One of my gentle aspirations for the year was to repot my house plants and I am pleased to report that I have (halfway) accomplished that goal.
It seems irresponsible that I, a known plant murderer, should persist in owning houseplants. And yet I LOVE them, and I have strong feelings of affection for them.
I still remember the jade plant my mother bought me when I was a freshman in college. My mother, who is excellent at keeping things alive, has always had a jade plant in her home, and I have fond memories of the enormous jade plant in the room in my childhood home we referred to as The Library. It sat in a massive pot on a plant stand and its leaves cascaded nearly to the floor like the glorious mane of a beautiful woman. It was extraordinary. So it felt almost like I had a little piece of home with me, setting that jade plant in my dorm window and mostly neglecting it.
Each summer, I would take the jade plant to the dean’s office and they would look after it for me. Each fall, I would reclaim the jade plant – which always seemed to have grown and flourished in someone else’s care – and it would live in my room. After we graduated, my then-boyfriend and I drove to his home town where we lived and worked for the summer; the jade plant came with us. My housing situation was, in retrospect, a little precarious. My then-boyfriend’s parents had arranged for me to house sit for a family friend. But the friends had moved out of their house and were actively looking for a buyer. WHY was this a good idea? WHAT did I think I would do if they sold the house??? HOW did the realtor explain to potential buyers the evidence that a squatter was inhabiting the house??? Anyway, I think my furniture included a mattress on the floor of one of the bedrooms – not the primary bedroom, because the realtor or maybe the homeowner discouraged me from staying there – and maybe they had left a couch in the living room? Or did my then-boyfriend bring over a couple of lawn chairs? I can’t remember. But I had my jade plant there, too.
Once summer ended, my then-boyfriend and I drove across several states to move into the apartment we’d rented, sight-unseen, while I attended grad school. We had driven all day, with a U-Haul attached to my then-boyfriend’s car, and I had my jade plant in my car with me on the passenger side floor. We did get slightly lost in the worst part of the unfamiliar city – this was the age of MapQuest and printed directions, folks – but we eventually found our way to our apartment without being robbed or murdered. Only to discover that there had been a massive ceiling leak, which had a) filled up a ceiling light until it was so heavy it collapsed part of the ceiling and shattered onto the floor and b) created a mold field on the carpet and in the walls of the tiny closet that counted as a laundry room. CLEARLY the apartment had not been cleaned or prepped for new occupants – the bathroom in particular was a filthy disaster – which was not the best introduction to the city or to our scandalous life of premarital cohabitation.
We ended up staying in a hotel while the leasing company remediated the problem, and we had to stay in the hotel so long that we ended up unloading our U-Haul into a storage unit and then having to reload it into a different U-Haul when we were finally able to move in to the apartment. I remember our parents being extremely helpful about the whole thing, even though they were all strenuously against us living together. (It worked out okay.)
But our new city was very hot, and in all the chaos I forgot about my poor jade plant and it died in my overheated car.
Perhaps this incident has instilled in me a crawling anxiety about plant care, as well as an intense internal pressure to never kill a plant again. And yet, despite the emotional intent to be a good plant owner, I am not, in fact, a good plant owner. I try, I really do. I try not to be overbearing, and I try not to be neglectful. But I fear that I overcompensate in both areas.
Currently, I have five houseplants.
One is a small, spindly palm tree that has survived for nearly twelve years, which is when my mother gave it to me as a housewarming present. The African violet that was also part of the original basket succumbed to my black thumb several years ago. The long drapey plant that I think may be a philodendron persists. The palm tree looks increasing full of despair. (Although it recently sprouted a new head/branch/limb? So perhaps it is preparing for a second wind?)
I also have a jade plant that is really circling the drain. I have tried a lot of things, and I am coming to the sad conclusion that perhaps I am just not meant to be a jade plant owner. I can’t even bring myself to take a photo of it for you; I am too embarrassed. Consider the state of the little palm tree and then ask yourself what a plant must look like for me NOT to post it.
My orchid was a thank-you gift I received for being Carla’s room parent in kindergarten, so I have a strong sentimental attachment to it because it represents both a moment in time and time’s unrelenting passage. It has flowered several times since I brought it home, in November of 2021, April of 2022, and most recently in December of 2022, which is reassuring unless flowering is a distress signal. But it got to the point where it appeared to be attempting to crawl out of its pot and far, far away from me.
The anthurium is one in a long line of anthurium I have had and killed since I moved to this house. This is the first one I’ve kept alive long enough for it to re-bloom. Based on pictures, I think I have had this since at least July of 2021.
