Check out all our blog posts on Indoor gardening.
You’ve probably seen lists of plants that release oxygen at night, promising better sleep and fresher bedroom air. It’s a lovely idea. Unfortunately, the plant science doesn’t back it up. In this guide, I’ll explain what really happens inside a plant after dark, which plants have a clever nighttime trick, and how much any of … Read more >>
Philodendrons are some of the easiest houseplants to keep happy. But winter changes the rules. Shorter days, cooler rooms, and dry furnace air all shift how much water your plant actually needs. If you want to water philodendron in winter the right way, the goal is simple: give less, check more, and pay attention to … Read more >>
Healthy, leafy plants growing in bright light make the most oxygen indoors. If you want the best indoor plants for oxygen, I’d pick a large areca palm or a full pothos in a bright window, because more leaf area in good light means more photosynthesis. Even so, no houseplant will measurably raise the oxygen level … Read more >>
Hanging baskets are one of the easiest ways to add color to a porch, but they are also some of the thirstiest plants you will ever grow. If you have ever wondered how often should you water hanging plants, the short answer is more often than anything else in your yard. In summer, that usually … Read more >>
If your Boston fern’s older fronds are fading to a washed-out lime color, the plant is usually reacting to too much light or a shortage of nitrogen. A Boston fern turning light green most often needs a shadier spot with bright indirect light, a light feeding, or both; pale new fronds alone are normal. The … Read more >>
The best plants to grow with ferns in pots are shade lovers that want the same steady moisture: impatiens, begonias, caladiums, coleus, coral bells, miniature hostas, torenia, fuchsia, and golden creeping jenny. For most American porches and patios, I’d pair a fern with begonias or impatiens for flowers and a coral bell or caladium for … Read more >>
Staghorn ferns cost more than most houseplants because they grow slowly, take a year or more to propagate from spores, and need hands-on mounting before they look like the wall display you want to buy. A nursery has to water, feed, and protect each plant for 2 to 3 years after starting it from a … Read more >>
Ferns want three things above all: soft light, steady moisture, and humid air. Give a fern bright indirect light indoors or open shade outdoors. Keep its soil evenly damp but never soggy, and protect tropical types from cold and dry heat. With those basics in place, most ferns grow lush with very little fuss. To … Read more >>
Hardy garden ferns can ride out winters far below zero. Tropical ferns start to suffer in the 40s. Native hardy ferns like wood ferns, Christmas ferns, and ostrich ferns survive temperatures of -20°F to -40°F once they go dormant, while tropical ferns like the Boston fern get damaged below about 40 to 45°F and lose … Read more >>
Most ferns turn brown because they’re losing water faster than they can take it in. Dry indoor air, soil that dries out between waterings, and too much direct sun cause most cases. Overwatering, fertilizer salts, cold snaps, pests and plain old age account for the rest. If your fern is turning brown, check the humidity … Read more >>