Why it’s Important to Quarantine New Houseplants

Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. Today’s video is sponsored by our Amazon affiliate link, which you’ll see in the comment section below.

Today, I’m going to talk to you about decorating with houseplants. One of my favorite things to do is decorate with houseplants because they are so pretty to begin with. When you compare them with various elements in your house, such as furniture, the pots they’re in, art on your walls, wallpaper, and other decorative elements, it really enhances the beauty of both the houseplants and your home. It’s just really fun to watch the plants change and grow over time. Unlike a painting, which doesn’t change unless you start painting on it, plants bring a dynamic element to your decor.

I’m going to show you various ways to decorate with houseplants, including pairing colors and plant ideas. For instance, here we have a nice pot that’s great for African violets. This is one of my favorites, and I actually decorated it with a piece of wallpaper. You can do that! If you have wallpaper on your walls, you could match it or use accent strips from different wallpapers to change things out.

For example, here’s another piece of wallpaper that we could use for a completely different look. When you get different types of African violets, you can swap them out to create new aesthetics. Right now, I have a purple African violet in this pot, which matches beautifully with the grapes on the wallpaper.

As the African violet finishes blooming, you might want to switch it out for another color. If you have a pink or another purple African violet, it would create a lovely color scheme.

Now, let’s talk about pot choices. For instance, this blue pot with my Arrowhead vine is quite pretty. I also added a little handmade item from one of my kids to make it even more eye-catching. Another option is to use decorative items, such as a little knick-knack holder with shells, as long as they’re rinsed well to avoid salt residue.

This can be used as a humidity tray underneath plants, like this teacup where I often place little African violets when they’re blooming. Currently, I have a pink and white polka dot plant combo in there, which adds a nice touch to your table or area.

When considering colors, you can even take paint swatches with you when shopping for plants. If you have a big plant, you can match its color with the paint on your walls, or vice versa. This is a fun way to find which greens look best with a certain color scheme.

You might also notice that during home staging for sales, they often use houseplants near artwork. For instance, you can pair a plant with a particular wallpaper design and see how the colors complement each other. This can create interesting juxtapositions and enhance your decor.

Let’s also consider the size of leaves. For example, plants with feathery leaves can look great next to bolder prints, such as this wallpaper. As you explore your options, you can see how different plants and colors can work together to create a beautiful arrangement.

Another idea is to use decorative marbles at the bottom of containers for added flair. This can also serve as a humidity tray, which I have a video on, showing how to make one.

Now, let’s shift gears to peace lilies, a topic recommended by one of my viewers, Diane. Thank you, Diane, for suggesting this! Here I have two peace lilies, one smaller and one larger. They vary slightly in color, which is common, as some peace lilies have darker leaves while others have lighter ones.

Peace lilies bloom intermittently with white flowers, which are actually modified leaves that turn white. They resemble calla lilies, and the blooms begin as a pale green color before becoming a creamy white. There doesn’t seem to be a predictable blooming period, but they do flower from time to time.

The great news is that peace lilies are among the best air-cleaning plants you can have. They rank in the top ten for removing toxic pollutants from your environment, including benzene, acetone, ammonia, and formaldehyde. These chemicals often come from new furniture or plastic items in your home, so having a peace lily helps purify your air.

Additionally, peace lilies are beautiful and easy to grow. They tolerate low humidity and drought well. If you’ve ever had a peace lily that drooped from lack of water, you might have panicked and watered it. Within an hour, it often revives. However, for optimal health, it’s best to keep them well-watered; they thrive when the first half inch of soil is dry.

It’s interesting how forgiving peace lilies can be, but they’ll bloom more frequently and stay healthier if you avoid drought conditions. When you water, I recommend using lukewarm or warm water and avoiding softened water, as it can lead to leaf tip burn, a condition I cover in another video.

In very dry areas, such as the southwest United States, you might need to add extra humidity for your peace lilies. Grouping plants together helps maintain humidity levels, and I have videos on creating humidity trays that can also help.

For feeding, I recommend using a well-balanced organic fertilizer monthly and top dressing every six months with worm compost. This enriches the soil and provides micronutrients that might not be present in other fertilizers.

When it comes to temperature, peace lilies prefer 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit indoors. While they can survive in temperatures as low as 60, avoid exposing them to temperatures below 50. They’re generally resistant to pests, but you may occasionally encounter mealy bugs, scale, or spider mites.

You can treat mealy bugs with isopropyl alcohol, scale with horticultural oil, and spider mites with neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Keep in mind that lighting is critical. Peace lilies do best in medium to low light. They won’t bloom if exposed to too much bright light and can develop leaf burn. You’ll notice they may lighten in color if they’re receiving too much sunlight.

For ideal conditions, peace lilies thrive in full-spectrum lighting and do well in a northern or eastern exposure window, provided the light isn’t too intense.

That’s it for the peace lily care tutorial! It’s a beautiful plant that adds elegance to your home. Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave any comments about indoor gardening tutorials you’d like to see, and remember to like, comment, subscribe, and share this video.

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