speaking of houseplants (I need advice.)

[rbnyc]

I want to get 3 or 4 plants for my apartment. 1 or 2 for rooms that get morning light and 2 for a room that gets afternoon/evening light. I have cats. I'm about to have a baby. I have a very bad track record with plants. I can kill almost any plant within 6 months no matter how hard I try.

I need super-resilient, idiot-proof, cat-safe, baby-safe plants to contribute some beauty and oxygen to my humble home.

What do you suggest?

[Dookus]

1. spathophyllum (aka Peace Lily)

is practically idiotproof. The leaves droop when it needs water. But you better water it pretty quickly when they do.

[rbnyc]

3. Do you know if they are kitty safe?

Someone suggested the peace lily when I was looking for a plant last year, and I ended up getting another plant, which I killed. :( If it checks out as kitty-safe, I will get one for sure this time.

Thanks.

[liontamer]

14. I had a peace lily

It was kitty safe in the sense that the cats didn't get sick from ripping it to shreds and eating it.

[redqueen]

2. golden pothos

It's nigh invulnerable. Very common, cheap too. :)

[rbnyc]

4. Cool.

Thanks.

I know there's a list online somewhere of plants that are bad for cats. I'll check it out, and then I can't wait to have some plants again.

:)

[Misunderestimator]

5. Rhododendron... they're cheap and they grow and grow and grow

I bought one little rhododendron ivy hanging plant when I lived in NYC that I kept cutting back. When I moved upstate, I brought it with me and let it grow in my new kitchen... After ONE year, the entire kitchen was thriving with ivy over the tops of all the cabinets and down the walls. I loved it. VERY easy to maintain (and I am no green-thumb either), and LOTS of green from one small plant.

[rbnyc]

6. Awesome!

This time I'm going to make it work, I swear! Plants add so much to a home.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

7. Not sure about

cats and plants interacting, but I do know most common mistake folks make with house plants is OVER watering. As stated in another reply, most every plant will tell you it needs water by drooping. When mine look like that, I fill the kitchen sink with lukewarm water and sit the plant in it. They drink what they want through the roots.
edited for spelling.....

[rbnyc]

9. I go back and forth between over and under watering, I think.

I like the idea of a plant that just tells you when it needs water.

:)

[felonious thunk]

8. My cat eats all my houseplants

I try to explain to him that he is a carnivore, and thus should be chasing down wild prey, but instead he eats the daisy plants (which are pretty easy too, and given that my cat has been eating it for months, cat safe).

[rbnyc]

10. One of my cats is a bigtime plant-eater.

She loves anything grean and leafy. When I make a salad, I have to put some in her bowl to keep her away from me. And she's always getting into our flower vases. I worry about any plant that might be bad for her, becasue she will find a way to eat it, no matter where I put it.

[sangh0]

11. I suggest not wasting so much time

and just don't water them. They'll be dead in a week :-)

I can kill almost any plant within 6 months no matter how hard I try.

[rbnyc]

12. LOL

I mean no matter how hard I try not to kill them, of course.

;-)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Herbs in the afternoon window

If you include a special "kitty garden" of catnip, they'll leave your basil, oregano, and chives alone. :-)

I have a spider plant hanging in an Eastern window, and it's quite content.

[Blue Gardener]

15. ZeeZee Plant

According to Paul James the Gardener Guy (Gardening By the Yard-HGTV) it is the easiest houseplant to grow. I think there is another name for it, but I don't know what it is. I know Target used to sell them, and I've seen them at the local nursery. I put a layer of rocks on top of the soil to keep the cats out. Or, you can squirt them with water a few times when they start chewing on the plants, they'll catch on after awhile.
Good Luck!

[realisticphish]

16. jade plant

ive had mine for a while, it requires slightly damp soil, and intermediate light. water it once in a while, and you're fine. and, as far as i know, not toxic in any way

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat