It’s Winter, But You’re Ready For Spring.

While most people are snuggled under blankets, sipping hot cocoa, and looking out the window at the falling snow. A lot of us are looking at last year’s seed catalogs, watering the house plants, and hoping for a stray bloom here and there. We are also hoping the electricity doesn’t go off and kill all of our plants.

If you're new to the idea of bringing the tropics inside your home, you may be wondering where to learn about how to grow, plant, fertilize, and keep alive the plants inside your own habitat. Well, you’ve come to the right place. You CAN grow plants indoors in the winter with very little effort.

Starting simple is your best course. If you are just beginning to create an Aloha Habitat in your home, one of the best house plants to start with is a Philodendron or Pothos. They require very little care, have a lush green vining appearance, do well in high and low moisture environments, and areas with low light and varying heat levels. Both plants greatly resemble each other, some with solid green leaves of varying shades, others with variegated leaves(green and a creamy white mixture). Both can be found in your local big box store, grocery store, or local greenhouse. They are cheap to purchase and can be planted in basic potting soil and a plastic pot. They require little fertilizer and almost no care. They can even be left without water for extended periods of time, and will perk right up if watered even sparingly.

Pothos and Philos are the ultimate beginner Aloha Habitat plants. Both plants tend to vine, and if you have a long vine, a pinched-off piece will grow roots and can be planted if dropped into a glass of water.

Both plants are easy to propagate (create more) and look great. These plants tend to extend long tendril vines as they reach for light. The long vines can be rewound around the pot and pushed into the dirt here and there in the pot to create a fuller look if desired. The limbs will root and fill in empty spaces in the pot. Or, if you desire a more wild look, you can place the pots in a hanger, and allow the vines to trail toward the floor, and if you choose, create your own jungle.

Most pothos and Philodendron have been bred to be safe for pets, but I suggest taking no chances and keeping the vines and plants out of reach of little paws.

Next time you're out, find one of these plants that appeals to you and give it a try. Find a partially sunny spot, make sure the soil is moist down to about an inch from the top, and sit back and watch the beginning of your Aloha Habitat grow. Both of these plants even do well in bathrooms if there is at least one window from which they can get a bit of light. You can even hang them in the shower- the moisture is something they love, and they will require less watering less frequently, while making your bathroom seem like a tropical island.

Philodendron