We got lots of questions about the "miracle" cloning paste we showed on Instagram recently. What is it? What does it do? And why the heck is it called "keiki"? Short answer: keiki paste is an easy-to-apply growth hormone for your houseplants that can help fill out bare spots on pothos, orchids, and more. It's a smart solution for any plant parent, but we'll tell you why it may fall short of being truly miraculous.

Continue reading What Is Keiki Paste? And How To Use It On Your Plants at Young House Love.

Succulents are some of the easiest houseplants to propagate because there are several ways to do it. Today we'll show how one succulent can be turned into many (even a dozen or more!). So whether you're looking to grow your own collection or gift some plants to friends, this is a fun and easy process to try!

Continue reading How To Propagate Succulents at Young House Love.

We love any excuse to buy more plants, and you may have heard they can improve your home’s indoor air quality. But before you blow your paycheck in the name of a healthier home, let’s dive deeper into plants’ air purifying powers. We’ll share which plants we recommend and what benefits you can actually expect from them.

We’ve heard for years about how plants act as natural air filters for your home. So let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

7 Air Purifying Plants

If you just came here for a list, our favorite air purifying houseplants are bulleted below. The best part is these are all beautiful, low-maintenance plants. Many also appear on our best low-light indoor plants list too!

1. Dracaena (including Corn Plant)
2. Snake Plant
3. Aglaonema
4. English Ivy
5. Pothos
6. Bamboo Palm
7. Spider Plant

There are certainly more that could be included here, but we narrowed it to the ones that are most often cited by experts AND the plants that we think look best too.

Continue reading Best Air Purifying Plants at Young House Love.

I used to think every houseplant needed a sunny corner or bright windowsill to thrive. But it turns out many of our favorite go-to houseplants do just fine in shady corners and low-light locations. So before you write off your house as too dark to sustain plant life, check out this list of the best indoor plants for low light. You might be surprised at how many good options there are!

Our upstairs family room is the brightest room we’ve ever owned thanks to big unobstructed windows on all 4 sides. But most of our indoor plants live downstairs, where we get far less natural light. Luckily, that hasn’t stopped us from growing our collection of happy healthy houseplants.

9 Houseplants That Don’t Need A Lot Of Light

Here are our favorite low-light indoor plants. We list a lot more info on them below, but here’s a quick list to bring on your next trip to the plant store:

1. Snake Plant
2. ZZ Plant
3. Pothos
4. Heartleaf Philodendron
5. English Ivy
6. Aglaonema
7. Cast Iron Plant
8. Monstera
9. Parlor Palm

Perhaps our favorite part of this list is that these aren’t ugly “consolation plants” that people begrudgingly buy for dark homes.

Continue reading 9 Easy Low-Light Indoor Plants at Young House Love.

Aglaonema, also called the Chinese Evergreen Plant, is an easy-care houseplant that lives happily in many lighting conditions – even a dark corner of our daughter’s room. There are dozens of different Aglaonema varieties, most with large tropical foliage and colors ranging from silvery-green, red, and even vibrant pink. They’re also tough to kill, so they’re a great option for forgetful plant owners or anyone looking for an easy win in the plant department. These truly have been very low maintenance for us.

We purchased our two Aglaonemas (pronounced ag-lee-oh-neem-ah) to put atop our daughter’s closet. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish different varieties, but we believe that’s an Aglaonema Silver (right) and either a Candy Cane or Princess Silver Queen (left).

Aglaonema Quick Facts

Here’s what you need to know about your Aglaonema at a glance:

• Latin name: Aglaonema is the genus under which there are 21 recognized species.

Continue reading Aglaonema Plant – Complete Care Guide at Young House Love.

Corn plants (Dracaena fragrans) are popular low-maintenance houseplants you’ve probably seen at the nursery, home improvement store, or doctor’s office. I even had one in my college dorm room! You can recognize them by their spear-shaped leaves and woody, cane-line trunks that can grow up to 6 feet tall indoors. But did you know there are several varieties of corn plants? We didn’t! Heck, we didn’t even realize some of our smaller houseplants were in the same corn plant family!

Currently, we own two smaller varieties of corn plants, pictured above. The one on the left is a Dracaena Limelight (Dracaena fragrans ‘Limelight’) and the taller plant is a Draecanea Dorado (Dracaena fragrans ‘Dorado’). We actually have several limelights around because we love their vibrant color on shelves, tabletops, and windowsills.

Corn Plant Quick Facts

• Latin name: Dracaena fragrans
• Common names: Corn plant, cornstalk plant, false palms
• Light: Bright, indirect light but can tolerate lower-light conditions
• Watering: Keep soil moist, but not soggy.

Continue reading Corn Plant – Care Guide at Young House Love.

The ZZ plant is another one of our favorite low-maintenance houseplants. They’re easy to care for, hard to kill, and always look full & leafy. They’ve even earned the nickname “Eternity Plant” because they’re practically indestructible! That’s why they’re a top choice for commercial spaces, doctor’s offices, and busy homes like ours. Don’t you love a house plant you can forget about?

ZZ plants are sold in a variety of sizes, meaning they’re great for shelves, tabletops, and small surfaces as well as larger statements on the floor. We have some that are over 3 feet tall with their pots!

ZZ Plant Quick Facts

Here’s what you need to know about your ZZ plant at a glance:

• Latin name: Zamioculcas zamiifolia
• Plant family: Araceae or Arums, which includes Philodendron, Alocasia, Aglaonema, Monstera, and Peace Lily
• Common names: ZZ plant, Zanzibar Gem, Zuzu plant, Emerald Palm, Eternity plant
• Native to: East Africa
• Light: Medium indirect light, but is also low-light tolerant
• Watering: Every 2-3 weeks during its growing season
• Soil: Standard potting mix as long as it drains well
• Ideal Humidity: Average household humidity, ideally 40-50%
• Ideal Temperature: 65°F to 75°F
• Cold Hardiness: USDA Zones 9b-11

What Is A ZZ Plant?

Continue reading ZZ Plant – Complete Care Guide at Young House Love.

Star jasmine is a fast-growing and fragrant evergreen vine that offers great coverage & privacy as a climbing or creeping vine. Even better, it bursts into bloom with incredible-smelling white flowers in the spring! The plant is native to Asia, but is incredibly popular in the Southeastern United States and areas of California. In warm environments like these, star jasmine is also super easy to care for and grow. Just another reason we love it!

Star jasmine can grow as dense ground cover or container plants, but our favorite use is as a climbing vine. This does require a trellis, pergola, stakes, or some other structure for it to grow up. Those are easy to make and we have two tutorials for DIY trellises: a wire trellis on a wall as well as a freestanding privacy trellis. It makes a great living screen!

Continue reading Star Jasmine – Plant Growing & Care Guide at Young House Love.