HOUSE OF PLANTS

In the Pre Pandemic days, Eleanor would bring her friends over and somehow spontaneously they would be making the rounds through the house counting my plants. Yes, there are probably over 60 living plants in our space. Every room, hallway, and even the kids' rooms have many plants and lately, they have been competing over who can get more.

Asparagus fern with Golden Pothos in the background

Today Eleanor came home with a question from my lovely neighbor who was taking care of our house while we were in Cape Cod. She loved the look of self rooting Pothos plant in a jar of water. 

Many years ago I bought a large hanging Pothos from the local Acme super market. That plant, which hangs in Eleanor's bathroom, became a source of many other plants in our house and beyond. The beyond part refers to the fact I like to give little pieces of my plants placed in old glass spice jars as gift to my friends... I know... borderline crazy plant lady. But like my mom always said, "Never go to someone house empty handed."

The original Pothos plant that keeps on giving

I remember enjoying my mother's plants in our first apartment. I grew up on the 5th floor of panelák in the late seventies and early eighties in Czechoslovakia. Despite the brutalist exterior esthetics, my mom was a true 1970 interior pioneer and talented plant lady. We had lots of varieties of Pothos plants, asparagus fern and other ferns and a few very massive Monstera plants that were climbing the walls. The apartment was small and totally filled with greenery. She also had a few large fish bowls filled with rooted Pothos plant. This apartment and our later house that my parents built was the blueprint for my love of plants. It is what I imagine now when I come to my clients' homes and see a little shelf that is missing something, or a dark corner that needs something cheery. It usually just needs a little jar of water with a cutting of Pothos plant.

A little guy in old vinegar bottle sitting on a piano (glass is keeping moisture away).

This plant has been here for past three years. I keep it small.

Eleanor's bookshelf

Golden Pothos, also known as Devil's Ivy, is delightfully difficult plant to kill and will survive in a room with very little natural light (hallways, little bathrooms etc). It is resilient to forgetful husbands and children and thrives even after missed watering. I love how beautifully marbled and textured its leaves are. It looks lovely trailing down as a hanging plant or gracing a lovely bookshelf or being trained along a wall. It is a very fast grower and it provides a spark of life in a bathroom or in a lonely hallway. It is known to efficiently remove toxic synthetic chemicals found in furniture and paints. According to Clean Air Study by NASA, Pothos plant serves to purify the air of formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide while helping eliminate odors. It is also said that it can help alleviate eye irritation after long days of staring at screens. 

Old vinegar bottle/ imagine my mom's huge fish bowl

Pothos inside of a little spice jar making my sink pretty

Now to the propagating part... you can divide and repot plant in soil with some of its roots or you can pinch a piece below its little nodes and place it in a jar of water. It takes about 1 to 2 weeks for the plant to root. It is super easy! And please don't hesitate to share your little adventures with Devil's Ivy with me.