The fifth plant is really Carla’s. It is a replacement cactus; replacement because we bought her a cactus last summer and promptly killed it. I didn’t even know you could kill a cactus? Well, we managed. But we saw this orchid cactus at the plant store and couldn’t resist buying it. Carla is in charge of its care even though it lives in my office; perhaps she will turn out to have a greener thumb than I do.
One of the problems with my poor plants is that they need repotting. And yet I am so terrified of killing them that I cannot bring myself to do it. So when this adorable plant store opened just down the street, and I discovered that they will repot the plants FOR YOU, for the extremely reasonable price of five dollars, I knew that was my solution.
After a couple of false starts – for instance, Carla was off school on a random Monday, so we loaded the plants into my car and drove the plant store only to discover it wasn’t open on Mondays – we finally made it to the plant store and they REPOTTED MY PLANTS.
Well, they repotted the two I brought in – the orchid and the anthurium. It was such an easy process and such a relief that I am trying to get up enough nerve to bring in the palm tree/possible-philodendron and my ailing jade plant. I am a teeny bit afraid that one they see the jade plant, they will send someone to repossess all my plants.
Here are the plants immediately after the repotting:
I undertook this repotting exercise at the very end of March. And the plants continue to thrive (except for the jade plant, my god the state of that poor jade plant).
My orchid and anthurium are SO pleased. The anthurium is in bloom and has sprouted a bunch of new leaves. The orchid looks fuller and prouder of its situation, and much less like it wants to escape. And the cactus is cactusing along nicely. I am looking forward to the time when it decides to bloom.
Oh, goodness, when I was a kid we had a field trip the Science Museum every year, and every year I would buy a tiny, tiny cactus, and manage to kill it even when only giving it drops of water at a time. The poor things.
As an adult, wanting a plant to keep on my desk in the office, I googled “house plants hard to kill,” took a list to the garden center, and ended up with a very forgiving golden pothos that did indeed survive for years. Good old Seymour. I gave him away when I moved to Florida, and I like to think of him thriving back in Massachusetts.
Making a note of “golden pathos” for the next time I visit the plant store!
Ha ha, well at least you’re trying! That is an amazing solution- have someone who knows what they’re doing repot the plants FOR you! I’m also terrible with plants. Right now all I have is a basil plant, which took a drastic turn for the worse after I- guess what- repotted it. I actually think yours look pretty good. Maybe I should try again.
Herbs are THE WORST for me. I cannot keep them alive!
I love how you gave the plants personalities. 🙂
But, how does the repotting work? Will they do it for $5 plus the cost of a new pot? That you get to choose? Or can you bring them a new pot? What if the pot you bring isn’t the right size for repotting? I am so curious!
Of course I can’t have houseplants because: Cats. But I do have my little outdoor containers, which I love and talk to and treat like my little babies. (And try desperately not to kill with over- or underattending.)
NO! That’s what was amazing! I brought in the pots I wanted to re-pot them to (which turned out to be too big. The anthurium, they moved into the pot vacated by the orchid. And the orchid they put into a plastic basket that is kind of latticed so the roots can breathe. And all it cost was $5 per plant! I didn’t even have to pay for potting soil! Of course, we did end up buying the cactus and I got a sticker for my daughter’s ski helmet, too, and we will be going back. So it’s kind of a genius way to get people in the door.
Um, YES, as a marketer I can say this IS genius!
Yes! This is SO smart. You have to buy potting soil in such huge amounts and it’s crazy when you just have to repot ONE plant. I LOVE this plant store, Suzanne. I want to go there!
We have one Christmas cactus hanging on. I am successfully killed all the rest of our houseplants, including a spider plant I thought would outlive me. My biggest problems it that because Zelda the Cat likes to eat all the plants, the plants must live upstairs where Zelda the Cat does not go. However, there is NO sun anywhere up there and all the plants die of lack of sunlight and I feel terrible. So. Yeah. Houseplants are hard.
It is THE BEST and cutest and most amazing store. I could spend hours there. The owner is an artist and has designed some of the products and she has filled the shop with all sorts of little plant-related *stuff* and it is just a JOY to go there.
I really appreciate knowing that I am not the only plant killer around. I feel like I’m in good company.
I don’t know if you’ll see this, Engie, but… guess what? There’s a place in Madison that will do this! No idea what it costs (yet), but: https://kleinsfloral.com/
This is sooo tempting.
Signed, Yet Another Plant Killer
My sympathies. I have managed to kill an unkillable plant (mother in laws tongue – what a hideous name – no wonder it’s unhappy), on two different occasions in two different countries. It’s hopeless. My husband has a *degree in horticulture* so I just let him deal with the plant situation. It’s much better this way. 😇
Adding that plant to my list of possible future murder victims…
Well, lock me up because I am a jade plant serial killer. I LOVE jade plants, but I have now killed two and in such horrible, slow deaths it actually makes me sad to think about it. I ALMOST succumbed to temptation a week ago and nearly brought a third jade plant home, but stopped myself at the last minute because I knew what was going to happen. I was 100% certain that plant would die a slow and painful death. More generally, I’m terrible with all succulents. I’ve killed Christmas cacti, aloe vera, normal cacti and jade plants.
