Tillandsia are plants that – believe it or not – live on air. Appropriately enough, they are nicknamed “air plants.” They are a great example of evolutionary adaption – they can grow on telephone poles and rocks and other places without soil. Their photosynthesis process allows them to get most of their nutrients from the air around them.

This relatively low-maintenance plant needs a good soaking when you first get it. Once it’s dry, you can place it in its new home, preferably with some bright, indirect light (or even artificial light). Do not plant it in soil and make sure there’s plenty of air circulation.

Depending on the size and type of air plant you get, maintenance involves periodic misting or soaking – more in the summer when they are likely to dry out and less often in the winter.

A couple of tips – when you soak your air plant, make sure it’s completely dry before putting it back into its home so it doesn’t develop mold. If the tips of the leaves get dried out, that’s a sign that your air plant might be thirsty or that it is getting too much direct light. You can carefully cut off these tips with sharp scissors.

A close relation to the Christmas Cactus, the Spring Cactus (also known as the Easter Cactus) is a succulent that can bloom well into May.

But don’t think of it as a seasonal plant that’s only for spring. After it finishes blooming, this cactus makes a lovely houseplant and, with a little work, you can coax it to bloom again in the future.

Caring for your Spring Cactus
These plants prefer bright, indirect light. Use a cactus mix soil to make sure they get the drainage they need. We can’t stress enough how important this is, because these plants can get root rot, so make sure you do not let it sit in water.

Spring cactus, unlike regular cacti, like cool temperatures. Fertilize monthly after the bloom period with food with a low nitrogen count. 

Following this care plan, you’ll have a nice, healthy green cactus for the bulk of the year. But if you want to have blooms the following spring, you need to be a little mean to your plant.

First, you need to stop feeding it. Then you need to put it in the dark for about 12 to 14 hours a day. Then you need to keep them cold (the best budding will happen when temperatures are about 50 degrees).

At the end of the year, you can move the plant to somewhere warmer, say about 65 degrees, and your plant will start flowering again in February.

Interested in a cactus that throws you a curve? Check out cereus forbesii ‘spiralis’ – better known as the Spiral Cactus.

This plant’s almost sculptural look makes it as much a piece of decorative decor as a part of your indoor garden. And it’s very forgiving for those of us who might underwater.

Great for a sunny, south- to west-facing window.

Caring for your Spiral Cactus

• Light – Spiral Cacti love bright, direct light.
• Water – Let your plant dry out completely between waterings.
• Soil – Cactus and succulent mixes make a great home for this plant.
• Temperature and humidity – Spiral Cacti love it warm and dry.

It’s time to try out a new twist on an old favorite (see what we did there?) Available now at Warner’s Nursery.

You already know and love the Snake Plant — that bold, nearly indestructible houseplant that somehow thrives even when you forget it exists. But did you know it has a cylindrical cousin that deserves a spot in your collection?

Meet Sansevieria Cylindrica, also called the Spear Plant or Spear Sansevieria. Where the classic Snake Plant shows off long, flat leaves edged in silvery green, the Cylindrica takes a different approach: smooth, tubular “spears” in deep dark green with a subtle grey-green variegation. The effect is architectural and striking — like something between a succulent and a sculpture.

Those spears can be left to fan out naturally from the center of the pot, or — here’s the fun part — they can actually be braided together, creating a look that’s genuinely unlike anything else on a windowsill.
Caring for Your Sansevieria Cylindrica

If you’ve kept a Snake Plant alive, you’re already most of the way there. The care is nearly identical, with just a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Water sparingly — maybe even more so than usual. Because the cylindrical leaves retain moisture, overwatering and root rot are the biggest risks. Let the soil dry out fully between waterings, and err on the side of less.
• Keep leaves dry. Avoid getting water on the spears when you water.
• It likes medium light but is flexible. It’ll tolerate both higher and lower light conditions — just keep it out of direct sunlight, which can scorch those smooth spears.

