If winter has you yearning for a little taste of spring, consider adding a house plant to your interior landscape.   If you’re new to indoor gardening, or just looking for something easy to grow, we have some suggestions for plants as well as tips to get them off to a great start in your home. 

Philodendron has been referred to the backbone of indoor gardening.  It adapts well to lower light and looks pretty with its vines trailing over the edge of a shelf or piece of furniture.  Simply allow the soil surface to dry between watering.

Pothos, sometimes called Devil’s Ivy, is an extremely easy going plant.  It is not picky about the amount of light it gets, but the more light it receives- the more variegated the leaves will become.  It can grow in a pot, or trained like a vine up a pole.

Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law Tongue- these closely related plants can tolerate lots of neglect.  Their upright stature can make an impressive display.  These plants appreciate brighter conditions, but will tolerate low light.  Be careful not to over-water. 

Other suggestions include, English Ivy, Dracaena, Cast-Iron Plant, Chinese Evergreen and Diffenbachia.

The CSU Cooperative Extension offers the following suggestions for getting your new plant off to a healthy start:

Select a container that is slightly larger than the one the plant comes in (less than 2” in diameter larger).  If the new pot is too big, the plant may not respond well.

If you are using an existing pot, clean it by using a solution of 20% bleach/ 80% water and rinse thoroughly.  You can also put the pot in the dishwasher.  This avoids transferring pathogens and insects to your new plant.

When repotting, place potting soil in the bottom of the container.  If the drainage hole is large, cover with rocks or pieces of broken pots to promote drainage and reduce soil loss.

Place the plant in the pot and fill in the sides with new potting soil.  Minimize the amount of time the roots are exposed to the air.

Take care to avoid over-watering your plant until it has stabilized in its new home. 

Hold off on fertilizing for two to four weeks after transplanting.