I recently repotted all our plants and I did NOT move them into big enough pots. But since I added fresh soil and moved things around, I feel like I’ve reached my maximum time allowance for the year on repotting. Also, I have no bigger pots. What to do, what to do.
Move to your local area and visit your plant store, apparently, which sounds amazing.
Maybe some of us are just not meant to be succulent owners, Elisabeth! Very sad indeed. And YES, come here at least to visit. We have many attractions, beyond the plant store.
I am in awe. I gave up on houseplants way back in my single days because I just didn’t have the knack. Especially that you’ve kept the orchid alive and gotten it to flower after so many years. Just wow.
Aww thanks!
But to be clear, *I* had nothing to do with the orchid’s blooming. I think it probably did it as some sort of last hurrah. We’ll see if it ever blooms again!
It’s interesting that they didn’t cut the orchid stem when it was repotted – generally it is a good idea to do so to allow the plant time to be looked after and regroup for reinvigorated flowering.
I have also killed a cactus! So much for low maintenance. I also have a pant right now (a $6 Trader Joe’s number that is Very Old and apparently wants to go off alone and die) that’s trying to crawl away from me. I loved this whole post– especially the jade plant back story and the tone.
😊
I don’t do indoor plants because I’m terrible with them. There’s one I got from my boyfriend early on (before he knew of my black thumb) and that one has miraculously survived for 4 years. I’m fine with outdoor plants because nature does much of the work for me!
Four years is a good long while to keep a plant alive! Perhaps your black thumb has more green in it than you think.
This was such a delight to read: so funny! so morbid! so morbidly funny! And I am thrilled at the thought of a $5 repotting service!! EVERY plant place should offer this!!! I GREATLY DISLIKE repotting (especially after having a couple of situations where a plant perished shortly afterward, leaving me with no choice but to blame myself), and that is the PERFECT price.
Right?! It is a genius service. I feel so much evangelical fervor toward this plant store.
The repotted plants are lovely! May I suggest moving the jade plant closer to the light source? I am definitely not a plant expert, but do have a thriving jade in my south-facing living room window. It loves the window so much I must prune branches periodically, lest it tip over from the weight.
I now have jars of water with cuttings scattered throughout the house. The cuttings start rooting quickly, and seem to do fine just sitting in water. Occasionally I will repot one to give as a gift.
Yes, I can do that! I fear that this jade plant is ONLY cuttings at this point. I have tried to save bits of it for years and get them to root somewhere… it has diminishing returns.
I can feel the love you have for your plants throughout this post. It really is enough that you love these plants. Plants, like us, are living things with feelings.
If something goes wrong with your plant, I’ll be your plant hospital. I do it for each of my friends and then return the plant to them if it gets better. There’s nothing wrong with having a dying plant, but I understand why you’re embarrassed. I used to struggle with my plants as well. My plants would keel over when if I happened to look at them sideways. 🤣
I used to be terrified of repotting, but now I see how much happier my plants are when I do. They do get shocked at first, so it’s a little scary at first, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. I have faith in you.💕
Thank you! I love that you are a plant rehab for your friends’ plants. What a kind service to offer (for both plants and friends).
Look at those happy plants! Just thriving away! I have the tiniest jade plant – a student gave it to me probably in 2018, and it’s a miniature in a lovely globular bowl, I think it’s only about three inches tall. I have a Christmas cactus my friend gave me when she moved last fall. It’s the same age as my younger son and…really small for a plant that age. But it is still alive; I repotted it and it has a bit of new growth on it, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. We shall see. Her name is Noelle, my jade plant is obviously Jade. I have a snake plant called Eva, and a star plant called Stella. They are all easy-to-grow plants for sure. I’m not sure a snake plant is actually killable, and they have really interesting foliage.
Adding “snake plant” to my list… And I LOVE their names, Nicole. So perfect and adorable.
I did not even know that was an option! I have repotted several plants and usually they do okay, but my big killer is usually overwatering. I learned this the hard way early in life and have adjusted accordingly, but I killed many a houseplant when I was younger!
I have one called the Aristaloe Aristata (Lace Aloe) that I have found near impossible to kill. It is a succulent and you can forget to water it for weeks and it will be fine. Also it makes babies that you can pluck off and replant and it is no loss if you mess up because there will be plenty of chances to practice!
