Found in an amazing array of shapes and colors, cacti are those succulents that even the blackest of thumbs have a hard time killing. The cactus family (Cactaceae) is considered one of the most distinctive and specialized groups in the plant kingdom, which includes about 2,000 species!

What do you need to grow cacti? A sunny spot, well-draining soil and not much else. The big trick with cacti is not overwatering them.

All cacti are part of the succulent family of plants, meaning that their stems are designed to hold water in case of a drought. When the plant is dry it uses those reserves. But if you overwater, it can cause the plant to rot.

Many think of caladium as an outdoor annual, but this plant, with its dramatic array of green, red, pink and white leaves can be grown indoors as well.

However, don’t be surprised if your plant only produces leaves from spring to fall. Caladium plants require a rest period of about five months before they sprout again in spring.

Place your caladium in medium light, keeping them out of direct sunlight, which can burn their leaves.

The big challenge with these plants is that they like a lot of humidity, as they are natives of tropical forests. You can achieve this by misting or placing a saucer filled with pebbles and water under the container. As the water evaporates, it will moisten the air and provide the humidity your caladium needs to stay happy.

We understand why you might be a little nervous about adopting a plant named “Audrey,” particularly if you are a fan of Little Shop of Horrors. But we promise our Ficus Benghalensis is not a bloodthirsty alien looking to take over the world.

Although now that we think about it…

In the wilds of India and Pakistan, where they are known as Banyan Trees, the Ficus Audrey can soar to 100 feet tall and grow several acres wide. They have roots that easily overtake other roots, which allows them to form a forest’s worth of canopy with just a single tree. In fact, the Thimmamma Marrimanu or Thimmamma’s Banyon Tree located in Anantapur, India, is thought to have the world’s largest canopy from a single tree, covering almost 5 acres.

So maybe not world domination, but forest domination – sure! 

Your indoor version of Audrey won’t be this expansive, but it still might grow as tall as 10 feet! In appearance, it’s very similar to the Fiddle Leaf Fig, although it’s actually easier to grow.

Here are a few tips on raising your Ficus Audrey:

• This ficus thrives in indirect bright light. No direct sun or low light.
• They don’t like drafts or low temperatures.
• Make sure the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry before you water.

It’s hard not to love the Pothos. Their easy-going nature makes them not only a great plant for your home, but a good gift for your friends or loved ones who might not think they have green thumbs.

These versatile houseplants look great in a pot or hanging in a container (they look particularly fetching in macramé hangers, which have made a comeback.) They grow well in bright light or low light, meaning they will flourish anywhere in your home.

Caring for Your Pothos – One of their very few demands is not being overwatered, so keep the top few inches of soil dry and test the soil prior to watering. You should feed them on a regular schedule from April or May through August. Just follow the instructions on the label of your favorite plant food. (We recommend VF11 organic liquid fertilizer once a month.)

Pothos love a good misting and it’s also important to dust them when needed so they photosynthesize efficiently. This also gives you a chance to inspect your plant for any pesky pests or bugs.

In summer, the slow-growing Devil’s Backbone will sometimes develop “flowers” (really leaf bracts) that are pink or red, which gives this lovely houseplant some of its more colorful nickname’s – red bird flower and Persian lady’s slipper among them.

But most of the time, this houseplant sports variegated white and green leaves up its “spine.” Easy to grow and propagate, this plant has basic requirements and an aversion to cold.

Caring for Your Devil’s Backbone

Soil/Watering: This plant likes a nice even moisture, so in addition to a good potting mix, you might want to add a little peat most that will help spread out the water but keep the soil from being too wet. Make sure your Devil’s Backbone is in a pot with drainage holes so the soil drains well.

Light/Temperature: Room temperature and a spot out of the way of drafts is perfect. As with many tropical houseplants, Devil’s Backbone does not like the cold, but loves bright, indirect sunlight.

Food: Fertilize in the spring about every three weeks. This will help it produce those nice colorful bracts in the summer. Devil’s Backbone goes dormant in the fall and winter, so discontinue feeding at that time.

Looking for an easy indoor plant that doesn’t take up too much room and comes in a wide range of colors and varieties? Then you might want to pick a peck of peperomia.

There’s well over a thousand varieties of these plants, but one of our favorites is the P. argyreia, whose silver stripes against dark green leaves make it look like a watermelon skin!

Peperomia tolerate low light relatively well, but they will be happiest in medium to bright indirect light. But don’t allow direct sunshine to hit those beautiful leaves; if given too much light, the colors and patterns that make this plant so special will fade.

Water your Peperomia sparingly. Wait until the top 50% – 75% of the soil is dry, then water until liquid flows through the drainage holes at the bottom. Discard any water that has accumulated in the saucer. Many types of Peperomia can hold water in their leaves, so it’s not a death sentence if you go on vacation or forget to water them once in a while.

