Gardener confessions: I abuse plants | House plant vacation | The Impatient Gardener

[@donnasantamaria8317]

I love that you have your grandmother's ficus!

[@OldReddingFarm]

That ficus with the braided trunk is SO pretty

[@itsmewende]

Dang, that Spider plant really, really, REALLY Loves you.

[@theTinyDe]

I just love how honest you are.

[@leonasilka7349]

I feel like your grandmother is smiling down on you as you care for her ficus tree, and what a lovely way to honor her memory. Thanks for sharing your story. You will be blessed.

[@pattyatrumdycreations134]

I'm an interior landscaper. For the last 35 years I maintain tropical plants in corporate buildings. I have to say, those plants dont look too bad at all! The Ficus is gorgeous. It has a very nice shape. They loved to be pruned as most plants do. I'd give you a B+ the dryness of the soil bothered me. 😣

[@iamstorie882]

I tossed what I thought was a dead houseplant on the back patio table n never looked at it all summer. It's my most beautiful looking houseplant now. Who knew?

[@crystaldoes6576]

I think all outdoor gardeners neglect houseplants once spring comes! 🙈 You aren’t alone! Lol

[@ja-uh9gz]

That's so funny. You have a lot to do with your outdoor gardens. It's easy to neglect the houseplants. :)

[@Sullivan_Owen]

hello, my name is Sullivan and I am a houseplant abuser 😂Mine are also summering outside, attempting to recover from both my neglect and my husband's overwatering. I confess to neglecting mine as soon as garden/seedling stuff begins so that means they are well taken care of for just a few months of the year. I love the look and life they bring to rooms but I need to focus on very low maintenance and ones that can handle our radiator heating in the winter-ferns cook in here.

[@ramblinrosecottage5983]

You are not alone. I have been this way ever since I began gardening outside. Back in the 70s when I was young my house was filled with beautiful house plants but I had no interest in outside gardening. Lots of hanging plants in lots of macrame. lol. Then I discovered my love of gardening and houseplants became the red-headed step-child.

[@nicolechew1029]

It's like a clown car emptying out 😂 They just kept coming! And then the tree!! Love this video. I like to think I don't abuse my houseplants, they're just a bunch of wusses. 😂🌺

[@ginadebrito173]

Too funny

[@barbll000]

Removing an inch or two from the soil in the fall is also good because insect eggs are often laid in the top layer of soil.

[@karentemple5619]

Loved this! I no longer do house plants but remember those days. You are so stinkin' funny...omg. Thanks for sharing.🌷❤

[@HowsItGrowing]

Got to love you for keeping it real. Enjoy your plant vacay guys. 😂🙈

[@lindadeclue.2215]

Lol I always am excited to bring my houseplants outside. They are so happy when they get more light and water. The fresh air is so good for them . They love to be sprayed a lot. Yours doesnt really look that back. . I was cracking up when you were trying to hang that plant hook. Looking forward to seeing update on them. Have a great day.

[@laceybogart5474]

I feel like the video was made for me. I always love the idea of house plants and having something green inside, but once spring hits I just don't care about them. So much so that I forget to do the monthly watering on my orchids 🤷. But this did inspired me to go water all my plants which were bone dry.

[@Pots_plots_gardenspots]

Great video, love the music! I spent the morning moving houseplants outside. Love the summer vacation for houseplants! This year to negate my forgetful fertilizing regimen, I gave my houseplants Osmocote, and they’ve never looked better.

[@michelefischer3555]

I would like to join Anonymous Houseplant Neglectors as well. I just want to be outside and I ignore anything planted inside. The deal at our house is I do outside, hubby does inside and no one gets hurt. LOL!

[@jeannettejohnson2572]

I love staghorn ferns, too.....Something so sculptural about them!

[@gardeningjunkie2267]

I'm loving this video, it's so funny ! All houseplant killers should have a pothos. I have a beautiful variegated one that I forget to water and fertilize constantly until I notice the leaves starting to curl. I give it a drink and it perks right back up. As for plants that seem to be outgrowing their container, you can root prune them when the weather cools down (assuming they're still outdoors) and they'll come back to life very quickly.

[@amandaguthrie7326]

This makes me feel so much better about my houseplants abuse. 😂 I’m in northern Indiana and mine always looks so pathetic by the end of winter. I’m even a succulent killer. 🙋‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Just not enough sunshine inside.

