A houseplant blog by Mary Jane Howie
Too many plants? Never heard of her.
This is where I write about the houseplants I keep at home, one plant at a time.
Psst. Tap a plant for its care guide.
Fresh from the potting bench
New on the blog
Plant care
How to increase humidity for houseplants in winter
Dry winter air crisps leaf tips on calathea, ferns, and alocasia. See which humidity fixes work, which ones do not, and how to measure the room with a hygrometer.
Plant ID
Christmas cactus vs Thanksgiving cactus: how to tell them apart
Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus look almost the same. Learn the leaf edge test, bloom times, flower clues, and why most "Christmas cactus" in stores are Thanksgiving cactus.
Plant problems
Why are my houseplant leaves turning yellow?
Yellow houseplant leaves point to a few common causes. Check which leaves change, test the soil, and match the pattern to overwatering, low light, age, hunger, sun, or pests.
The plant stats
Care guides for the plants on my shelf
African milk tree
African violet
Air plant
Alocasia
Aloe vera
Amaryllis
Anthurium
Areca palm
Arrowhead plant
Asparagus fern
Begonia
Bird of paradise
Bird's nest fern
Blue star fern
Boston fern
Bromeliad
Bunny ear cactus
Burro's tail
Caladium
Calathea
Carrion flower
Cast iron plant
Chinese evergreen
Chinese money plant
Christmas cactus
Coffee plant
Croton
Crown of thorns
Desert rose
Dischidia
Dracaena
Dumb cane
Echeveria
Elephant bush
English ivy
Ficus Audrey
Fiddle leaf fig
Fishbone cactus
Flame violet
Florist's cyclamen
Gardenia
Ginseng ficus
Goldfish plant
Hoya
Jade plant
Jewel orchid
Kalanchoe
Kentia palm
Lady palm
Lipstick plant
Living stones
Lucky bamboo
Madagascar jasmine
Maidenhair fern
Majesty palm
Mistletoe cactus
Money tree
Monstera
Moon cactus
Moth orchid
Nerve plant
Never never plant
Norfolk Island pine
Olive tree
Parlor palm
Peace lily
Peperomia
Persian shield
Philodendron
Pink jasmine
Poinsettia
Polka dot plant
Ponytail palm
Pothos
Prayer plant
Purple passion
Purple shamrock
Pygmy date palm
Rabbit's foot fern
Rubber plant
Sago palm
Sensitive plant
Snake plant
Spider plant
Spikemoss
Spineless yucca
Staghorn fern
String of hearts
String of pearls
Stromanthe 'Triostar'
Swedish ivy
Ti plant
Tradescantia
Triangle ficus
Tropical hibiscus
Tropical pitcher plant
Umbrella plant
Venus flytrap
Weeping fig
Zebra haworthia
Zebra plant
ZZ plant
From my house
A few of the plants I live with
Questions are welcome
If there is a houseplant you want me to write about first, tell me. I would love to know what is on your windowsill.