A GATEWAY TO GARDENING
Growing houseplants is fun, creative, and enriching. Many accomplished outside gardeners credit the start of their lifelong gardening passion to a houseplant. It’s common for a inexpensive plant such as a Venus flytrap to get young growers hooked. Others pick up the hobby when they move into a new home and realize how a few plants can completely transform the style and mood of their environment.
Planning Your Planting | A GATEWAY TO GARDENING
Succulents are a terrific choice for beginner gardeners, as they are easy to care for and rarely need watering.
CONFIDENCE BUILDERS
New gardeners are often given their first houseplant as a gift and this sparks the beginning of what can become a lifelong interest. Among the many attractions of indoor gardening is that there’s no digging or weeding involved: houseplants are easy to care for, display, and admire, so those who are new to the hobby will soon experience the immense pleasure that nurturing a houseplant inevitably brings.
Success with houseplants leads to confidence in growing them and a desire to tend plants that live both indoors and out. The next step for most people is to grow edible herbs on a windowsill and, if they have the luxury of a garden, seasonal container displays often follow.
Herbs thrive on a sunny windowsill—the secret is to pick them regularly and grow the ones you use most often in cooking.
SURE STARTERS
Buying easy-to-grow plants is a great way to encourage new gardeners to enjoy success. Here are some starter plants that are virtually bulletproof and almost impossible to kill:
TOP STARTER PLANTS Aloe vera (Aloe vera) • Zebra cactus (Haworthia) • Jade plant (Crassula ovata) • Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) • Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) • Sweetheart plant (Philodendron scandens) • Umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola)
The spider plant has been popular for decades because it’s so easy to grow.
GETTING CLOSER TO NATURE
It’s very easy to get attached to a houseplant. Living with them every day, watching them grow and flower, gives indoor gardeners a direct and immediate appreciation of nature. Gardeners quickly begin to realize how magical it is to nurture a plant and how easy it is to get results.
Those who haven’t grown up with a garden will enjoy getting their hands dirty when potting or taking cuttings.This complete involvement in a plant’s life-cycle encourages a deeper interest in, and connection with, the natural world. Once the shelves and windowsills in the home are filled with an ever-growing collection of houseplants, new gardeners will soon venture outside to widen their plant portfolio. Success with houseplants can often inspire those without gardens to create one.
Many beginner gardeners enjoy getting their hands dirty.
TOP TIP IF YOU HAVE A BALCONY OR PATIO, TRY MOVING YOUR FOLIAGE HOUSEPLANTS OUTSIDE DURING THE SUMMER. LIKE MANY NEW GARDENERS, YOU’LL SOON REALIZE THE IMPACT PLANTS CAN HAVE ON YOUR OUTSIDE SPACE. THE NEXT STEP IS TO INVEST IN HARDY PLANTS THAT OFFER YEAR-ROUND OUTSIDE INTEREST.
ENCOURAGING NEW GARDENERS
Houseplants can be used to generate conversation, fun, and entertainment in the home. For example, encourage household members to get involved in potting plants or taking leaf cuttings. You can also interest them in other activities, such as propagating and growing plants in water so they can see just how rapid and effective the results can be. Make a note of when cuttings, bulbs, or plants were placed in water and keep the plants in a room everyone uses so that they can track progress. Giving friends and family plants you’ve propagated yourself is another great way to spark their interest.
African violet cuttings are easy to take and soon root in water.
Encouraging hyacinths to bloom in time for Christmas is fun for everyone.