Like it or not kids, gardening’s becoming A Thing. From the 70% increase in allotments in the country to the rise of the rooftop garden (and bearded garden_er_) in the city, it turns out you should probably be paying more attention next time Gardener’s Question Time comes on Radio 4.
Since it’s cold though, now’s not exactly the ideal time to get strap on your wellies, head outside and start digging up whatever miniscule outdoor space your shitty flat comes with. Instead, use this winter to hone your green fingers by taking baby steps and getting yourself a potted houseplant.
We asked Erin at theThe Sill(New York’s most spectacularly trendy plant shop – no really) which plants were right for us.
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The plant to get… if you’ve got a cat
According to Erin, if you’ve got a feline friend, you need to get your hands on a ripple peperomia. ‘The toxicity is extremely low, meaning it’s totally fine for your cat to nibble on it and it won’t upset their stomach. Basically you can leave them in the house by themselves without having to worry. It’s nibble friendly.’ Which is excellent, seeing as Mr. Whiskers recently thought it acceptable to nibble his way through our outlandishly expensive Estee Lauder night cream. Before throwing it up afterwards.
The plant to get… if your house is depressing
‘The neon pothos is a trailing plant so you can put it in a hanging basket as decoration,’ says Erin. ‘It’s also a certified NASA air purifying plant which definitely makes impact when you can't get outside much.' A NASA certified plant certainly sounds very impressive but mainly we’re into the spectacular colour of this one – can we get that in a jumper?
The plant to get - if you’ve got no natural light and you’re lazy
‘The snake plant is an extremely hardy type of succulent leafy houseplant,’ says Erin. ‘They don’t require a lot a light and store water so you can go a couple of weeks without watering so they’re great for a forgetful owner. I have a couple in my bathroom because I only get a sliver of light in there and they do fine.’ You heard it here first plant fans: minimal effort required. Perhaps the best sentence in the English language?
The plant to get… If you want one for your office
‘A mini succulent is best for this,’ says Erin. ‘They can come extremely small and they’re really cute, like one inch in size. I would recommend a haworthia because it’s a hardy variety and offices don’t often get a ton of light.’
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.