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Go Green: The Best House Plants for Every Type of Light
We all know it’s healthy to eat green, leafy stuff, but we also love the health benefits of surrounding ourselves with plants. Especially in the winter months, when we tend to spend more time indoors, bringing the natural world into our homes can brighten the space—and our mood. Add to that their air-purifying qualities, and it’s a win-win!
But if you’re new to plant-shopping, stepping foot in a nursery can be intimidating. To demystify the process, we sat down with Sarah Helmstetter, owner of Solabee Flowers and Botanicals. Read on for her number-one tip for plant-shopping, her favorite recommendations for three different types of light, and her advice for how to keep plants healthy and happy.
Choosing the right plants for your space—and your lifestyle
While it’s tempting to shop by looks, Sarah says the first thing to take into consideration when shopping for a plant is is where you’d like to keep it. The amount of light, the size of your space, and how often you’re able to water are all important factors.
Sarah’s pick: Indirect sunlight
This category is close to Sarah’s heart. “Living in Portland where bright, sunny windows are not always available, we tend to be asked for plants that don’t require full or direct sunlight,” she says. She loves to recommend Philodendrons for this type of light. “Despite being native to Mexico, Central and South America, Philodendrons seem to thrive here in Oregon,” she says.To keep them happy, give them a bright spot out of direct sun, and water them when dry (she waters hers about once a week). They thrive in humidity so a bathroom or kitchen could be a great fit. If you don’t have natural humidity in your home, create your own: “You can always mist plants to create a more humid environment,” says Sarah. “This also helps to keep the leaves shiny and dust-free.”
Sarah’s pick: Direct sunlight
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with warm, direct light, a cactus or succulent would be a great fit for your home. Sarah is partial to the plant species Euphorbia, a type of succulent. “Euphorbia love sun and need little to no water all winter long,” she says. “During sunny summer months we water ours at Solabee about once a month.” Cacti and succulents are also a great fit for those of us who travel often, or who just like the idea of a low-maintenance house plant. Setting up a pot in a bright window and watering just once a month is about as easy as it gets!
Sarah’s pick: Low sunlight
Maybe you have a room in your home that you’d love to have a plant in, but the space gets very little direct light. “For low-light options we always have a great selection of Sansevieria, which surprisingly are a member of the lily family,” Sarah says. The genus is large—there are almost 60 varieties—and is known by many other common names, such as Mother in Law’s Tongue or Snake plants. “In our shop we treat Sansevieria similar to our low-light succulents,” says Sarah. “Minimal light and infrequent watering, just about once a month.”
Keeping your plants healthy and happy
Sarah’s first tip for raising healthy plants: Start with healthy plants. Look for vendors who take care to source their plants locally and select them carefully. The less travel time a plant has to endure from source to shop, the better. “Plants in our shop spend little time in trucks or containers and are not being shipped from across the globe, which can be stressful and unhealthy for them,” says Sarah.
How you pot your plant is also important. You want to make sure the container is the right size, which will allow for new growth, and has drainage holes and a tray underneath. And talk to the seller about how best to care for your plant once it’s potted. “We send our customers out the door knowing what each plant needs to be happy,” Sarah says.
Whether you’re just beginning to venture into the indoor-plant world (hello, succulents) or you’re ready to go full jungalow style, plants are an amazing way to bring life into your home all year round!
We all know it’s healthy to eat green, leafy stuff, but we also love the health benefits of surrounding ourselves with plants. Especially in the winter months, when we tend to spend more time indoors, bringing the natural world into our homes can brighten the space—and our mood. Add to that their air-purifying qualities, and it’s a win-win!
But if you’re new to plant-shopping, stepping foot in a nursery can be intimidating. To demystify the process, we sat down with Sarah Helmstetter, owner of Solabee Flowers and Botanicals. Read on for her number-one tip for plant-shopping, her favorite recommendations for three different types of light, and her advice for how to keep plants healthy and happy.
Choosing the right plants for your space—and your lifestyle
While it’s tempting to shop by looks, Sarah says the first thing to take into consideration when shopping for a plant is is where you’d like to keep it. The amount of light, the size of your space, and how often you’re able to water are all important factors.
Sarah’s pick: Indirect sunlight
This category is close to Sarah’s heart. “Living in Portland where bright, sunny windows are not always available, we tend to be asked for plants that don’t require full or direct sunlight,” she says. She loves to recommend Philodendrons for this type of light. “Despite being native to Mexico, Central and South America, Philodendrons seem to thrive here in Oregon,” she says.To keep them happy, give them a bright spot out of direct sun, and water them when dry (she waters hers about once a week). They thrive in humidity so a bathroom or kitchen could be a great fit. If you don’t have natural humidity in your home, create your own: “You can always mist plants to create a more humid environment,” says Sarah. “This also helps to keep the leaves shiny and dust-free.”
Sarah’s pick: Direct sunlight
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with warm, direct light, a cactus or succulent would be a great fit for your home. Sarah is partial to the plant species Euphorbia, a type of succulent. “Euphorbia love sun and need little to no water all winter long,” she says. “During sunny summer months we water ours at Solabee about once a month.” Cacti and succulents are also a great fit for those of us who travel often, or who just like the idea of a low-maintenance house plant. Setting up a pot in a bright window and watering just once a month is about as easy as it gets!
Sarah’s pick: Low sunlight
Maybe you have a room in your home that you’d love to have a plant in, but the space gets very little direct light. “For low-light options we always have a great selection of Sansevieria, which surprisingly are a member of the lily family,” Sarah says. The genus is large—there are almost 60 varieties—and is known by many other common names, such as Mother in Law’s Tongue or Snake plants. “In our shop we treat Sansevieria similar to our low-light succulents,” says Sarah. “Minimal light and infrequent watering, just about once a month.”
Keeping your plants healthy and happy
Sarah’s first tip for raising healthy plants: Start with healthy plants. Look for vendors who take care to source their plants locally and select them carefully. The less travel time a plant has to endure from source to shop, the better. “Plants in our shop spend little time in trucks or containers and are not being shipped from across the globe, which can be stressful and unhealthy for them,” says Sarah.
How you pot your plant is also important. You want to make sure the container is the right size, which will allow for new growth, and has drainage holes and a tray underneath. And talk to the seller about how best to care for your plant once it’s potted. “We send our customers out the door knowing what each plant needs to be happy,” Sarah says.
Whether you’re just beginning to venture into the indoor-plant world (hello, succulents) or you’re ready to go full jungalow style, plants are an amazing way to bring life into your home all year round!
