Some time ago I wrote about my knack for taking care of indoor plants. (And by "knack" I mean my tendency to kill all living things that I bring into my home.) But despite the soul-crushing experience of watching yet another plant die under my care, I was determined to try again. After all, as was so wisely said by a number of readers in this post offering advice to beginner gardeners, even the best gardeners started out killing a ton of plants. So it was with a renewed sense of purpose and a positive outlook that I walked into the annual members-only plant sale at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last night. My goal? To buy the hardiest, hardest-to-kill plants there. You can tell me how I did:
Every year the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens holds a 3-day plant sale in a tent on the Cherry Esplanade, a broad green field bordered by two rows of the Prunus Kanzan, or the Japanese flowering cherry blossom tree, which are currently in full bloom. The BBG plant sale is the largest of its kind in the New York area, and sells every kind of plant, both for indoors and outdoors, including annuals, perennials, small trees and shrubs, roses, herbs, vegetables, all kinds of tomatoes, houseplants, orchids, and hanging baskets.
First of all, call me a sentimental sap, but I'm convinced that the people who work and attend the BBG plant sale are the nicest people in the world. Clearly the verdant beauty puts people in a good mood, and despite my amateur line of questioning ("Um, is this plant hard to kill?"), both workers and attendees alike were warm and accommodating. (And enthusiastic! One fellow in the cactus aisle talked to me for 10 minutes about the need for "people with vision!" to take home the the melon cactus, which won't bloom for another ten years.)
Inside the tent plants are arranged by group: hanging baskets, orchids, aquatics, herbs, perennials... I was admiring the orchids (no, no, no— you're probably thinking. Orchids are notoriously finicky and NOT the best plant for someone with a bad track record of plant care. Don't worry, friends. I knew this much and was only admiring) when I caught another area out of the corner of my eye: succulents. Yes. This was the place to start. Low maintenance, water-retaining plants that thrive in harsh environments and like lots of sun— perfect for my very sunny living room windows. Thankfully, I also love the look of succulents. (Remember this table and this wall?) I picked up three small individually-potted succulents, one cactus/succulent arrangement, and a small Jade plant.
Instructions for Succulent Care: According to the paper they gave me...
When watering Cacti and Succulents in the home, wait until the soil is completely dry before watering. Then water well, and let any excess water drain off. For good lighting, Southern and Western exposure windows are the best, although North and East will suffice with cautious watering. Fertilize sparingly every 4-6 weeks April through September. Allow the plant to remain dormant for a period of rest with little or no watering December through February.
My next stop were the herbs. The one-pot herb garden I planted last year was dead and gone a few weeks later. Though I'd determined to pot the herbs individually next time, I still decided not to buy any last night because... well... it seemed too ambitious. I'll get back to herbs eventually. Instead I bought wheatgrass! I love the look of grass indoors, and thought that two long wooden boxes filled with wheatgrass would look splendid in my windowsills. And since I'll actually be trimming the grass myself (either to juice or put in a smoothie), it seemed pretty doable to me.
Instructions for Wheatgrass Care: I did NOT receive instructions for the wheatgrass, so if you grow wheatgrass or have a wheatgrass plant, tell me what you do!
After walking around and admiring all the plants I would not be purchasing for my home, I made my final stop: houseplants. I considered the Ficus, the Fern, and the Philodendron, but was most drawn to a large, hearty-looking plant... another Jade! When I asked the woman if I would need to replant it when I got home, she said "I wouldn't touch it!" OK, sold!
Upon checkout, I surveyed my little red wagon of plants (seen above). Dominated by succulents and wheatgrass, I certainly hadn't made a very diverse selection, but I hoped I'd made a lasting one.
Thoughts and advice for me? Do tell!
(Images: Cambria Bold)
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
I have killed ficus and have killed succulents (though it takes some effort, I succeeded). What I haven't managed to murder, however, is the ponytail plant, which survives beautifully in my cube without natural light (and sometimes without water for a couple of weeks at a time). It's in the palm family and has a vaguely Seussian look. It's the only plant I've allowed myself to have at work because of its hardy temperament. Highly recommended!
