Home and Living

If you look in the wood specialty shops or watch fine craftsmen on the television, you might get the impression that the router table has to be a complicated thing with an almost incomprehensible fence composed of many pieces.

Living in a house that is eighty or more years old presents a series of unique advantages and challenges.

Adding houseplants to your home’s interior provides color and life. Many species help ’scrub’ the air while adding the benefit of a living thing to the home. The sight of a healthy, growing plant gives a lift that can be provided in no other way.

Buying a houseplant and caring for it takes time and effort. The rewards are a lovely addition to the home that adds a bit of life to the decoration scheme. But there are additional rewards to be had by growing your own plants from seeds or cuttings.

Choosing a pot is one of the most important decisions anyone interested in indoor gardening has to consider.

Outdoor plants are relatively self-regulating. They get most of what they need from the surrounding air and soil and often require no feeding aid. Indoor plants are much more reliant on the gardener’s tender ministrations. But it’s possible to overdo it.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of having houseplants is the opportunity they provide for doing interior design. A home can be lovely with good furniture, fine table-top items and beautiful paintings. But adding indoor plants can expand the choices enormously while moving the decoration into a whole new dimension.

How you prepare the soil for planting seeds or cuttings, or for repotting, depends on the type of plant involved. There are considerations that are generally true for almost all houseplants, and specific items and measurements that are unique to a species.

Many plants will do equally well indoor or out. But some thrive best in the protected environment of the house, while others won’t flourish unless they are in the elements. Anyone considering a bit of indoor gardening and decoration with houseplants will want to do a little research to find out which falls into which category.

Most plants receive their nutrients solely from the soil and air. They take up nitrogen, water and other needed materials by capillary action. They soak it up through the roots and distribute it through the stem and leaves. But carnivorous plants supplement their ‘diet’ with insects and even occasionally small reptiles. That’s what makes carnivorous plants all so interesting - their difference.

Most houseplants require some care year round. But exactly what you do is heavily influenced by the season. Most houseplant species have an active growing season in the Spring and early Summer, followed by a tapering off in the Fall. Many become dormant in Winter, even though the temperature in the house remains relatively warm.

There are millions of species that feed on houseplants. But there are a few that are found in almost every area.

Jade Plants provide a great option for indoor gardening, since they’re hardy and easy to grow. They thrive in containers and enjoy warm, dry conditions. As succulents, they tolerate low-water conditions well and require very little fertilizer.

The Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum) makes for an excellent houseplant. They’re attractive and easy to care for. Though, as with any houseplant, it’s possible to over or under water, they’re much more tolerant than most. And they live practically forever!

Having potted plants around the home provides lovely decoration and a healthy atmosphere. Not only do many indoor plants help ’scrub’ the air, but the sight of healthy growing things provides a nice mental lift as well.

There are about 60 different species of the Genus Sansevieria, variously known as Snake Plant, Mother-In-Law’s Tongue and many other names. Many are natives of Africa, but it can be found in Australia, China, Japan or Hawaii as well as other areas. These beautiful plants make for an excellent addition to the indoor garden and they’re very easy to grow and care for properly.

Houseplants are living organisms and get attacked by other living things that produce diseases. Here are some common symptoms and tips on how to treat the diseases they indicate.

Bamboo makes for one of the more interesting houseplants. It’s decorative, hardy and can spread like wildfire, so it makes for a beautiful but challenging plant.

Palm trees are often associated with the tropics. Images of banana bearing trees come readily to mind, swaying in the breeze under a hot sun. But it’s also true that there are many palms that tolerate cold very well. That adaptability, along with their attractive appearance and easy care, make palm trees an excellent houseplant.

The Braided Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica) is a beautiful and unusual plant that makes for an excellent addition to any home. The tree is composed of several trunks that wind around one another, reaching anywhere from a foot to several feet in height. The bonsai version is around a foot, while full sized trees reach up to seven feet.

The overwhelming majority of houseplants get most of what they need by their own efforts, from decent soil and adequate sunlight. But, unlike their outdoor cousins, houseplants are very much at the mercy of their owners for proper watering.