Grape Ivy goes by the formal name Cissus rhombifolia. Technically isn’t an ivy plant, but it does allow you to bring that vineyard look right into your home. It’s also sometimes referred to as the Oak Leaf Ivy because of the shape of its leaves.

It can be potted, trail down from a basket or climb – and no matter how you use it, it always looks good.

This is a low-light vine, which makes it a great indoor plant. However, if you are using it as a climbing plant, know it will climb towards the nearest light source (and it can grow to about five feet indoors). However, you can just prune it if it grows past where you want it.

The most important part of caring for your Grape Ivy is making sure it has enough, but not too much, water. That starts with planting it in a rich soil and drains well and in a container with plenty of drainage holes.

During the growing season, provide your Grape Ivy with steady water to keep the soil consistently moist, but not drenched. You can cut back on watering in the winter and allow the soil to dry in-between doses of water.

Though they need a lot of water, grape ivy plants are especially susceptible to root rot, so it’s important to plant them in the right soil and keep an eye on their reaction to your watering. If you notice the plant dropping leaves, it’s likely a sign that it’s receiving too much water and you should adjust accordingly.

This week’s houseplant star is actually several different plants living together under glass. Highly personal and creative, a terrarium is a work of living art that can add much to your home décor – or be a terrific gift!

Simply put, a terrarium is a container, typically made of glass, that is fully or partially enclosed and filled with small plants. A fully enclosed terrarium will essentially create an ecosystem that’s self-sustaining, but some plants (like succulents) require a container that’s at least partially open to allow for airflow.

For your terrarium, you will need:

• A container to hold your plants. This can be one specifically designed for terrarium use, but you can also use any clear glass container with a wide mouth, from a goldfish bowl to a cookie jar.
• Small plants that don’t grow too fast. African violets, pothos, small ferns, lucky bamboo, club moss and creeping figs are all good choices. And, of course, succulents, but again we’d suggest not fully sealing the container if you do.
• Some gravel or crushed stone
• Sheet moss and potting mix
• (Optional) some decorations.

Putting Together Your Terrarium

Terrariums don’t have drainage holes, so you’ll want to build up your terrarium to create a drainage layer that keeps water away from the plants’ roots. That’s where your gravel or crushed stone comes in, to give water a place to go.  Then you’ll want to use a little moss to create a layer between the stone and your potting soil. After that, add about 2 inches of damp potting soil, then the plants.

Think about what you want the finished product to look like. Arrange your taller and shorter plants so they are visually interesting. Contrast colors and leaf shapes to make them stand out – much like you do for your outside garden beds!

When you take your plants out of their containers, tease out any roots that have become rootbound. You also might want to trim the roots a bit (this retards the growth of the plant, but be careful not to cut too much back). Create holes for each plant and place the plants in the terrarium, gently patting the soil down to keep them secure and eliminate any air pockets.

Once your plants are in, you can add fun decorations to your terrarium to truly make it your own.

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.