How to grow African violets indoors

African Violets are one of my favorite houseplants to grow for one main reason, they bloom all year round! The second reasons that I love growing African Violets is that they are the simplest houseplant ever! The only thing I don't like about them is that the leaves are fuzzy, which means cat hair seems to stick to them all the time!

African violets are known for their beautiful flowers that bloom in many more colors than just violet! They can be found in every shade or purple, but also white, pink and even blue. Anyone can grow these beautiful plants with just a few simple tricks. Lets talk about the ideal growing conditions to produce long lasting plants with a full head of flowers that bloom year round.

How to increase humidity for houseplants (without a humidifier)

Humidity is very important for indoor plants. Many house plants are tropical plants and naturally grow in a warm, humid environment. While the air temperature inside our homes may be perfect for them, sometimes the air is way too dry for their liking. 

This is a bigger problem in winter when the heating system is pumping in dry air constantly! To make your plants happy you'll want to add moisture to the air. A humidity tray is the perfect answer!

I know lots of people run humidifiers inside their houses in winter, and that's a great option too. However, not everybody has particularly dry air, so a humidifier might be overkill. 

Plants can grab moisture out of the air so placing the source right next to them is all that's really needed. Plus there are more decorative ways to add moisture!

How to grow a bay leaf tree

The very first tree I decided to grow inside my house was a bay laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Unlike most other herbs, the bay leaf is actually an evergreen shrub. I looked for this little plant for several years before finally finding one at a local plant nursery. Since then I have been obsessed with it!

It is now just under 2 feet tall, it lives in a medium sized pot, it spends its summers outside and its winters indoors.

The bay laurel tree is an aromatic evergreen tree with smooth leaves in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is a flowering tree, with pairs of yellow-green flowers blooming bedside each leaf. It blooms in spring.

Unfortunately the bay laurel is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers form on separate plants. So sadly, my single plant will never produce viable seed.

Since the bay Laurel is native to the Mediterranean region it cannot tolerate our winters outside and therefore must be protected from the cold in winter. 

I call it a 'small' tree but it can actually reach a height of up to 59 feet tall! Obviously it can't be allowed to get that big inside my house!

With proper pruning I shouldn't have to worry about it bursting through my ceilings anytime soon though. When grown in a pot, it is a fairly slow growing tree.

Hydroponic gardening for beginners

I've known what hydroponics are for a long time but I only started experimenting with it a few years ago. It started with a gift. I was given a small self contained hydroponic garden for Xmas. I quickly found out that small scale hydroponics systems for inside your house can produce fresh vegetables and herbs quite well. They are especially useful during the winter. 

I also found out that a few things I expected didn't quite work out as planned. Of course my experience is limited to a few years with a tabletop hydroponic system, which is by no means the only way to use hydroponics in your home, but it is the easiest. 

The system I used is called the Aerogarden. I'll link to it a little lower on the page so you can take a peek, but first lets gets started talking about hydroponics.

How to plant an indoor succulent garden

I love having plants in every room of my house and succulents are my new favorites. I happened to buy a few really tiny succulents last month and decided to make a mini garden for them. I've been growing more succulents lately because they are basically the perfect house plant since they require so little care. All you have to do is water them once a week or even less and they'll be happy!

Succulents grow pretty slowly as far as houseplants go. This is great if you want to put them into little terrariums, succulent gardens, fairy gardens or even small wall planters. Since they grow slowly they don't outgrow their container too quickly, so they won't need repotted often.

I had a plastic bowl I wanted to use for this project. It's from the dollar tree, though many other retailers carry these. Planting succulents in a solid bowl is a little more difficult that a traditional pot with drainage holes. 

Since water can't escape the bowl you need to be very careful about not over watering your succulents.

Taking Care of Houseplants During Winter

Taking care of houseplants in winter is just a little trickier than during the warmer months. Oh sure they still need water and sunlight but they have a few other requirements during the colder months. Ample light can be hard to come by and might need supplemented. Also fertilizer isn't needed nearly as much.

Temperature fluctuations can also be a problem, especially if the plant is near a drafty window or in direct line of a door that's opened frequently. On the other hand being too close to the heater vents can be bad for plants too. 

Keep in mind that many houseplants are actually tropical plants and that is exactly why they do so well in constant 70°F temperatures all year round. They're just not built to tolerate blasts of hot or cold!

Want epic Basil? Grow it in pots!

