Hello darlings! Since my last post I've seen some of you saying you don't have much of a green thumb and your plants end up dying. So, in this post I'll be sharing some plants that I picked that are great for beginers or people with less experience with plants.

You might look at the plants in the picture and think "Oh, boy! These are going to be so expensive and so hard to care for!" FEAR NOT! They are not expensive and they are super easy to take care of.

In the picture (middle left with the big leaves), we have a Monstera Deliciosa, a well-known plant on social media for its appearence. Like all subtropical plants, it likes moist soil, lots of humidity and indirect sunlight. Water it twice a week on summer, but just a glass. You can mist its leaves, specially in the coldest or driest days.

The pink flower in front of it is another subtropical, the Aechmea from the Bromelia family. It only needs a glass of water once a week. You see that part where the flower comes from? In the wild, rain gets caught on there and they absorbe most of the nutrients from there. Like all bromeliads, Aechmea doesn't have much of a root system and relies on the rain from the cup its leaves form.  So the plant will appreciate it if you fill the cup with water. Never let it dry completely! You can also mist this plant. (Just to avoid saying this all the time: tropical and subtropical plants should always be misted on their leaves; it raises humidity.)

Behind those two plants, we see a Sanseveria, and it's super easy to care for, just like the others: a glass of water should be fine, and half a glass in winter. Be careful, don't water it frequently. Wet and cold soil can rot the roots. (This also applies to the other plants but if you see your plants wilting maybe they want some more. I just tend to do things on the safe side and water them less so I'm sure they won't die.) These are probably the most tolerant plants you can have, since they can handle weeks without water. Indirect sunlight for this pretty one too. May I also advise you to clean the leaves with a slighty wet cloth? Plants with long leaves tend to have lots of dust on them, difficulting their photosintesis. Do it at least once a week.

In front of and to the right of that is Medinilla Magnifica, another plant with big leaves that you can clean. It likes to be "neglected" as it is a succulent. Water it once a week in summer but you can water it twice if you see it wilting in the summer when the strong heat comes in. (This is going to be hard to spot because theflowers are naturally droopy, so look at the leaves, touch them and if they feel coarse, they need water. In winter, you can neglect it for two weeks and water it whenever you remember HAHAH!

Speaking of succulents, you can see a light blue tray of them mixed with cacti int the front. Ooh the famous succulents and cactus... somehow people still manage to kill these. I literally only give my succulents a heavy spray of water once a week since they are in a terrarium and it's easier. In winter I barely do anything. I've never had cacti before, since I'm not much into them, but from what I've heard and read, a single watering a week willd be fine. The trick is placing it near (not IN) a South/West facing window where they will have 6 hours of sun which is just perfect. Many believe because they live in a desert they should be fine in full sun. That isn't how it works. The cacti you buy are always inside the nursery. Bringing them directly to a sunny spot after you bring them home is dangerous because they aren't used to it. It's like you spent a whole week inside your house and then decide to go to the beach... without sunscreen. Ouch. The big Agave that came on LE Decor and the Aloe Vera (back center) are one of the few plants that can have actual full sun, so place them by a window and treat them like the succulents. It's okay if you forget about these plants, they can handle weeks without water.

Then we move to Coleus slightly in front of and to the left of that plant. it is very fragile so water it twice a week, but in less quantity. Half a cup should do it. It likes filtered light, so a transparent curtain is the perfect choice. (Also bear in mind, whenever I say behind a curtain, I always mean translucent/transparent curtains, not the opaque, obviously! haha!).

Then we move on to the orchids in the front center to the right. In the picture we have two: the Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium. Both like indirect sunlight and their leaves to be cleaned and misted (yes, in this order, otherwise you can make it worse and more dust will stick). Keep them healthy and their soil moist (and a little bit of help from fertilizer), and that will make them bloom twice a year! Be careful  to never to water Phalaenopsis orchids above the crown level (which is where the leaves sprout). It can cause rot and the plant will die. When misting, put you hand over the roots to protect them. This probably doesn't happen in the wild but it's always good to be safe than sorry.

