By Gracelyn Skilling ‘26
Now that spring has sprung, you may find yourself inspired by the buds and blossoms perking up outside. What better way to celebrate spring than to adopt a plant of your very own? Here are three plants that make excellent leafy companions for even the brownest of thumbs, certain to alleviate your spring fever.
Pilea
Pilea peperomioides goes by many names, including the Chinese money plant, UFO plant, pancake plant, missionary plant, and lefse plant. It’s also referred to as the “pass-it-on” plant, for its ability to produce miniature clones of itself that pop up around the base of the plant, making propagating the pilea a piece of cake for even inexperienced gardeners and experienced plant-killers. Pileas are a personal favorite of myself, for their unique, bubbly appearance and affection for indirectly lit windows. All you need to grow one of these little guys is a windowsill that doesn’t face the sun.
Pothos
If you’re never managed to keep a plant alive in your life, this one’s for you. There’s a good reason as to why every office to ever contain a plant has one of these fellows sitting on a desk somewhere; whether you plop them in moist soil, dry soil, bright rooms, dark rooms, or even under exclusively fluorescent lighting, pothos will keep on thriving. These plants even have the added benefit of acting as decent natural air purifiers.
Air plants
These otherworldly plants grow in open air, completely soil free. Yes–soil free. You could grow one in your shoe if you wanted, no one’s stopping you. With no need to worry about potting, air plants are relatively very easy to look after, and very versatile–if you’re anything like me, your impulse to place plants on every available surface may finally be fulfilled. Just take care to keep your air plants away from prolonged direct sunlight, and mist or soak them in water once a week.
Image credit: unsplash.com, cdn.com
