My Giant Strawberry: Creative Joy, Watercolor Art and Garden Magic

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(Still) Loving Houseplants: 10 of the Easiest Plants to Grow and a Growing Houseplant Obsession

Anne Butera

Last month I wrote about my love of houseplants, how they inspire my art and help me get through our Wisconsin winters.

Putting together that post was so much fun and although I was already enjoying tending my plants, it sparked a renewed obsession with thinking about and reading about houseplants (and even watching some videos).

It’s not surprising that my next painting was another plant growing in my home:

Flowers on indoor plants bring me so much joy.

Even when they’re something ephemeral like amaryllis.

The amaryllis bulbs I bought on clearance after Christmas have been brightening my studio for weeks. I couldn’t resist them and I’m glad I didn’t.

For a long time, I was only interested in growing a plant if it was something that would boom.

this peachy impatiens plant was grown from a cutting rooted in water, too

If it was fragrant — like the hoya I wrote about in the other post or my little lemon tree (that has not stopped blooming since I brought it inside last fall) — even better.

I do still love flowers, but these days I’m happy to grow just about any plant if I know it will thrive in my space.

Gardeners quickly learn what’s easy to grow and what’s more of a challenge.

I’ve certainly killed quite a few plants over the years. Some weren’t suited to my space. Some became infested with bugs. Some succumbed to neglect.

The tenacious plants are charming, in part because they survive.

10 of the houseplants that have been easiest for me:

  • Jade plants, Crassula ovata

  • Snake plants, Sansevieria

  • Rubber plants, Ficus elastica

  • Fiddle leaf figs, Ficus lyrata

  • Philodendron (I’m not sure which variety I’m growing, but I’ve had it for over 20 years)

  • Peace lilies, Spathiphyllum

  • Begonias

  • Pothos

  • Hoyas (Hoya lacunosa is the deliciously fragrant variety I grow)

  • Spider plants, Chlorophytum comosum

In addition to being survivors, tenacious plants have other charms as well.

Beautiful leaf colors.

pothos are some of the easiest plants to grow and many have such beautiful leaves

And interesting patterns on their leaves

I love the way this striped tradescantia (grown from a cutting from a friend) looks grown beside the variegated ivy

Varying growth habits (vining, tree-like, bushy, mounding) and textures.

this sweet peperomia is colorful and beautifully textured

Each plant I grow becomes special to me.

As it shares my space.

Keeping me company.

And bringing me joy and inspiration.

In the footnote of last month’s post, I mentioned rooting cuttings in water. My tenacious plants tend to multiply because I take cuttings of them.

All of my begonias are babies of babies of plants grown from cuttings rooted in water.

If a plant gets too big or scraggly, I simply trim it down and root the trimmed bits in water. Sometimes the cuttings replace the original plant and sometimes pruning revives it or helps it to branch out.

Cuttings are fun to share with friends, too. My friend Dana gave me a cutting from her pilea and now mine is a big and beautiful plant.

I’ve been rooting its babies in water on my kitchen windowsill and have already given one to my mom.

The pothos and swiss cheese plants on my studio shelves are growing in water inside colorful tins.

And the fiddle leaf figs growing in my studio (and elsewhere in my house) were started that way, too.

the collection of plants in my studio is constantly changing as I arrange and rearrange

They’re growing in pots now, nestled among other plants, and they all came from the tree growing in our living room. I love my fiddle leaf figs. The tree in the living room was only a couple of feet tall when I brought it home almost nine years ago.

My fiddle leaf fig tree is running out of room in our living room. On the left, on top of the shelf is my 20+ year old philodendron.

Putting the stems I trimmed from my fiddle leaf fig in water was an experiment. Would they root? I wasn’t sure, but it was worth a try.

Experimenting is part of developing as a gardener.

Again and again, I’ve read that fiddle leaf figs are finicky. In one of the books I just checked out from the library, they’re described as “a bit tricky to grow.” That hasn’t been my experience. Not with my big tree or with its babies.

One of the babies is growing so well and getting so tall that I’m thinking about trimming it to try to get it to branch.

I’m still looking for furniture for this corner of my studio, but for now, plants

You won’t be surprised to hear I’ll be sticking the part I cut into water to root.

It’s always worth experimenting.

Being curious and trying things for yourself. We can learn so much from others, but everyone’s experiences are different.

The best way to learn is by observing and paying attention.

This is true whether you’re learning how to grow plants or how to make art or, really, anything at all.

Laura left a comment on last month’s houseplant post that resonated with me:

I’ve always enjoyed plants but I’ve never been able to care for them properly. My daughter keeps giving me plants so because they now have sentimental value to me I have found a way to properly care for them. I don’t know their proper names nor have I read how to care for them but I keep a close eye on them. I have learned how to understand what they seem to like, how much or little sun they do best under, along with how to give them just enough water. I’ve even learned when and how to replant them.

Yes!

I’ve never liked the idea of a green thumb (or worse, a black thumb), that some people can grow plants and others can’t.

It’s not an innate knack or specialized knowledge. Gardening, like so many other things, is about paying attention.

It’s about developing relationships with plants.

Plants flourish when we show them love. And in turn, we flourish, too.

Soon I’ll be starting seeds for my outdoor garden, but for now, I’m enjoying my houseplants and continuing to fan the flames of my obsession.

Houseplant books in my current library stack:

Houseplant videos I’ve recently enjoyed:

What about you? Have you been obsessing about houseplants lately, too?

I enjoyed reading all of the comments on last month’s houseplant post. So many of you have such beautiful memories linked to plants and people. I’m grateful to you for sharing.

I’d love to hear your plant news. Have you gone on any houseplant adventures? Are you growing something new? Taken some cuttings? Read any good plant books? Do let me know!

Thank you, as always, for being here.