Above and in the center, we have a Pothos, the perfect plant. My grandma has had one in her bathroom for years and all it has is a tiny south-facing window, but it still illuminates all the room. I remember when I was a kid and seeing it all around the towels rack. It likes indirect sunlight and lots of humidity, so spray it gently everyday or as many days as you can or place it in your bathroom; it's an ideal place! 

Then a plant that I never had and don't really plan to, the Tillandsia. it's that tiny plant inside the hanging terrarium on the right. It recently became a trend because it doesn't have any roots and gets it's nutrients from the air. You can always place it on moss and large sand grains for aesthetical purposes and spray the plant often.

The Colocasia, in this case, as Stardoll painted the leaves pink, now a Caladium (yes, I saw a photo of the exact same plant they used and you can see two of the leaves aren't painted) is a fast grower (both are, so don't worry if you can't decide between a Caladiumand a Colocasia) so no need to fertilize it as much as the other plants--maybe once every other month. Generally only when the leaves start to yellow. These tolorate full sun but it's always best to keep them further from the window, because too many hours of direct sun can burn the leaves. Once again, clean and mist the plant. As it grows fast, you might want to change the pot every year or split them in various independant plants and then repot.

I brought to you this Areca palm at the back, it is so beautiful and has this paradise feel. All you have to do is water it carefully, Water them generously in summer but be careful! They hate constant wet soil and they prefer if you let them wilt a bit between waterings. Like all houseplants, have the plant on a light, well drainging soil. Filtered light is best. They are very cold and heat sensitive (Gurl! You've got mood swings!), so place it as far as you can from a door but still next to a filtered window. Mist it on the hotter days so the sun doesn't burn it and in the dry winter days.

Then we have the easiest of the plants, a water lily in the center of it all! They like full sun so you can have them outside. Inside, make sure they are on a only water container large enought forthem to spead. Also, place it by a South/West side window to have plenty of sun. You can change 1/3 of the water every two months. 

And our final plant, the Poinsettia, the Christmas plant that we all love. It isn't a light lover... well kind of. It likes to be placed further from the windows but not in dark corners. They bloom in winter when the days are short, hence why they are sold in Christmas season. Water it like the Celous plant, only a glass of water a week, but split it into halves, water one half for example, on a monday and the other on a thursday, but check on it. It might want more than that.

It's important to bear in mind that whenever you buy a plant, you should repot it as soon as you can, because most plants stay months at the nurseries, if not years, and the soil isn't pure. They are fertilized very often to keep their fresh appearence to sell. That's why when you bring them home they aren't so pretty anymore, because they are back to it's "natural state" after a few months. If you have a plant that is stretching for the sun, don't place it immediatly on the window. Do it gradually, in a space of two days keep moving the container a few feet till it reaches the desired place, so it isn't so shoking for the plant, and turn the pot around as you do that, so the plant grows evenly. Never water your plants in the middle of the day, whether it's cold or hot. Too hot weather can evaporate the water quickly and too cold can rot the plant. I always water mine in the morning or just before lunch so they have time before the strongest sunlight hours beggin (12:00H to 16:00H). Or you can water it just right after sunset but not when it's dark. Plants start the respiration process when it's dark and the water can literally drown them, since they also respirate throught the roots. Don't place your plants in iron pots without some plastic cover first. Iron releases toxins to the soil and can change its PH, which isn't so good for the plant. 

It's best if you spray your plants from far above them and not close, this way the mist will be more well-spread and not just on a particular side of the plant. 

Important Note:  Poinsettia has toxic sap, so if you have pets that tend to eat plants, put it on a table where they can't reach it (this also applies to children). It's usually okay if they eat a bit, but not in big quantities.

There are more plants that you can easily grow but aren't on Stardoll, so if you are interested, contact me. ♥