Whether braided or fanned out, the Cylindrica is a conversation piece that requires almost no effort to maintain. If you’re a Snake Plant fan looking for a next-level addition, this one’s worth seeking out.

The “Frosty Fern” (Selaginella kraussiana) is another example of a name that isn’t quite scientifically accurate – even if it describes the look of your plant perfectly. A little more on-the-nose is the plant’s other popular nicknames, the Club Moss or Spiky Moss.

But it’s the plant’s fern-like look that is key to its charm, particularly those white or golden tips that make Selaginella kraussiana look like it was kissed by a light touch of frost.

Frosty is both easy to grow and versatile, happily living in variety of containers, including terrariums.

Caring for Your Frosty Fern or Club Moss

• Light – This plant likes indirect light and in fact will thrive in a lower light situation.
• Soil – If planting in a pot, start with good commercial potting soil, which is lighter than top soil and often contains a mild “starter” fertilizer.
• Water – Frosty likes moist, well-drained soil. Check the soil moisture with your fingertips. If the top two inches are dry, or the plant is wilted, it needs water.
• Fertilizer – Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly. But don’t feed it too much; a high dose of nitrogen will dull those white tips.
• Temperature – This is a native of sub-Saharan Africa and loves humidity. If you want to make this plant happy, place it in the kitchen or bathroom. Avoid placing in drafty, hot, or high sun locations.

With St. Patrick’s Day arriving soon, we thought we’d turn our attention to what’s often called the Shamrock houseplant – but in truth is the wood sorrel known as Oxalis.

Boasting hundreds of varieties, you’ll usually see oxalis with green or purple clover-like leaves.

They are also a relatively easy houseplant to cultivate. There is one very important thing to keep in mind however: these plants tend to go into dormancy during the summer. Don’t throw them out! They’re resting, not dead.

Caring for Your Oxalis

Soil/Watering: Your Oxalis would like lightly moist soil and make sure to let it dry out between waterings.

Light/Temperature: Room temperature and good air circulation are perfect for the oxalis. It likes bright, but not direct light. (Except when it’s resting, as we’ll explain below.)

Food: Fertilize with a balanced houseplant food every few months.

I’m not dead, I’m resting: In late spring or early summer, the leaves will begin to die, but the plant is still okay. It’s just going into its period of dormancy to rest. Move the plant to a cooler, darker location, away from direct light and leave it alone – no water or fertilizer.  Just check on your plant every couple of weeks; dormancy can last from several weeks up to about three months, depending on the plant and external conditions.

When you see new shoots, your oxalis has woken up and would love it if you moved it back into the light and resumed regular care.

Tiny and super colorful, the fascinating grafted or “moon” cactus is an eye-catcher that is a miracle of human intervention.

You know them when you see them. They have a solid green succulent stalk that looks like a traditional cactus, but are topped with bright, almost neon-like domes in shades of hot pink, flaming tangerine and sunshine yellow.

It almost feels like you’re looking at two totally different plants – and you are.

The bright little ball on top is a “mutant” pup from a regular cactus. In the wild, it would detach from the parent plant and ultimately die soon after because these pups don’t have the chlorophyll (essentially the green pigment) needed to photosynthesize.

So humans graft them onto a rootstock plant and that bottom part provides nutrients not only for itself but the colorful pup. It’s really quite amazing and accounts for one of the spookier nicknames this plant has – the Frankenstein plant!

Caring for Your “Grafted Cactus”

• Light – These plants do best in bright, indirect sunlight. Prolonged periods of direct sunlight can be harmful to the plant. A sunny windowsill or a covered porch with some shade are good locations. They’ll survive a winter freeze but to be safe, bring them indoors.
• Water – The water requirements for grafted cactus are minimal. In fact, they don’t like to be overwatered, which can lead to rot. You can generally tell if your plants need watering by feeling the soil. If the dirt is dry and dusty, your cactus would probably benefit by a mild watering. Suspend water during the winter.
• Temperature – As you would expect with a plant that comes from the desert, a grafted cactus appreciates warm temps. No setting this one up near the air conditioning!