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Erin, I love the title of this video, and after reading several of the comments, I also need to admit that I am a house plant abuser! My house plants always look miraculously better after their summer vacation outside!

[@thyme2grow]

It's so relaxing to watch you grooming your plants! Good job! You take good care of them.

[@alyssayounan]

Thank you Erin and all the other comments. I too suck at houseplants but love the outdoor plants. This is a great idea though, summer vacation! So cute. And it fills up the deck space nicely without having to go out and buy a whack ton more pots and plants. Totally inspired! Thank you.

[@joaniekmiller]

All I could think about when she was cleaning them up was.... getting ready to go on vacation!

[@lauramarti7548]

Thank you for showing us this video! I was beginning to think I was the only person who neglects their houseplants. I can take such better care of them when they are outside for the summer. This did remind me though, that I still need to bring in my begonia as it is still on the patio in October.

[@kimmartinez3086]

Now this is my type of gardening! My house plants never do well. I never thought about taking them outside during the summer. Just moved them all outside. Thanks!

[@lynnshellyjunck117]

I was thinking about buying a shade plant for our back patio - but, I think I'll just move my houseplants back there - thanks for the suggestion!! (Hubby probably appreicates the suggestion more ;) )

[@natalielawyerchick]

Wow. This is me. I haven’t kept them in a few years because I always kill houseplants

[@katedorman7042]

Loved everything about this video, but will say that your music choice during the “hook toss” portion of the video was the brightest spot in my whole day. You surely inspire, Erin, and brutal honesty with a side of humor is just what I needed!

[@normajones2582]

Erin i think you are doing a great job with your house plants they are beautiful

[@carmenbailey1560]

Love how real you are, perfection is totally over rated. I do manage a lot of plants for indoors / outdoors. I have Boston ferns from three years ago and I’ve made a terrible mistake of over fertilizing them, I don’t know if I can bring them back to their formal glory, I have removed the brown fronds and hoping for the best.. I also overwinter geraniums, Mandeville‘, blues for cannas, callas. Thanks for sharing 👍❤️😊

[@sarahr2498]

😂 oh man, did my Mom have a daughter she never told us about? We could really be related 🤔 if there was a houseplant abuse hotline, people would be calling about me.

[@kellyferren2705]

lol am the same .my friends always ask me why do my gardens look so beautiful and let my house plants are in so poor shape .and yes I put all my houseplants outside they are happy right now

[@paulag.panzermd8239]

My HUGE houseplant collection is well attended during winter - they nourish me during that indoor season, and then they are “forgotten” as my attention is dwarf outside. That said, I don’t think your plants look that bad. Nice that you have an outside place for them (I don’t).

[@2prettyfunnythings736]

🤣😂🤣😆sorry but I started to giggle when the ficus tipped and then the sad begonia…they really weren’t that bad. the stag horn is beautiful 😍

[@cathytalaske6255]

My son calls my winter care of houseplants, " mom's deathcamp for houseplants". I put my spider plant babies as edging plants, it looks really nice.

[@daiseegray9110]

I laughed out loud. Too funny! I would have trashed a few. So impressed with the clean up they were looking good. Love to see them after they have enjoyed the sunshine this summer. Thanks for sharing! 😄

[@judygray7718]

You are such a joy! Thanks. 🌿🌲

[@j.m.7056]

The ficus looks great from here -- yes, it takes pruning well. As for the college daze spider plant, it will love new soil and/or a bit of food.

[@hanzifaction]

I don’t know if my house plants are abused. But by the end of winter it is definitely attack of the mealybugs and scale lol

[@sheilalefebvre8667]

I am very excited to see how great they look at the end of summer!! I have a LOT of house plants...I would love to let some of them go out for summer vacation....but, I am very afraid of what pests may come back inside with them! Enjoyed this video a lot!

[@sweetcarolinagardening4364]

Thanks for keeping it real. I enjoy your videos so much!

[@rebeccamasters3943]

I just throw my houseplants outside in the summer and let them fend for themselves...okay, I do water them occasionally...😬 I’m trying to be better.😁 Love both your ficus and your fern!

[@-sstevens5444]

Wahoo. I was contemplating moving philodendron plants outside but hesitated. Thank you. 💚💜😎

[@audreygrabowski193]

I was watching your video and my husband immediately picked up on your accent. He is from WI too but has spent the majority of his adult life in the south. Soooo, I love your videos but I also love that your in WI. Door County is one of my favorite places in the world. Fragmented chain of thought, sorry. Bottom line, can’t wait for the next video!

