she communicates by turning a maroon-ish red, indicating stress. She blooms once a year in early December with these gorgeous pink flowers. I may not know everything about plants, but I'm learning as I go.. I'll paint my thumb green if I have to.
This Coleus plant likes to throw me for a loop. She needs to be watered every other day, grows very tall, and has 3 sections that each look like entirely different plants. The bottom is all stem and branches, the middle is all red and green leaves, and the top are these tall flowers, that almost look like lavender; they're a light purple color, and grow straight up from the top of the branches.
This Aloe Vera was a gift to me from my dad's girlfriend. It has sprouted many new growths from the dirt, and she likes to do so about once every other week. Unfortunately, I don't have room for more aloe, nor time to propagate it, so I pull them and use the leaves for fresh Aloe and toss the rest. I love how it smells when I use some of the Aloe from the plant, and it makes useful for burns, or just to make fresh Aloe juice.
This lipstick plant was given to me by my grandmother. It has never bloomed, changed colors, or shown any indicator of stress, or any feeling at all, for that matter. She grows very slowly, but has never stopped. I've tried multiple different methods to see if I can get her to bloom, but to no avail.
This is my Easter cactus, Pokey. She is the only one of my plants with a name, courtesy of my mother. She blooms very pretty white flowers in late February, and drops them very quickly. She is very picky about her water consumption, much like her Christmas counterpart. However, I've never seen any stress indication; only water rejection, in turn making a mess of my plant stand.
My snake plant lives true to her kind, and never wants any attention. She's not needed water in over a month, never needed trimming or repotting (although I might do it soon anyway), and is absolutely thriving. The perfect houseplant for brightening up a space, but hardly ever needing any care.
