Up until a couple years ago, there were two things I thought to be true: I don’t have a hobby, and I can’t keep a houseplant alive if my life depended on it.
It wasn’t until a couple good friends of mine sent me home with some “plant babies” that I realized I actually do have a hue of green in my thumb, and that gettin’ dirty is exactly what I’ve been looking for to use up my spare time and spare change! In the beginning, my friend checked on me and the plants on a weekly basis. She helped me develop a basic knowledge of proper lighting and how much to water them. (I started out with a small Aloe Plant, a ZiZi plant, a couple Wandering Jew stems in glass bottles, a half-dead Spider Plant, and a few others that we don’t know the names of. They all required different care, and it has continued to be a learning process about what they all need to stay happy.)
To my complete surprise, my plants were flourishing after a year or so, and my collection was quickly growing – literally! The half-dead Spider Plant that I thought for sure would end up in the garbage is now a ‘grandparent’ – having split off into more plants (can you tell I still don’t really know what I’m talking about? I definitely haven’t learned the proper terminology for this stuff, but that’s okay!) and my aloe plants are so big I could start my own sun-burn relief clinic. I can’t help myself when I come across a clearance aisle with succulents, and I’ve even been successful with a few outdoor plants like hanging baskets and one of those tomato plants that’s perfect for deck-dwellers. I love spending time with my plants, watering them, talking to them (yes, I talk to my plants, just like I talk to my dog and cat), watching them grow and change. My new hobby has brought a lot of joy to my life! Not to mention how relaxing it is to get your hands dirty and grow somethin’ wild and unruly.
The “most popular house plant in Wisconsin,” Peperomia argyreia.
I’m constantly on Pinterest looking at planters and inexpensive/creative ways to display your plants because I’m finding out that this part of the hobby isn’t cheap. You know how it goes when you Pin. I found an article that talks about the most popular houseplant in every state. I got curious, but my excitement fell flat halfway through the list: succulents, aloe, more succulents and aloe, the occasional snake plant. It was getting very repetitive, until I got to Wisconsin. Low and behold – the most popular houseplant in Wisconsin is a plant that I do not have in my house! According to HGTV, Peperomia (full name Peperomia argyreia, pictured here) is Wisconsin’s most popular house plant and “brings interest to an indoor design scheme with its stunning variegated leaves.” Sounds like I have room for one more houseplant at home…
Below are some pictures of my “babies!” I’d love to see pictures of your favorite plants too. Email me at Jillene@Magic98.com or get in touch with me on Facebook. Happy house-planting!
Cailynn Hensen
January 21, 2021
November 17, 2020
October 30, 2020