[@valiumsurbanjungle2041]

Awww that Ficus!!! And your spiderplant!!! ☺️ 💚 I'm so so so guilty of "indoor plant abuse", pretty much throughout the entire year, but especially in spring/early summer. I will either drown them or totally forget about them, so they are also taking a nice 5/6 month vacation outdoors. I'm super lucky that most of these plants have "acclimated" to our Mediterranean climate, so I can keep them outdoors, even in winter (some Ficus species, Monstera, almost all succulents, my Begonias, even that Ctenanthe), or I wouldn't have any plants left!!! 😂😂😂 I was planning on doing a similar video btw, but I wasn't sure, thank you for the boost!! Have a great day!! ☺️

[@graffic13]

Wow Doll you need a Hartley greenhouse to plant that Ficus in !!!

[@altheab.8907]

If you take that spider plant out of the pot and prune the roots it will give you lush strong leaves and lots of babies. I split some of mine and severely pruned the roots last summer (more than half of the roots on some of them…really probably too severe by all standards) and the results were amazing. By the end of summer they were huge and healthy. I like to have one in every room to remove the toxins from the air.

[@suekuly4723]

I see so many people putting their houseplants outside and they say it does them wonders. I just worry because of bugs in the fall. Will watch your updates and decide for next year 😊

[@margarethanley89]

stromanthe!! i have a love/hate relationship with mine, it's sensitive to my tap water and it likes high humidity. i keep it with my prayer plants and calatheas (they're related) but it's diva

[@danihu03]

Omgosh! Me too. Try string of bananas. Or donkeys tail(love the color) they only need water like every 2 weeks and very little! Also I do pretty well with my little boxwood topiaries. Other than that, it’s a no go for me. Funny that you’re bringing plants out, when I’m trying to decide if I should bring some in haha.

[@suziqbrown7073]

Oh I wish you had given a recap and let us see them after you cleaned them up. It is always satisfying to see a refresh

[@TheImpatientGardener]

suziq brown They look mostly the same but less dead. I’m a month or so they should be much better.

[@frankielofaro4778]

Would love to bring my house plants outside but I've dealt with indoor pests too many times to warrant me bring them outside anymore :/

[@thebuddinghomemaker]

Happy to hear I'm not the only one who neglects house plants! I love them but they get the bare minimum care 🤣

[@marthaestrada8125]

I thought I was the only one that does well with outside plants but not too good with inside plants. Nice to know that I am not alone with this "phenomenon". 😄

[@lisawalters5482]

😂🤣😂🤣 cracking me up. I’m the same...except mine don’t live until spring. I’m in Texas and we freeze our houseplants in the summer and well, sometimes in the winter, too. Lol. Good luck to your plants. I love the tree. 👏🏻💕👏🏻

[@debrabray8855]

And this is why I don't have house plants! Too much maintenance, too much work. Bless you. That's a tri colored ginger that is dried out.

[@chuckylamb4398]

Whenever I put my houseplants outside they come back in with greenfly so I don’t put them out any more also we get too much rain plus I like them indoors.Love your videos and garden 😘🇬🇧

[@judymckerrow6720]

I believe what you have is a trio star stromanthe. They love water but don’t like to sit in it. Frequent misting during the winter months because they love humidity. I THINK that they are in the ginger family. I killed mine, so you have a one up on me. I’m going to try it again though, because they are beautiful plants💚🙃

[@Ellofez]

I used to turn large ficus trees in to bonsai . If you care for it well in a months time you can cut half of the trees weakest or damaged branches and do some selective pruning. Also taking all damage foliage off or disease to allow it to push out new ones instead of trying to keep all the damaged and disease branches or foliage. Then just water it water it with some fish fertilizer and once you see it sprouting who crows give it some slow-release fertilizer called osmocote plus indoor and outdoor with the pink cap and that should feed your tree for the rest of the growing season for it feeds for six months and my ficus trees grow lush and green .

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Thank you!

[@Ellofez]

@@TheImpatientGardener Honestly thank you for sharing you garden with us all 😊😎

[@DixieGirl9876]

Sometimes mine are the worse for wear too.Try terrariums, (for smaller plants of course) so much easier.

