by Ken Bryan

Created on: December 28, 2010   Last Updated: December 31, 2010

Houseplant Rescue 101  

If you’re like most people you probably have a plant in your house or apartment.  Maybe your one of the many who uses plants as decorations in the same way you have furniture and pictures on the wall. Or maybe you think of your plants as living and breathing friends that require your love and attention to grow and prosper.

What ever the reason for you to have your plants, you have made an investment in them and your goal should be to maximize your investment by helping your plants live a long life and grow to a large size and ripe old age.

As you may be able to guess most house plants originated in the outdoors and it’s only our desire to bring the outdoors inside that created the indoor houseplant “industry.” Most house plants developed in rainforests, deserts, mountainous regions and wide open plains.  Or course, each of those regions have their own conditions.

When we bring these outdoor plants indoors we are relocating that plant from its native growing conditions to our own man made environment which can vary significantly from home to home.  It’s no wonder plants struggle so much to stay alive, even in the most optimum locations.

Unfortunate as it is, most people have had more than one favorite plant dwindle away to nothing and eventually end up in the trash heap. And, because most plants are relatively inexpensive, we don’t feel much anguish as one plant goes away and we bring a new one into our personal world.

Choosing the right plant can be a confusing experience. People’s preference for plant styles includes roughly 55% flowering plants and 45% foliage plants.  Best selling houseplants include Azaleas, Begonias, bulb-plants, Cacti, Chlorophytum, Chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, Dieffenchia, Dracaena, Ferns, Ficus, Geranium, Herera, Impantiens, Kalanchoe, Monsera, Palms, Poinsettia, Saintpaulia, Scindapsus.

More recently consumers are branching out from the more traditional plants that have been popular for many years.  It is becoming very trendy to buy exotic plants and become something of a horticulture expert so when your friends visit you can present your plant, in the same way you might show off a unique painting or exotic piece of furniture.

Finding a plant that can thrive in your personal living space can also be a challenge. Everyone who buys plants knows of those little tabs usually placed into the dirt with basic information on where and what it takes to keep

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