Basil is definitely my favorite herb! I eat it fresh, dried and pretty much in anything I can. Since I use so much basil it only makes sense that I grow my own basil year round. What also makes sense is that I grow basil in pots so I can move it indoors in winter, then back outside in warmer weather. I keep my basil thriving year round so there's always plenty to eat.

Basil comes in many different varieties, each one having a unique flavor and medicinal properties. My favorite type so far has been Basil Genovese, though I have tried many types over the years!

One of the most popular varieties is Ocimum basilicum commonly called sweet basil. Sweet basil has inch-long, oval-pointed, dark green leaves and a clove-pepperish odour and taste.

Another popular variety  of basil is a purple-leafed variety. ‘Dark Opal’ is decorative, makes a lovely houseplant, and is equally useful in cookery. 

Often called the ‘king of herbs,’ basil can be grown indoors or out. I do both. 

How to grow rosemary indoors and out

I can grow a lot of herbs both indoors and out but the one that gives me the most trouble is rosemary! Oh, I can keep the plant alive and thriving just fine when it's summer (and I'll teach you how too!) but once I bring the rosemary plant inside for winter all bets are off! We can get to that later though.

To start, let's talk about how to grow rosemary in your garden.

Rosemary has a long list of historical uses, dating all the way back to the Egyptians when they used it in burials. It's well known for its use in lamb dishes, as an essential oil and for it's healing properties.

Also known for the pop culture reference in Practical Magic "Keep Rosemary by your garden gate". 

Rosmarinus officinalis or Salvia rosmarinus, commonly called rosemary is an aromatic herb indigenous to the Mediterranean area. It is a member of the mint family.

Rosemary is a woody, shrubby, aromatic perennial. As a perennial it prefers a warmer, moist climate but can be grown as an annual above zone 6 or moved indoors as a potted plant during winter. 

Rosemary has needlelike leaves and delicate purple, pink, white or blue flowers. Let me clarify, needle shaped leaves but much thicker and a bit softer.

Rosemary’s leaves are dark green on top with silvery undersides. They are so fragrant that you can smell the herb just by brushing your fingertips over the leaves.

Mature rosemary plants can live for over 30 years!

Coleus, the most colorful houseplant.

Did you ever notice that most houseplants are just green? Sure some have flowers but most of them spend the vast majority of the time only green. It's kinda boring. Except for Coleus. Its pink, ruby, burgundy, yellow, white and green color variations are quite striking and can provide a pop of summer like color even in the dead of winter.

Unfortunately, many gardeners don't realize that you can grow it as a houseplant! Coleus is actually a perennial. It's a tender perennial that is often used more like an annual, but in the right conditions it can grow year round.

Luckily, you have those conditions inside your house! Outside it's only hardy above zone 10. 

Coleus suffers cold damage at around 30°F, so if you have one growing outside you'll want to take cuttings or bring it inside before it gets too cold! It's super simple to grow more plants from cuttings, though...all you need is water.

How to Debug and Clean plants to bring indoors for winter

It's getting cold here this week and I needed to bring my houseplants back in for winter. Plus, I have a few tender perennials that I take outside every summer. Those need to come inside, but I absolutely do not want to bring bugs in again! A few years back I ended up with Aphids on my miniature pepper plants inside my house! I am not dealing with that again.

Ideally, you want to start bringing plants inside before the weather gets too cold. I'm so bad about this! I try to push it as long as possible so they can enjoy the outdoors and forget to check the forecast every week for temperatures that are going to be too low. 

Then suddenly I realize we're due for a frost tonight and everything has to come in ASAP! Don't be like me! Start bringing your plants in before any chance of frost.

The perfect time to bring plants in is when outside temperatures are very similar to your house temperatures. This way there will be less shock when they move indoors. Considering that most people keep their homes in the 65-70 range, late September is probably when you'll want to do this. 

One of my favorite plants to bring inside for winter is the coleus, which makes a marvelous houseplant! Before you bring them in though, you need to clean the plants and debug them. Here's how I do it.

Crispy Wave, the oxygen bomb your house needs!

I've been a little infatuated with tiny plants lately. It started in spring when I was buying some bedding plants and the nursery had an assortment of 'miniature' plants. I just had to buy a crispy wave plant and a mini purple cyclamen! 

Of course I know that many of these 'mini' plants are going to grow up to be full size, but since the crispy wave aka birds nest fern is excellent at purifying the air and adding oxygen to it, I was willing to take that chance!

One of the things that attracted me to this plant was that it only needs filtered light not direct light, so setting it a few feet back from the window would be perfect! Since I was looking for a small plant for on the coffee table this seemed like a good fit. 