[@barbnitecki4407]

I feel the same way. But now squirrels are digging in everything.and deleafed and chewed my jade. Nothing but trunk. I feel bad my big jade can't come outside because of the squirrels. And every January I have oak gowing in at least one plant.

[@vmcougarintn5035]

Gee, someone else who has terrible luck with Begonias! Yea! At least that one is still alive, mine die within a month. (Even when I put them outside.) Thanks for sharing, you made me feel better. Stay safe.

[@anitahadley2871]

Hilarious! I just finished going through my plants and pulling off dead leaves and spraying for mealie bugs on my succulents. Sadly some didn’t make it. RIP, Rex Begonia. I wondered if it was already too hot to bring out my fiddle leaf fig. It’s doing okay but thought it might like a vacation too. Wouldn’t we all. Also, I like using those long philodendron leaves in a tall skinny vase. They last awhile.

[@starlakelsey2782]

When my mother died when I was 25 I got all of her African Violets. They had all died within the year after being in my care. I'm 60 now and still feel sad about not having one of her Violets.

[@TheImpatientGardener]

I did the same thing. I got a African violet when a dear friend died and I think I killed it within a month. I felt terrible about that and I’ve never tried to grow another one.

[@allysonh6410]

Um those "abused houseplants" look ten times better than mine 😂😂😂🤦‍♀️🙌

[@ashleighscott9896]

right!! mine look awful and pretty much always look awful.

[@debrabooe901]

I have a suggestion for when it's time to bring those poor babies back inside. I spray all of my plants with Espoma's 3 in 1 Insect and Disease Spray a couple of days before bringing them inside in the fall so that no unwanted visitors accompany them into the house. I know you spray with water real good, but this is just some additional insurance. Can't wait to see yours in a few weeks!

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Thanks for sharing that. Great suggestion. I didn't even know Espoma had such a product. Appreciate it!

[@junesmart7352]

These are HUGE! I'm wondering if you have to put your furniture in storage each winter, to allow enough room for these plants inside your house. They look beautiful, even now.

[@Rinsuki]

Sighs this is what happens to my house plants after a long winter lol. I just had to move three citrus outside and let me tell you. I get scale, whitefly, mites, and aphids infesting my orchids and other plants during the winter. Now, it is growing season for outside. I say us gardeners sometimes bite off more than we can chew because I know the urge to start seeds, expand the flower bed, etc... just overtakes us and something gets neglected.

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Rinsuki I have tried citrus only once and quickly realized I should not be growing it. So finicky!

[@shirleybrown-oregonagentin1674]

Can you post what you do to trim your ficus? I have one that I have had for 25 years and it is very leggy and would like mine to look more like yours. I am a little intiminated to trim it.

[@SouthernYankee]

Omg I giggles watching this because girl me too. I joined a plant club to get a few indoor plants and I think I killed my carina plant but also it’s poisionous and I have cats so it’s up high and doesn’t get enough sun. So far my snake plant is still alive! They say they send plants you can’t kill but that is wrong and obviously ms carina isn’t too happy with me.

[@GardenEvolution]

Same thing I do...fend for yourself! Enjoy summer while ya can plants 🤣

[@karenross3457]

I don't do houseplants. I even killed an air plant. Besides after spending a Delaware summer gardening in heat and humidity, I need a break from tending flowers.

[@redlantern3371]

I am an intermittent plant abuser. I confess to throwing away the Trader Jo's orchids when they are done blooming. (I know, I am DREADFUL). BUT I have had a Cardamom plant in my house for 34 years so maybe that makes up for it. I feel better now to have confessed. Thanks Erin.

[@chrystalsabin4091]

Stromanthe Trio-star

[@KYMMEESJOURNEY]

I managed to take care of both inside. I think your plants are gorgeous with a little TLC. How do you maintain the leaves on that ficus. The.colorful one that you had in the garden is a stromanthe.

[@vmcshannon]

I was expecting to see half dead plants etc. but yours look great! Now mine are well bad. I even have a spider plant that’s been dead for a year and I’ve just left it in the corner. 😳🙁 your plants are fine.

[@debbiecapaldi2570]

It was a fun video to watch.

[@rebeccadominguiano3626]

I love that I am not the only one! I keep killing my houseplants and it's embarrassing because I do better with plants outside. Oh well!

