Hi everyone! This Monday I wanted to do a quick round up of my favorite plants, and address which ones I actually keep in/around my house. This week I'll be focusing on which plants do the best in hot southern summers, and in a future post, I may do a more general discussion.

I really like the idea of gardening, and having flowers around all the time, but I'm always a little to busy, or a little too distracted(when I was little, playing in the mud tempted me out of being very much help with the flowers...sorry grandma!)

Being in grad school, I don't have a whole lot of time between August - May that I want to spend in a flower bed, but I really enjoy having plants or flowers inside! A few weeks ago, I talked about my love of air plants(in this post) and referenced an article that talked about both air plants and aloe vera, both of which I keep in my house by a big picture window in the dining room.

My Plants(Indoors):

Currently, I have a few succulents, a lily plant, and some air plants in my house. The succulents and aloe plant do really well inside, even when I forget to water them occasionally!

1. Succulents

These quickly became one of my favorite kinds of plants when I learned that you can grow new plants from petals that fall off of the stem of a succulent plant. So far, I have 4 new succulents that i've encouraged to take new roots and have started to grow a new plant! My little collection started with one small plant from Home Depot, that has since gotten HUGE, and I'm hoping to be able to grow more soon!

2. Air Plants

My air plants are another semi recent addition to the kitchen, the window gets just enough light in the afternoon to keep them and the moss happy, but I also mist them every few days to keep the terrariums humid. Air plants do well in warmer climates, and need to be "watered"(soaked in water for 20-30 minutes, and then laid out to dry for 4 hours) about once a week. I was really excited to find these little hanging globes form World Market for LESS THAN $5 a piece! And if you don't want to keep up with the watering and care of real air plants, I've seen some artificial ones at target and other stores occasionally that look really nice too!

Plants That I Want to Add(Outdoors):

1. Hydrangea

The first plant on my list to add to my yard is a hydrangea! I've always loved them, and in undergrad I really enjoyed finding ways to incorporate them into my digital paintings! Hydrangeas need a lot of water, especially in hot climates. They tend to like being in partially shaded areas, but can sometimes do okay in full sun. The soil is important with hydrangea because the pH of the soil determines the color of the blooms(in the pink/blue kinds).

2. Gardenia

To quote this article from Southern Living, "No plant expresses the grace of the South better than the fragrant blossoms of the gardenia."

When I add these to my garden, I definitely plan to put them in a place where I can open up the windows and enjoy the fragrance. They like areas with full sun or partial shade, acidic soil, and need about an inch of rain/watering every week. There are a variety of different types of gardenia, but I think that "Gardenia Jasminoide"(Radicans, pictured) are my favorite.

3. Honeysuckle

So I know that some people aren't huge fans of honeysuckle since they can get to be pretty invasive, but they're so cool and smell wonderful, so they made it onto my list :) I have great memories of walking down the dirt roads near my grandma's house, my mom pointing out the honeysuckle vines, and showing me how to taste the little bit of honey from them.

They should be planted in the spring or in the fall, and need about an inch of water a week. They do need to be pruned with they aren't blooming, which will help keep them from taking over your garden.

4. Knockout Roses:

These flowers are starting to show up in nurseries again, they had problems with fire blight virus for a while, but they're so pretty y'all! According to my mom(who just planted some this weekend!) as long as they stay trimmed, watered, and nourished, the virus shouldn't be an issue.

They need full sun, should be watered when the soil is dry, and should be fertilized in the spring.

What are some of your favorite plants? Do you prefer indoor ones or outdoor ones?

xo, Lauren

Monday Musings: Grad School & Gardening.