Bring the garden inside.
Fair weather friends
Colourful house plants
Fairweather Friends are like those lovely guests
who brighten your home for a while
Why
Why Bring the Garden Indoors?
Modern life means we spend over 90% of our time indoors, where the air can be more polluted than outside. Furnishings, paints, plastics, cleaning products, perfumes, and air fresheners all release chemicals into the air.
House plants do more than just look good. Beyond their vibrant flowers and lush leaves, they can improve the air quality in your home.
Add modern double glazing, fewer draughts, and central heating (which discourages opening windows), and indoor air quality can slowly decline. House plants help by:
- Absorbing airborne pollutants
- Producing oxygen
- Increasing humidity
Now more than ever, bringing the garden indoors can improve both our homes and our wellbeing.
Are House Plants Special?
Are House Plants Special?
The simple truth is: any plant can be a house plant—as long as it’s happy in your home.
Most houses share similar conditions:
- Warm temperatures (around 19–20°C)
- Lower light levels
- Dry air
Successful house plants are those that enjoy these conditions.
Plant hunters have searched the world for species that thrive indoors. Understanding where your plant comes from is the key to keeping it healthy.
Your house plant may originate from:
- Tropical forests – warm and humid
- Mountain regions – cool nights and temperature swings
- Deserts – warm, bright, and dry
Knowing a plant’s natural home helps you recreate the conditions it needs to thrive.owing what they prefer is crucial for growing them successfully. With the right information, you can make any plant thrive in your home.
Information
Finding Reliable Information
To give your plants the best chance:
It’s worth saying that not all online advice is accurate. Some information is misleading—or simply wrong.
- Compare advice from two or three reliable sources
- Look to gardening societies for specialist knowledge
- For example, a begonia society is an excellent resource for begonia care
Growers’ advice is also helpful, but remember they often grow plants in perfect conditions. You may need to adapt their guidance to suit your home.
Be careful with web advice
Using Mayonnaise for Shiny Leaves: This common but poor advice suggests wiping leaves with mayonnaise for a glossy look. The oil and fat in mayonnaise can clog the plant’s leaf pores (stomata), which are essential for the plant to “breathe” (exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen) and transpire water.
Using Banana Peels as Fertilizer: While banana peels contain potassium, the nutrients are not in a form that plants can immediately use. They must be broken down by microorganisms through proper composting, which takes time. Burying peels in the pot or using “banana water” attracts fungus gnats, mold, and other pests due to the sugars and slow decomposition.
Good information makes all the difference.
House plants can generally be divided into two groups: Fairweather Friends and Old Faithfuls.
Fairweather friends
These are the plants that make a big first impression.
- Often flowering plants
- Look spectacular when in bloom
- Can flower for many weeks or even months
However, once the flowers fade, they can be hard to bring back into bloom. Many end up on windowsills as a twig with a few leaves—a monument to our optimism as we wait for flowers to return.
With the right knowledge and care, some can be persuaded to flower again—but it’s not always easy.
Despite this, flowering house plants are still worth buying:
- They instantly brighten your home
- They offer better value than a bunch of cut flowers
- They last far longer
Just accept that once flowering finishes, it may be time to replace them with something fresh.
Old faithful
If Fairweather Friends are the show-offs, Old Faithfuls are the plants you can rely on.
These are mainly foliage plants grown for their leaves rather than flowers. They don’t put on a dramatic display, but they quietly get on with the job, looking good all year round.
Old Faithfuls are:
- Long-lived
- Forgiving of missed watering
- Happy in typical home conditions
- Much easier for beginners
They cope well with:
- Lower light levels
- Dry air from central heating
- Warm, steady temperatures
Because they’re not trying to flower, they use their energy to produce strong leaves and roots, making them far more tolerant of everyday neglect.
Why Old Faithfuls Are Perfect for Beginners
- They don’t need specialist care
- They recover well from mistakes
- They improve air quality year-round
- They grow steadily rather than dramatically
These are the plants that build confidence and make you feel successful as a house plant grower.
Examples of Old Faithful House Plants
Some classic, reliable choices include:
- Snake plant (Sansevieria / Dracaena)
- Spider plant
- Peace lily
- Rubber plant
- Philodendron
- Monstera
- Aspidistra (cast iron plant)
These plants have earned their reputation by surviving generations of homes, trends, and gardeners.
Sproot Beginner Tip 🌱
If you’re new to house plants, start with Old Faithfuls and add Fairweather Friends for seasonal colour. This gives you a mix of reliability and excitement—and far fewer disappointments.
Start simple. Choose plants that suit your home’s light and warmth, enjoy them for what they are, and don’t be afraid to replace plants that have had their moment. House plants should bring pleasure—not pressure.