Photo by Mokkie CC BY 3.0

We’ve been doing the research but we don’t know quite how Zamioculcas zamiifolia (say that three times fast) got one of its nicknames.

Not “ZZ” (that one’s kind of obvious) or “Fat Boy,” which come from the tubby little rhizomes under the soil, but its very popular name, the “Eternity Plant.”

We’re guessing, however, that it’s because you can’t kill it. Or at least you’d have to try really, really hard.

This is one of the most forgiving plants you’ll find in our nursery. Miss a watering (or three) and it still shows off it’s glossy, feathery wings. It’s not particular about soil; anything that drains well will do. It’s not even fussy about light, which makes it very popular in places where there’s little natural light, like an office cubicle, or cities where most days are overcast. It also has no identified pest or disease problems.

No wonder this beauty is the star of so many Instagram posts!

Are there any downsides? Well, yes. Much like our recent houseplant of the week, Dieffenbachia (or Dumb Cane), your Eternity plant can be an irritant to sensitive skin. You don’t need to wear gloves around it, but you probably should wash your hands thoroughly after touching it, and you definitely shouldn’t consume it, so keep it away from pets and small children.

Caring for Your Eternity Plant

• Light: As mentioned, “ZZ” is pretty tolerant of any lighting situation, but it does its best with bright but filtered light.
• Water: The bulbous rhizomes under the surface contain water, which is why your Eternity plant will forgive you for missing a watering, but also be careful not to overwater, because that will cause the rhizomes to rot. You’ll know if you have overwatered because the leaves will start to turn yellow.
• Fertilizer: Feed once a month during the spring and summer growing season.

Imagine crossbreeding a monstera with a succulent. What you would most likely get is a Monstera Peru.

This plant looks quite different from your typical Monstera. It’s thick, glossy, leathery leaves do not have holes or splits like a Monstera delicosia. Instead they are solid and dramatically veined. They also are why this Monstera is pretty drought resistant, despite being a tropical plant.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t water yours regularly, but we recommend waiting until the two top inches of soil are dry to avoid overwatering.

Monstera Peru originates from the Amazon region (thus the name, although in addition to Peru, many of these plants can be found in other parts of the Amazon basin, like Venezuela.) They like bright, but indirect light and direct sunlight can burn those beautiful leaves.

Another benefit of this plan is that while it can grow to six or eight feet, it does so slowly, so it won’t outgrow your space for quite some time.

As an epiphyte, the monstera Peru naturally likes to climb, so a little trellis can be a good idea, but you can also have the leaves trailing down.

Sometimes you look at two plants and you are amazed that they come from the same family. Take the Aralia, which can range from indoor plants that are about 20 inches high to trees that soar more than 60 feet in the air.

Even among the species most commonly indoors, there are several distinctive features. The Fabian Aralia has large, scalloped, dark green leaves. As it grows it eventually develops a very woody trunk. Then there’s the Ming Aralia that has a totally different look with feathery fronds. Other variations have leaves that are serrated or variegated. 

Despite the different looks of all these plants, they tend to have similar needs in terms of water, light and general care.

Aralias do best in bright indirect light, but will also tolerate low to medium light. They will grow faster – and much lusher – in brighter conditions. 

Make sure your Aralia is planted in high quality potting soil with enough drainage. 

Water when the top half of the soil is dry and keep watering until liquid flows through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. Discard any water that accumulates in the saucer.

Finally, your Aralias enjoy their fertilizer but are modest eaters. You only need to feed them about twice a year during the spring and summer months.

We continue our tour of exotic looking ferns (we recently wrote about Staghorn Ferns) with the Blue Star Fern, a plant once again featuring unique looking fronds, but an easy-going manner.

In fact, Blue Stars will do well in topiaries without much growing material and in pots, as long as there’s good drainage.

It’s wavy fronds grow from rhizomes and can range in color from silver to blue-grey to green. Unlike most ferns, Blue Stars are more tolerant of drier climates and can take a little more sun than the typical fern plant. Park them where they can enjoy bright, but indirect light and they should be happy.

If your fern is going to be in a pot, make sure the planting material drains well. We’ve gotten mixed reports about using something like orchid mix, but a houseplant specific soil with a little perlite to increase drainage seems to work well. Also, avoid terra cotta pots as they tend to dry out too fast.

Water your plant generously once you notice the pot drying out, letting water runs out of drainage holes at the bottom. You might want to do this in your sink, because you want it to fully drain before putting it back on a saucer. In fact, don’t let your plant sit in a saucer full of water, as it could lead to root rot.

Blue stars don’t require much food – the nutrients in your soil will hold it for a few months, then only feed a small amount during the growing season and none at all in the winter months.