Tovah Martin - The indestructible houseplant : 200 beautiful plants that everyone can grow

Peperomias and a variegated rubber plant (Ficus elastica) lounge in David Whitman and Peter Stiglins enclosed porch.

TOVAH MARTIN

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE HOUSEPLANT

200 BEAUTIFUL PLANTS THAT EVERYONE CAN GROW

TIMBER PRESS

PORTLAND, OREGON

Copyright 2015 by Tovah Martin. All rights reserved.

Published in 2015 by Timber Press, Inc.

Photographs copyright 2015 by Kindra Clineff

The Haseltine Building

133 S.W. Second Avenue,

Suite 450

Portland, Oregon 97204-3527

timberpress.com

Cover design by Laken Wright

Original text design by Jeffrey Kurtz

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Martin, Tovah, author.

The indestructible houseplant : 200 beautiful plants that everyone can grow/Tovah Martin ; photography by Kindra Clineff. First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60469-501-4

1. House plants. I. Clineff, Kindra, photographer. II. Title.

SB419.M314 2015

635.965dc23

2014042918

A catalog record for this book is also available from the British Library.

Many of the plants in this book have toxic ingredients and may cause serious poisoning to people or pets and/or can cause dermatological reactions or eye irritation. Not all toxic plants are noted in the text. For more information on houseplant toxicity in humans, seek the expertise of qualified medical professionals. For cases of suspected poisoning, call 800-222-1222, the national hotline of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. For pets, visit aspca.org for more information on toxic plants. The author and publisher disclaim any liability whatsoever with respect to losses or damages arising out of the information contained in this book.

To my nephew and niecesBen Hutt, Hannah Hutt, and Emma Simmonswho will test the next generation of indestructibles

To Einstein, my research assistant

GROWING HOUSEPLANTS IN AN IMPERFECT, TIME-CHALLENGED WORLD

Previous spread: Aloes and air plants are cool with colanders.

A nd here I thought I was all alone. I had no idea you were into houseplants too. All these years Ive been quietly hoarding my houseful of plants without the faintest idea that, if given half a chance, you would be right alongside me growing up a storm in your windowsills. Like me, you crave green. With the same fervor, you would crowd every surface in your life with plants. You lust after wending vines tickling your legs as you bustle around the house. You share my passion for lush and verdant. You have always wanted an intimate relationship with something that photosynthesizes.

This book is for all the windowsill-gardener wannabes. When I realized how many of you are out there, and when I fielded the umpteenth request to recommend plants that would survive tough love, I knew what my next assignment was. For all the folks who hankered for houseplants but didnt know where to start, and for all the people who picked up the wrong houseplant and thought its hasty demise was their fault, this book is for you. We are going to make houseplants happen, and your life is going to be transformed.

We all need nature. Many of us take every possible opportunity to slip outside. I have one foot out the door with the least provocation. But for half the year, going outside is difficult because I dwell in New England, where it can be truly dreadful on the far side of the front door. Beyond the awful interlude, for a couple of months leading in and out of whats officially marked on the calendar as the dormant season, it is mildly painful outside. So I focus inward. With a little peperomia stationed nearby and maybe an aspidistra or two within reach, I get my daily dose of nature.

Just like the scenes I see outdoors, my plants are exquisite. They work with my interiorscape, they feed into the ambiance, and they bring each room to another level. I dont have to devote a lot of time to the endeavor. My schedule looks a lot like yours and my to-do list needs to go on a diet, so I want a whole lot of green with minimal time investment.

Theres never enough time. No matter what you do for a living or how many dependents are living in your home, both human and otherwise, the twenty-four-hour day doesnt begin to cover what you need to accomplish. You stretch the spare moments as far as they can go. But nobody can indulge in a high-maintenance hobby, even if it is going to make your life into nirvana, lower your blood pressure, transform your home office into a park, and give you something to blog about. As much as you share my passion for plantsand even though you agree that even one little

houseplant is going to make the difference between a lifeless interior and a perky, uplifting, feel-good kind of place for the entire family (pets included)nobody can afford to invest a gluttons share of the day in fussing over plants. The biggest stumbling block toward becoming a certifiable houseplant geek is lack of time. No matter how much I wedge houseplant upkeep into a few precious minutes each week, chore reduction is key. I need low maintenance, and so do you.

But most of us share another commonality. We are saddled with less-than-ideal growing conditions. I truly wish my home received more light. Most of my sills do not face south. I have only three windows that bask in bright light. These are jammed full of plantsits standing room only, with a waiting list. Plus, my small lean-to greenhouse faces east, with obstructions on both sides (please note: I didnt build it). I have to curb my appetite for sun-loving plants. Most of the plants-in-residence are limited to individuals who do not gorge on sunrays. Indeed, most of my plants do perfectly well with extremely limited light. Even the succulents are just fine without a lot of wattage. Nothing is worse than watching a plant get spindly, stretch, and beg for more sunbeams, so I host plants that perform well on a strict low-lumen diet.

My house has all the typical impediments: no time, low light, an environment that vacillates between chilly and stuffy, and a Maine coon cat who loves to watch a plant plummet to the floor (more about Einstein later). And I hate to see a plant struggle, so I go with the toughies. There are no fussbudgets here. By the same token, plants that are prone to insect infestations need not apply. Plants that must loll in toasty temperatures would be doomed. I bet you have the same set of restrictions barring troublemakers from your happy home.

Einstein snuggled into a potted variegated tricyrtis (a perennial from outdoors that tolerates all sorts of abuse insideincluding Einstein compression).