What Ana Does

In the first of my series of "You're Doing It Wrong (YDIW) we're starting with houseplants . Lately, I've been collecting a lot of houseplants. This house loves the plants. Our windows are large and bright, and I'm home to look after them. So, I'm covering every available surface with plants. And I have a few friends who also like plants, but mostly, I hear "I can't do houseplants" and "I love houseplants but I always kill all of them!" Of course you do. Everyone does. And that's why people are doing houseplants wrong. You don't buy them to keep them to just "keep alive." You buy them to enjoy until they eventually die. Because yes, they will probably eventually die. Killing houseplants isn't really the failure everyone thinks it is. We buy bouquets of flowers and they all eventually die, so why don't we accept the same will happen to most of the house plants we buy? Even houseplant experts know a certain numbe...

I have always loved plants and grew up around a ton of houseplants.  But, sadly, I've got no green thumbs. And along the way, I've lost my plant-caring confidence. I kept killing so many plants! Through neglect, extended vacations, over-watering, etc. I just couldn't keep much alive and thriving.  Lately, though, I think that might be turning around. Since returning from Paris and adding plants I've read are hardy, I've killed a lot less houseplants than I ever.  And in just the last few months, I added three BIG guys into the mix of Pathos and Spider plants which I can definitely keep alive!  This is a ZZ plant. It's new and still settling in.  Agleonemas with a pretty variegated leaf. I am feeling especially optimistic about this one, as you can tell from the giant pot I have it in. I'm hoping it gets really big and bushy.  This one is called Monstera and it tops most lists as the easiest to keep alive. Well, we'll see about that. But it's very tal...

I snapped this picture just before I removed all the breakables to prepare for the carpet installation. I thought it looked kinda pretty, so thought I'd share.  Dining Room Wall

I like to think I have a green thumb, but I really don't. It's one of those lies I tell myself. Like how I can stop eating chocolate at anytime. Sha! While we were alway in Paris, most of my houseplants died. They were already on their last legs before we left, so all it just took was 10 days of no water for them to officially kick the bucket. A few of them were succulents, so that's a real proof of my plant-killing skills. I should mention the ferns near the TV are hanging on, so I'm not a total plant-killing loser. Maybe 60% success rate? Last weekend I picked up three new "hardy" houseplants to replace all the dead ones. A neighbor suggested I replant them in larger pots and keep them in one spot - don't move them around. (This is certainly something I'm in the habit of doing.) Let's hope they last a bit longer! New Plants - And Pretty Gladys!