In short this is a fascinating plant, the product of human ingenuity that makes a great “beginner” plant because of its fun colors and minimal maintenance requirements. 

We typically think of Jasmine as an outdoor shrub or vine, making our gardens smell wonderful with its blooms of star-shaped flowers. But you can also grow this plant indoors, and while it’s not difficult, it does require a little more maintenance than many houseplants.

Many indoor Jasmine plants bloom in winter, releasing a sweet fragrance in your home. The most demanding part of this houseplant is creating the conditions that allow it to bloom during winter. This is accomplished by making sure your plant is located in a cool room that gets lots of bright (but indirect) light during the day and is completely dark at night.

These conditions will also allow your plant to blossom more slowly, meaning you’ll get to enjoy its beautiful blooms and fabulous fragrance for a longer period of time.

These plants grow quickly and can either be used as hanging plants or upright with a little trellis support. Because they are vigorous growers, you’ll also need to prune your plant periodically – but wait until after it blooms so you don’t accidentally remove flower buds.

Caring for Your Jasmine

• Light: Avoid direct sunlight, but make sure you plant gets lots of bright light during the day. During rest periods (dormancy) make sure the room is dark at night and cool.
• Water: Jasmines don’t like dry conditions or soggy soil, and typically watering once a week will work well. Water less during periods of dormancy.
• Soil: Make sure your soil is well draining.
• Humidity. Jasmines dislike dry conditions, so don’t place near heating vents or ducts and consider using a humidifier to keep them moist.

Don’t let the name fool you – this isn’t your typical orchid.

Jewel orchids are known for their beautiful foliage with its bold stripes. They lack the dramatic flowers of most orchid plants (don’t get us wrong, this plant will produce perfectly pretty, fragrant flowers – but they don’t look like your traditional orchid).

Also jewel orchids are terrestrial (meaning they need soil to grow). Most orchids are native to the tropics, where they are epiphytes (i.e., air plants) that attach themselves to the barks of trees, absorbing nutrients from the air and water around them.

Because jewel orchids need soil also means they are one of the few orchid species that thrives in a terrarium.

Caring for your jewel orchid

• Planting Material: Look for well-draining soil mix, such as an orchid mix or terrarium mix. You are looking for a light mix as opposed to regular potting soil. If you do use regular potting soil, make sure to mix it with another lighter material such as perlite or peat moss.
• Light: Bright, indirect light is perfect for jewel orchids.
• Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water when the top 1–2 inches of soil feel dry. Reduce watering during winter.
• Fertilizer: All orchids, whether epiphyte or terrestrial, do love to be fed regularly, but they like “light meals.” So take your typical houseplant fertilizer, weaken it by diluting it to about 1/2 strength and feed that to your plant every 2 to 4 weeks during the growing season.

Creeping fig (ficus pumila) is a vining plant that is popular as an indoor plant, valued for its ability to climb and trail. This versatile plant thrives in a range of lighting conditions and adapts easily to different environments.

With its small, heart-shaped leaves and tropical heritage, creeping fig brings a touch of the outdoors into your home year-round. Whether you’re placing it in a hanging basket or training it along a trellis, the key to success is keeping it in the right environment.

How to Keep Your Creeping Ficus Happy

Light – Indoors, creeping fig prefers bright, indirect light- enough to illuminate its leaves without scorching them. Aim for six to eight hours of diffused light daily. While it can handle low light for short periods, growth will slow, and its leaves may drop.

Water – Creeping fig likes to stay evenly moist, especially during the growing season. Water about once a week, allowing the top layer of soil to dry slightly between waterings.

Soil – This plant isn’t picky about soil type, as long as it drains well. A standard potting mix works perfectly. Good drainage is key to preventing root rot.

Temperature & Humidity – This plant likes it warm and humid. Keep indoor temperatures between 65–85°F and avoid cold drafts or vents. This plant thrives in above-average humidity, so kitchens and bathrooms make ideal homes. If your air is dry, use a humidifier to keep the plant looking lush.