Mrs. Wilt over at The Sparrows Nest recently posted about her new Bromeliad plant and about Toxic Plants. I recommend particularly the Toxic Plants post, as it lists the plants you want to avoid having in your home or yard if you have children or pets, or if your yard is unfenced and open to your neighbors' children and pets who may wander through.
I'm not a person with a green thumb. I often neglect my plants to death, particularly if they are outdoor plants, or indoor plants placed up high--which, as a mom to many little ones, they always are. The longest a plant has lasted for me was a year, and that was only due to my husband's diligence in trying to save the poor thing.
When I was single, I had two plants in my apartment that did fairly well. One was a China Doll tree. The other was ivy. My China Doll tree was so cute, with tiny leaves, and it was pruned into a spherical shape--much more attractive than the tree pictured here. It managed to hang on, though it didn't grow much, in spite of my sporadic watering schedule.
The ivy was even more tenacious. Though it was in a dark, windowless bathroom and never saw the light of day, and was also often deprived of water, it stubbornly hung on. Some leaves occasionally yellowed, but would green up upon the offering of a drink. It would be the perfect plant for me today, were it not for the fact that ivy is poisonous. 
So ivy is out for families with pets or children, but since I didn't see the China Doll tree on Mrs. Wilt's list, you may want to look into it as an option.
Comments