Ooooh! Adding this to the list of plants to possibly buy!
We kill some plants and some survive. We have learnt that is life😀. All your plants look beautiful!!!
😊 Thank you!
Suzanne, I loved every single bit of this post. Perfection.
I am also very charmed by your plant store – they are genius marketers, that’s for sure.
I am by no means a plant guru, but I have learned a few things over the years. Always read the labels – for both indoor and outdoor plants – that will usually tell you exactly what your plant needs to thrive. Always re-pot sooner rather than later, otherwise you run the risk of the plant getting root-bound, which is never good. Get into a watering routine. I usually water once a week; but I currently don’t have any cactus plants – those can usually go longer.
My current house isn’t very hospitable to house plants though so I only have a few, as the options for sunlight are either the one small window in the kitchen or the giant window over the bathtub…and I’m not leaving the bathroom blinds open for plants!
And give yourself multiple high fives for getting that orchid to re-bloom more than once. Out of the six orchids currently residing in this house, only ONE has ever had the grace to re-bloom.
Oh, and peace lily. Those are next to impossible to kill (as long as your re-pot them as needed) and will tell you when it needs water (should you forget your routine) as they will kind of wilt and look sad but will perk right back up once you water.
Haha – clearly you don’t value your plants enough if you are putting your privacy first 😉 Adding peace lily to the list!
That is a satisfying development.
I don’t have many houseplants (though I have a lot of herbs in the garden) just a philodendron I’ve had since college that’s in desperate need of repotting. In fact, I asked for a new hanging basket for it for my birthday because it spends the late spring/summer/early fall on the porch.
I’ve killed every plant there is. Now I have a small PLASTIC spider plant in the bathroom as my only houseplant. Yes, the cats have chewed on it once or twice. Sigh. It’s tragic that I cannot even keep a plastic plant properly.
Very satisfying post, with beautiful photography. I really like the new pots-especially the red ones. I own a total of two plans: a pothos and… A money tree?… The whole corner looks so happy now.
I chuckled all the way through this post. So relatable and I love how you classify some of the plants as running away or photobombing and wanting attention. Brilliant.
My mom always had jade plants. AND Africal Violets. In our first house, there was a picture window in the kitchen that created a little ledge and I kept plants there. Well, I have no such spot in this house and I wasn’t great at keeping plants alive, so I surrendered.
There are stories from the kids that when I turned my back they would put bites of food that they didn’t want inside my plants. That might explain a thing or two. A family I sit for gave me an orchid and I tried, I really did, but I think I eventually over watered it.
I’ve tried to grow jade plants and failed, so you keeping one alive as long as you did makes you a star in my book. As for the ones you have now, I say accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. In other words keep growing the ones who cooperate with you and toss the others out. Life is too short to be saddened by that which you voluntarily grow.
Suzanne, I love you even more after reading this post. We all have our strengths and you have many, but maybe not in the Interior Garden Arena? I do think some of it is luck though and not always skill.
“Consider the state of the little palm tree and then ask yourself what a plant must look like for me NOT to post it.
😜
I believe that is a Dracena and I have many of them thriving outside in the bright sun and heat. I love that you’ve kept it hanging on for 12 years–that is a feat!
I have one Jade plant on our lanai and I pretty much ignore it, just giving it water once a week if we don’t have any rain. This is where the luck part happens.
I would say your orchid is healthy with all those roots getting willy nilly!
Well I am even worse at keeping house plants alive. So I have given up on the endeavor completely. I tell myself I can’t have plants since I have young kids but my sister is a full on plant lady and she has a daughter a bit younger than Will… I am great a gardening outside. Up until a couple of years ago, I had a community garden plot at a church by our house. But it was too hard to get over there often enough and my garden was so weedy which was a source of embarrassment for me. I would love to have a garden again but our yard isn’t set up for one since we are on a huge, steep hill!
Your plants are beautiful!!
I would love the chance to become a plant mom, but so many plants are toxic to cats and the ones that aren’t… well… my cats treat my fake plants horrible (so many bite marks on the branches) so I don’t want to give them a chance to murder a real plant. I live vicariously through other people. I’m glad you found a repotting solution at your plant store! What a great service.
I want to be a plant mom and try again and again… but I’ve had bad luck in the past. I think I also tend to over- or underwater. And our living room lacks serious sunlight. I feel like all the plants I have – as close to the only window as I can put them – still “crave more” sunlight. It’s really a sad situation.
I am so glad that the repotting was a step in the right direction for your plants!
I have killed so many ‘unkillable’ plants that I have lost count. You have my sympathies. OTOH, I have now learned that a greenhouse in town will also repot your plants for you, opening up a whole new world of… will it survive if someone with a clue blesses it? We can only hope…