More houseplants are lost to too much kindness than to neglect. A gardener sees a droopy leaf, reaches for the watering can, and the plant gets worse. I have done this myself with plants I loved, and I learned to read the signs before reaching for the can. This article shows what overwatering looks like … Read more

A houseplant that has lived in the same pot for years will eventually run out of room. The roots fill the pot, circle around the inside, and push out of the drainage hole, and the plant can no longer take up water and nutrients as it should. Repotting gives the roots new space and fresh … Read more

A north-facing window is the one many people give up on. It never gets direct sun, the light is soft and steady, and most plant labels that say “bright light” do not apply. But some plants come from forest floors and shaded places, and they are happy exactly there. Here are eight easy houseplants that … Read more

By January the air inside an old farmhouse gets as dry as a cracker, and my houseplants tell me so. Leaf tips turn brown and crispy, lower leaves yellow and drop, and a plant that looked fine in October starts to sulk. The cause is usually not neglect. It is dry heated air, weaker light, … Read more

You water a plant, and a small cloud of tiny black flies lifts off the soil. They are fungus gnats, and they are one of the most common houseplant pests. The adults are mostly a nuisance, flying around lamps and windows and drifting into your coffee. The real damage comes from their young, which live … Read more