2020 has been quite a year and while many families opted for pandemic pets, we went the slightly lower maintenance route of pandemic plant parents. I am NOT a gardener, and we have less than ideal growing conditions at our house, but we have managed to keep a few actual plants alive for nearly half a year now. There is a simple joy in growing things.

This plant parenthood was totally the Diva’s fault. As soon as we finished her room in the Spring One Room Challenge, she steered me to an outing to our wholesale greenhouse to select some plants for her space…three trips later we are the proud owners of upwards of 20 new plants. Fifteen of them were living in the Diva’s room, at last count.

Deirdre the dracena has moved to a painted chest in the living room

Cornelia, the Diva’s cane corn plant, bedecked with Christmas lights

We may be pushing 30 plants at this point, it depends if you count the ones on hospice. Polly, the parlor palm for example, turned out to not be a parlor palm at all but some much higher maintenance variety that required better accommodations than we could provide.

Polly has been replaced with a new actual parlor palm that, so far (fingers crossed) seems to be thriving. And Deirdre the dracena has moved to the living room, apparently permanently. She has been joined by a very gregarious Wanda.

Wanda, a very gregarious tradescantia, has already spawned some mini-Wanda’s

I did not sign up for this! But as long as the Diva takes care of them, I’m fine with it. I think.

I am less enamored with the plant hospital and birthing center that has appeared on the dining room sideboard insert eye roll here ?! I apparently may be convicted of murder for leaving Myrtle in my office after the Fall One Room Challenge photo shoot (she is in hospice on the sideboard and it’s not looking good…but really, did the Diva actually think I was watering her down there??).

Myrtle topiary

Plant hospital and birthing center

I came home with plants of my own even though I had no intention of doing so. I gravitate toward plants with a reputation for indestructibility as my plant skills tend to veer into negligence when I get busy, which is to say most of the time. Zsa Zsa, my ZZ plant has nearly doubled in size since the spring and Phil, the easygoing pothos has very happily made the move from my living room (which was getting a bit crowded!) to my office.

While we were at the wholesale greenhouse in November shopping for Christmas greens, an enormous Swedish ivy followed me home (currently accepting name suggestions!) - the jury is out on whether that was a good idea or not, but so far, so good. It is living next to Phil in my office right now…

And in a surprising turn of events, Lulu the lipstick plant, that I thought was languishing in despair (she did spawn mushrooms at one point and had dropped a fair number of leaves and a few entire stems had died), has burst forth with dozens of the red cylindrical flowers that give it its name! And I am even keeping a miniature orchid alive and blooming in my bathroom?! Color me shocked.

I still believe that good faux plants are a perfectly acceptable alternative and, aside from occasional dusting, always look great and do their job of adding an organic element to a space with a minimum of fuss. There are only so many things any of us can give our attention to at once! But there is a sense of satisfaction in watching a plant grow and thrive…or, in my case, at least survive!

I have assembled a list of plants that have, so far, survived my less than stellar plant parent skills. If I can keep these alive, ANYONE can!