13 eye-popping houseplants with hoopla!

And never use soil when potting your bromeliad. It is too dense and will not allow for the quick drainage that bromeliads require. Instead, use potting mixes specially formulated for bromeliads or mix your own using porous materials.

Don’t water the bromeliad again until at least the top two inches of potting media are dry. Make sure your potting media drains good, it’s what they prefer!

One silly tip? Since spider plants prefer a semi-potbound environment, repot them only when their large, fleshy roots are highly visible and watering becomes difficult.

Besides, just like bell bottoms are making their way back on runways, the spider plants of the 1970’s are back with gusto too!

A lot of times, you may hear them referred to as a weeping fig. And we actually don’t mind when the local nursery braids the trunk! It looks kind of cool.

They really like high humidity so maybe your bathroom or kitchen would be a good location? Not too much water either, soggy roots will not make them happy. If the top of the soil feels dry…water. If not, leave Mr. Ficus alone.

Out in the wild this vine can twine itself around just about anything for support and grow up to 30 feet in length. But I wouldn’t worry about that. If you’re anything like me, you’ll kill your mandevilla long before that’s an issue! JK!

But expect blooms mostly in the summer and overwinter during the cold months. They’ll bloom well for a few months indoors with good light (including artificial) but then may have to take a break in the basement for their winter rest. Cut watering in half during this dormant period and remove dead leaves.

Until then, I just remove any brown leaves and am careful to be on the lookout for mites, especially on the underside of the leaves.

We only need to keep the water slightly moist when actively growing in summer and we reduce watering in winter when it’s dormant (big sacrifice on our part.)

Fertilize jade plants with a water-soluble fertilizer designed for houseplants once every three to four months. Wait at least three months before applying fertilizer on newly started plants.

Over the long haul, you’ll just want to make sure they don’t become too top heavy and topple over. Bleh.

And yep, during winter, let the plant dry out between waterings. Just make your focus on good drainage. Do not let it stand in water!

Leaf cuttings is the typical way to go but the easiest way is just to divide the plant. The roots produce fleshy rhizomes, which can be removed with a sharp knife or just broken off.

Protect your new azalea plant from drafts and heat vents. They’ll like the extra humidity from either a room humidifier or placing them on a tray of wet pebbles. But no misting as they are prone to fungus.

Don’t let your plants dry out! Watering from the top is just dandy, but they’ll also thank you for an occasional dunk, pot and all, in a larger container, bucket or tub of water.

Even better…they don’t need to be fertilized often. Fertilize once or twice a year. Or not at all if you forget. That’s our kind of plant!

Just like a new puppy, you’ll want to wipe or wash down your peace lily once a year. You can give it a sprinkle in the shower or set in in the sink and let the water run over it. Or just use a damp cloth to spiff up your plant.

And go ahead and give the plant some fertilizer once a year. But don’t panic if you forget. Not a big deal.

It has few pests and looks fabulous in flower arrangements!

You should fertilize older Chinese evergreens once or twice yearly using a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer.

And while you’re dusting your furniture, give your Chinese evergreen a quick rub down too. Or, you could give it a tinkle in the shower and allow it to air dry. In return, your plant will say “thank you”

From time to time, it gets a few brown leaves which we snip off.

Do these and you will have a happy, sharp looking plant in your home or office.