I've had those types of succulents at home before, and after a few weeks they bolted up and grew so tall and ugly, I finally just threw it out. I also have a jade that I keep in my north facing kitchen window. I only water maybe once a month, and it is slowly growing. I also have a mother-in-laws young plant which has survived on minimal care. It is actually flowering at the moment, which I think is sort of rare. I just treat I like the jade... Only watering it when the soil is dried out and it is about 15-20 feet back from a southern facing living room wall of windows, so I gets bright indirect light. You will do OK! just keep trying. Indoor plants are MUCH harder than outdoor.
Er, sorry, young = tounge.
@stellbarnum, oh no! Are my succulents going to take on a life of their own? Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to keep an eye on them...
Those succulents (Echeveria) get tall when they're getting ready to flower. They have lovely coral, orange and yellow bell-shaped flowers. Keep caring for it and it will be fine.
If they do bolt up, just chop them off and stick the cut ends back down in the dirt to make them short again. (I do this all the time when they get too leggy in pots.)
I have 3 medium Jade Trees and a dark house. Over the winter they grow really slowly and look a wee sad, but they do ok. In the spring, summer and fall (I'm in Pittsburgh) I put them outside. They look their best and grow the quickest in direct sun although they do fine in partial sun as well. I water them if they start to look wrinkly & dehydrated or the leaves start to fall off. If a big piece falls off (that's still alive), stick in in soil, place near some sun and you've got your self a new plant!
for your wheatgrass, just water in the morning and afternoon. The way I remember is I keep a little spray bottle on the table (I have some running down my dining room table) and spray it at breakfast, then again at dinner. Does best at temps 60-70*, dies over 90. I tried keeping it outside and its just too hot here in the summer (Utah). Loves the full light it gets on my dining room table but doesnt seem to suffer if I keep the shades pulled for a few days.
I'm on the hunt for succulents to put in my new terrarium, any suggestions from you guys? Its a wood tray, but I could line it with some plastic?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53418097@N05/5655692904/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53418097@N05/5655119211/in/photostream/
its about 2'x1' so lots of space to fill, I am new new new to the succulent game..
SilverFirsFarm, so when it gets super hot and sunny in July/August here in New York, I should probably move them out of our east-facing windows, right?
wheat grass, you need to be very careful b/c they EASILY mold (i got mold poisoning from a smoothie i made lol). you pretty much have to mist them once or twice a day.
Super hot and sunny is where (most) succulents thrive.
The leggy, spindly growth stellabarnum mentions may be due to inadequate sun, or they may be a blossom stalk. Echeverias, the type you have in your wagon, grow on a stem, but the leaves are very tightly packed together. If they don't receive enough light, they tend to put out smaller leaves, with more space between. I tried taking a couple of mine to my office and the same thing happened, even though they were under fluorescents 10 hours a day.
All of my succulents now (other than things like Christmas cactus) are in my south-facing window. They love it there.
Debra Lee Baldwin's Succulent Container Gardens is a great book for growing succulents.
Good luck!
Probably out of direct sun.. although I bet if you keep the wheat grass watered they will be fine! I think the worst thing for it is if it dries out. Does it get super hot in those windows? My mother in laws wheatgrass died in one day flat in the las vegas heat, woops! lol
I have a lot of Echeverias, the succulents you have in your wagon, and I used to keep them indoors, but they all etiolated! Etiolation is when the succulents do not get enough sunlight and they start growing long and stretching out in search of sun. In my opinion, when this happens they get quite ugly. Just make sure your succulents have plenty of sunlight to keep this from happening and you'll be fine.
If you're looking for a leafy indoor plant, I highly recommend the schefflera, or dwarf umbrella plant. You can get them small or large. They seem pretty impossible to kill. I've gone weeks without watering mine and I've had it for three years. When you have pushed it a little too far, it lets you know by dropping some leaves: this isn't ideal, but you can easily catch it before it dies. They're also very easy to propagate: cut a stalk from a friend, put it in a vase of water for a few weeks, then plant when roots are well established.
The other thing to keep in mind is that larger plants are usually easier to care for. Many people with 'black thumbs' buy smaller plants because they don't want to potentially waste their money, but smaller plants are weaker and more sensitive to watering changes. Go big!