After a while, a plant-parent may start to notice similar traits among the plants in their collection – commonalities that often point back to certain characteristics of their caretaker. Whether you’re a constant waterer, or mostly hands-off with care, a botany geek, or prefer plants that can multi-task through the year, the plants that populate your collection will likely reflect who you are as an enthusiast.
And once you recognize your houseplant personality, it’s even easier to find plants that’ll thrive in your care. See if you fit into one or more of these plant-parent profiles.
You Have to Roll with Me
You love your houseplants – in fact, you have several. But your schedule is kind of complicated, and your head is filled with way too much stuff. And this doesn’t include convoluted details like humidity percentages, light values, or fertilizer timing.
So, you need houseplants that can roll with an ambivalent approach to care that may or may not include water this week (or even next). Sansevierias are the standard bearers here. It’s not that these plants wouldn’t appreciate some consistency, but when it’s not there, they can deal. Like a pothos that springs back after a long overdue drink, they’re the team players of the plant world – they take whatever comes and turn it into something green and beautiful. More of these houseplant heroes include:
- ZZ plant
- Aglaonema
- Ponytail palm
- Cactus
- Philodendron ‘Xanadu’
- Schefflera
- Jade
If I Can’t Fuss Then What’s the Point?
On the opposite end of the scale, maybe you take a very active approach to plant care – you need a plant that needs you back. With a love for watering, you’re a maidenhair fern’s dream come true – and a plant that says “no, thank you” won’t fill your bucket.
The pickier the plant, the happier you are to provide whatever narrow window of soil moisture, humidity, light, temperature, or fertilizer it prefers. And you rightfully take pride in the results of your efforts. Other plants that appreciate – or even expect – your regular engagement and attention to detail include:
- Calathea
- African violet
- Dendrobium orchid
- Bonsai
- Indoor herbs
- Bottle gardens of all types
I Love Some Good Plant Behavior
For some plant owners, it’s not about the attention a plant requires but the diversion it creates. You’re a botanist at heart, and you love observing all the fascinating, weird, and wonderful things that plants can do. No static greenery for you – let’s have a plant that blooms once in a while, grabs things with slender tendrils, or outgrows its trellis on a regular basis. Propagation is your thing too.
If a plant can be encouraged to produce miniature versions of itself through rooted cuttings, air layering, or spontaneous pups, you’re excited to be a part of that – and thrilled to watch the new babies develop into gifts you can share with friends. Or, no matter how weird the process, if you can do the research and get that bromeliad pup or poinsettia to rebloom, you’re in heaven. Other plants that provide opportunity for propagation projects and botanical interest include:
- Spider plant
- Pothos
- Monstera
- Hoya
- Christmas cactus
- Phalaenopsis orchid
- Venus fly-trap
My Plants Need to Multi-Task
You like a plant that is both beautiful and useful. For half the year, your plant collection fills your home with green joy through the cold winter months. But as soon as the warm weather arrives, it’s time to go outside and pick up a summer job. Your ti plant becomes the center for a shady container design with flowering annuals. Maybe that big fiddle leaf fig now shades your deck chair. And perhaps that hibiscus bloom provides the staycation look you’re going for next to the pool. Some additional plants that happily switch between indoor and outdoor hats include:
- Rubber plant
- Bird of paradise
- Hoya
- Kimberly Queen fern
- Croton
- Dracaena marginata
Find Your Plant Soulmate
Beginning to see a common thread running through your collection now? It’s inevitable, and the great thing is that no matter what kind of plants you get along with best, there’s always another one ready to join the family. So, come see us in the Greenhouse and find your next plant pal to love.