I bought the little plant and took it home. It was to replace a succulent that had been left outside one cold night.

You see, the husband tries to take care of my plants and he had taken that one outside on a sunny spring day only to forget it out there overnight. By replacing it with a plant that does not need direct light, he wouldn't be tempted to take it outside and (hopefully) this one would live a good deal longer!

That might mistake proof this plant, but one of the main reasons I chose this plant was because it said right on the tag 'The Natural Air Purifier'. While all plants help improve air quality, this sounded like it was going to do a better job than usual, plus it is known to live quite long for a potted plant. Sounds perfect!

How to choose a Christmas plant for a gift

It's the holiday season and that means lots of parties and events to attend...and lots of gifts to buy. Holiday plants can be a beautiful and easy hostess gift for that next party you're invited to, if you buy the right one. The wrong one though, could be disastrous.

Not all Christmas plants are created equally, and while some may last for years and years, others will be done for before the snow melts. Picking the right plant for the right person can go a long way towards making sure your gift is truly loved.

When choosing a plant for someone else, you'll want to consider the plants care, probable lifetime and the gardening desires of the person you're buying for. Many people love the holiday colors but have no desire for a plant that will live for years. 

Others are simply heartbroken by something that will shortly die off and would prefer a long lived plant. Also, if they have pets, their pets could end up sick from the wrong plant. It's important to take all that into consideration when choosing a plant as a gift.

Adorable mini Christmas garden gifts

This was not supposed to be a blog post. This was only supposed to be a quick way to throw together a little hostess gift with some plant clippings and bows. It really got out of hand! What started as 1 mini-rosemary topiary turned into 3 mini Christmas themed planters. *sigh* Let me start at the beginning.

Everybody knows how much I love my plants ... especially my herbs! What better way to spread the love of herbs this holiday season than with a rosemary topiary? 

I set out to make this with my out of control rosemary 'bush' and a few pots I had picked up from the dollar spot at Target. I clipped my rosemary, prepared it and rooted it then decided it looked suspiciously like a Christmas tree. 

So I decorated it. 

Then I had to make another one in a shape, since the first one sorta failed. After that I only had 1 pot left so I tossed in some succulents that I had been propagating and voila! 3 mini Christmas gardens. That's my story...and I'm sticking to it!

The indoor gardeners gift guide

This post has been updated for the 2024 holiday season!

Winter is so hard for gardeners! All we want to do is be out in the sunshine, digging in the dirt and planting things. Sadly, the ground is frozen and there are months to go before we plant again. *sigh* It feels like winter will never end! (am I being too dramatic here? lol)

I've found that most gardeners turn to indoor gardening in winter. Whether it be decorative houseplants or growing herbs, our need to dig in the dirt and make things grow cannot be stopped by a little snow! I think that is part of why succulents have enjoyed such popularity lately. 

Personally I have just about every holiday plant you can get. From Amaryllis to poinsettias and everything in between, I have them all! So it makes perfect sense that I would have (or want) all kinds of great new gardening gadgets for Christmas. Since nobody wants to have to wait for months to use their new gifts, this year I'm asking for all indoor gardening accessories. Maybe that will help me beat the 'no garden' blues that come with the onset of cold weather!

How to care for air plants

I like to think I'm pretty good with plants. I can usually manage to make them grow and thrive, but at the very least I always manage to keep them alive. I do especially well growing herbs and other medicinal plants indoors, I'm really good with those. There is only one type of plant I ever managed to kill. I actually killed four of them. Air plants.

I'm sure you're wondering how that's possible after all, an air plant has virtually no care necessary. The problem was, I thought that too. I believed the little 'air plant care' cards that came attached to my air plants that said "just mist with water once a month" and that is all I did.

Every single one died.

That's when I learned something about the instructions that come with air plants. Everyone lies! Well, maybe not everyone, but every plant tag on the air plants I bought did. *sigh* 

Now I don't know exactly why a plant would have incorrect information on the tag but they do! I'm guessing they think it's a selling point, but Air plants actually need a lot more water than the tag says. They actually like to be, well ... soaked.

How to force an Amaryllis to bloom again

If you're like me, everyone in your circle of friends and family knows you love plants. Which means you probably receive a lot of seasonal plants for gifts! Over the years I have gotten some of the most amazing poinsettias, paperwhites, evergreen bushes and even a rosemary topiary shaped like a Christmas tree!

A few years back my cousin gifted me with a beautiful red amaryllis. It bloomed right at Christmas time and had 2 flower stalks with 3 gorgeous blooms each. When she gave me the amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna) she said something quite bizarre (at least to me).

