Our own Urban Jungle

I shudder to think of the tsunami this post would create between my mom and me. My mom is a plant whisperer and she did everything in her power to pass on her innate tendency of green thumb to me but her gardening gene seemed to have skipped a generation ;). Now if she is reading this post of me writing about the plants...she will be totally in awe :). 
For a brown thumb soul like me, it was not a happy and smooth sailing ride to grow a handful of indoor plants (especially when you reside in the coldest planet on the earth), but when you stick around with grit and determination (while killing fair share of plants) soon you will ride close on the success of learning. Also, when you are surrounded by an optimistic, spirited and a green thumb husband, it drives you to work on bettering yourself with each passing moment to harness that green thumb.  

We started small…and have slowly started to bring in more nature into our pad. And the verdict? So far so good, that I can actually share my experience with you all. So, let's start, shall we?

I am going to start with these easy to care Succulents, they have been with us for quite some time now. I think they are not only attractive for the first time gardeners but are also perfect for forgetful gardeners like me. And the best thing -they look great with minimal care.  

Echeveria  

This plant requires very little nurturing and worships the sun but also survives well in shade. This plant has been mostly placed on our dining table and/or coffee table (where they see lots of afternoon sunlight) but still doing great. In Canadian harsh winter, sunny windowsills are the best spot for them to survive. We usually water it once in 10 days or before if the soil has dried out.  

Zebra Plant  

This striking succulent gets its name because of the horizontal stripes covering its leaves. The best part is, it needs minimal water in 3 to 4 weeks and in winter over a month. Just like above echeveria succulent, it can be placed anywhere and it will still thrive beautifully. They are perfect for apartments or even on small office desks to add that green touch. 

Ruby ball 

These desert loving plants are the littlest plants but they are super inexpensive and again, low maintenance. This little guy (as lovingly called 'chhotu' by one of the reader) has definitely spruce up any corner it has been placed. Also this one is a unique combination of two cacti grafted together known as moon cactus. Avoid much watering in winter and keep minimum in summer months. They don’t need a ton of light and only need to be watered every 2 weeks if the soil dries out. 

Dragon Tree 

  

This plant rules out the exception of a low-maintenance tree-like plant. Though, this plant hasn't been much moved from its place from where it gets bright indirect sunlight with constant temperature. Also, since it's doing good as is, we haven't bothered to transfer it to another pot, instead I have tried to befit the existing pot in different candle holders to ignore and hide the original ugly looking pot.  

P.S. We love Ikea house plants. They always seem well cared for and have variety of options in plants. All of the above succulents and the small tree are from Ikea.  

Tropical Palm Tree

               

House plans are not relegated to the role of corner fillers, we want them to be masterpieces and this palm tree is surely one to add a dramatic touch in our home. However, it never survived in our hands and we probably killed couple of them before this tropical beauty came home from a friend who was moving out to another state. It has been well taken care in the hands of her father in law and I am crossing my fingers to not kill it. The thought of not surviving/saving it, frightens me. As declared by her, we are taking care of the need of indirect sunlight (from the windows above staircase) and watering just enough amount of water every week. So far so good. It hasn’t been moved from the stair case landing (okay, that's a lie...may be once or twice for my pictures). 

Fern

If you scroll through my other social feeds, you will see this no fuss - lush look plant has been my go-to piece with every décor and has been tossed around liberally. We definitely posed some difficulties for taking care of it but once we got hang of it...it is bursting with energy and volume. It has been kept in a cool place where indirect sunlight is very mild while also taking precaution that the soil is always moist. It is perfect for a pedestal, hanging baskets or even on the coffee table just like this one. I have tried posing it with several different ways...do check out my feed for more pictures of this plant. 

Croton 

This rainbow hued plant has won to add a colorful splash into our otherwise green patch. I have seen many species of this plant in an outdoor garden of my mom in India but I honestly didn’t know much about it until we owned one. Slowly and steadily it seems to be winning the race in our home as well. Bright light attracts them and hence they are always mostly placed by the sunny window. 

R
ubber plant 

An old-fashioned classic rubber plant with shiny and attractive leaves has been with us since last couple of years and has been well so far. It was gifted to us by our neighbor who owns quite an impressive garden indoor and outdoor. Since it's growing well,  I haven't bothered moving it an inch away from this window where it has been adding big dramatic accent in our dining area. 

This is our windowsill where all the plants are thriving. The buttery sunshine dances through this window for the perfect amount of time for these plants. I must mention my husband here who takes care of them lovingly. He maintains his watering schedules and adds plant food once in a month or two months.  

These plants are tricky and may not look this great in winter months. Due to harsh winter, they look droopy and sad but with warm temperatures of spring their smiles come back.  

We were unfettered and iron-willed to have our own tiny green patch. Hence we gradually learnt our way of surviving these plants by reading, watching videos and following few tricks of the master garden gurus over the years.  There were the days when we had not a single plant in our home (now I wonder, why?). It is overwhelming to buy houseplants but with little care, patience and understanding you can have a healthy indoor jungle in no time. 

We are still the new schooler in the indoor gardening but hoping that the wisdom of this post somehow will come in handy to maintain or start your own green corner in your home. Happy Planting, until we meet again see you around on Facebook and Instagram, tooldes!