She told me "Sadly these are only good for one Christmas. Just like poinsettias." I told her not to worry, I'd figure out how to make it bloom again. After all, I turn my poinsettias red in time for Christmas every year. I figured out how to make my Christmas cactus bloom often. I can definitely figure this out!

A few weeks after the holidays were over, my plant drooped over and all the leaves dried up. I plucked them off but continued to water the bulb. Shortly after, it started to sprout again. The leaves grew just as tall and beautiful as before with one exception. No flower stalk. I had done some research though and knew this was normal. 

11 Medicinal plants that grow well indoors

Fall is officially here and that means that gardening is coming to a halt for the year. I've been spending a lot of time preserving my fresh veggies and herbs for the winter. I use herbs in so many different things that I just can't be without them! I've dehydrated and stored almost all of my herbs from the garden, except for a few.

While I'm really glad I can dehydrate herbs to store them, I would much prefer to use fresh herbs. I use herbs in medicinal teas for basically anything that ails me. From headaches to sleeplessness, I turn to herbs before store bought medicines so it's important I have them on hand.

Luckily there are some herbs that do really well indoors in pots. As an added bonus they Help To Clean The Air Inside Your House! I don't have very sunny windows and even I can get most of these to flourish indoors in winter! These medicinal herbs are easy to grow, even for beginners. 

How to create a magical fairy garden!

I love fairy gardens. I think they're super cute, plus the attention to detail just amazes me. I love all those tiny little benches, houses and signs. They are just so whimsical! I think my favorite thing about fairy gardens is that they can be anything you want. 

My new one is just a little forest scene but I've seen farm scenes, and garden scenes with little potting benches and greenhouses. I just picture the fairies playing in the gardens and planting flowers. I've seen a glamping scene and a tiny tea party. The fairy garden I made last year for my porch even had a water feature! 

When I decided to put a fairy garden inside my house I knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it to look, but finding the pieces took a bit of time. I obviously needed fairy houses, signs and whimsical little statues but I also wanted a little 'stream' and a gold lined path. 

I decided I was going to need a fairly large container to fit all the things I wanted to. Luckily there are tons of planters available now, so I headed out to grab one and a few supplies to make this adorable fairy garden!

Can I get a ladybug? What to do about Aphids on houseplants

I have never wanted to find a lady bug as much as I do right now! My miniature pepper plant has aphids...INSIDE the house! Ugh! To make matters worse, as soon as it starts to warm up outside a bazillion ladybugs will suddenly appear inside my house as if they materialized from thin air. It's like magic...and I would do just about anything to see a few like, NOW!

I guess it's my own fault. The aphids had gotten onto my container plants on the patio during summer. I controlled them pretty well but they did keep coming back.

They were mostly on the Chamomile, but I was growing some ornamental peppers nearby. I never saw them on the peppers though. 

When fall got too cold and I brought some plants inside, I checked carefully for any bugs or foliage damage. I saw none, so I brought them inside and they took up residence in my living room windows. 

Now I know that I need to Debug and clean plants before I bring them indoors for winter. I didn't when this story started though, which brings us to the aphids!

Then the horrible day came (3 months later) when I noticed the aphids on the house plants. I noticed them on the pepper plants first. They were also on the pansy next to them so I made the decision to sacrifice both plants for the health of the rest and outside they went. 

They were the only 2 plants in that window but I checked the other plants anyway and they were all clear. Flash forward a few weeks and I see the little sap suckers again! Really?

I pruned the Christmas Cactus (then it bloomed!)

I wanted to learn how to prune a Christmas cactus, so I did what we all do and turned to the web. I followed the directions exactly but somehow instead of getting bigger, it got prettier!

Let me start at the beginning. 

My husband had a Christmas cactus from when he lived in Florida. He saw it in a Styrofoam cup at a flea market and it amazed him that it 'knew' to bloom at Christmas. So he bought it. 

Then it moved back with him and sat (in that cup) on his mothers windowsill for several years. It never bloomed. 

A few years after we got married, when we moved out to the sticks it moved out here with us. He said "I think it's broken" in that sad crushed dreams way little kids often use. I told him I'd fix it. 

Re-potting, good soil, some food, water and the appropriate amount of dark/light and I had it blooming that fall. He was so impressed! He was even more impressed when it bloomed again the next Christmas!

I'm still not quite as talented at these things as I could be. I do always get it to bloom, but about a month early. Close enough, right? (more on that later)