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

Erin, you're hilarious! Your ficus is beautiful, that "paddle" plant intriguing, and I love the tenacity of your beloved Cousin It spider plant! Hey, wouldn't it be easier to hang/secure that white cover from the pergola, rather than ON the ficus? Just a thought. Great video!

[@TheImpatientGardener]

Yes, but if you think that thought EVER crossed my mind you're giving me way too much credit. lol

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

@@TheImpatientGardener Ahh ha ha ha ha ha! Like I said, hilarious! =D

[@pamnapier-uhl1362]

You are so funny!! We have all tossed plant hangers in the air, and moved plants WAY to big for us but I have never been swallowed by shade cloth! Thank you for keeping your videos real. BTW what is the plant to the left of the focus with the big leaves? I have one but no idea what it is. Thought you said philodendron but is that right??

[@pattiray6816]

Please show those again before you move them back inside for winter!

[@pamelanaylor6283]

Remind me not to be munching on cashews if I ever watch you move your ficus outside again. LOL" (gardening hack: a "grabber" comes in handy when putting hooks over pergolas ... "grabbers - they're not just for grandmas")

[@amyschnelle7106]

Any reason why you don't shear off the spider plant from college and let it grow back fresh? You can also put them in a closet in the winter; they'll go dormant and come back again in the spring.

[@cathymadsen2930]

LOVE that ficus tree! Great job with that one! Did your gran buy it platted or did she do it herself? I think I'm going to try that! Your begonia looks like mine.... I might try and strike my cuttings when I prune it.

[@sandy-rr1by]

if confession is good for the soul, you oughta be feelin pretty good now!!! HAAAA!!!!!

[@jennieheigel5799]

Awww, my first plant was a spider plant too! It’s ugly but I keep it for the same reason. 😊🥰😂

[@lurveit]

Could you drape & tie down some awning coverage on the pergola just in that corner?

[@andreaspadola7080]

Just a few minutes in to their video😂 Those are some big house plants to move.

[@nokesvillehaunt915]

So Erin says I don’t take great care of my houseplants yet they kept coming out the door.....Oh my gosh funniest thing. I am a succulent killer even my philodendron looks skimpy, but alive. I even added mirrors to help with the light and no joy! I had 5 orchids this winter and am down to 2. 🤨 so annoying and I tried really hard even watched videos on them. They just don’t love me. The outside of my house neighbors say it is a nursery 😃 ah well rather be outside.

[@websterren6309]

I hate houseplants but my siblings keep buying them for my mother. She can't take care of them so it's up to me. I look forward to warm weather so I can cart them outside and let nature take care of them. Then I accidentally "forget" to bring them all in when it gets cooler outside!

[@TheImpatientGardener]

I've "accidentally" forgotten a few outside myself. :)

[@emkn1479]

So they don’t tend to shock or defoliate when you bring them back inside for winter? I never have good experiences transitioning plants. I have the same lovely begonia and they like so much more sun than I realized. Once I moved the plant to a sunnier spot it pushed out so much more growth. Also, please help us out with a ficus pruning tutorial! I messed up with mine and it’s growing all sorts of strange...I could use visuals.

[@MrFkoller]

To be a video about how terrible the houseplants look that are pretty good! the Ficus looks amazing to be an indoor plant, most indoor ficus looks nowhere near that good! I think they look pretty good, except maybe the begonia and the cymbidium :P And it's great to see not so perfect houseplants, most people only show the pretty and nice, but this is real, and not as bad as you think in my opinion.

[@CottageGardensonForest]

Omg I killed my first houseplant this spring and I thought I have to be the worst gardener. Lol Thank goodness I’m not alone...

[@maruxfmm1407]

I feel like I can grow anything outside, but give me a house plant and I turn into a plant murderer. 😳🌱☠️🥀

[@valiumsurbanjungle2041]

Oooooh yes!!! Same... 😂

[@Bamboo4U2]

My father is the same. Excellent outdoor gardener. Inside? Disastrous.

[@daniellefragoso7839]

Omg, I am too!!!!

[@AndYourLittleDog]

I was exactly like that until lockdown. 900 hours of KZbin on houseplants and my game is strong. Hoyas are excellent plants that want to be neglected and will flower inside so that’s a suggestion for you guys.

[@therapywithisabel]

The plant hauls have been rushed due to the circumstances. As soon as I realize I brought home an indoor plant - my neighbor gets a photo and the plant shows up at her door. The only reason my first year of gardening has gone this far is all due to Mother Nature. Things seem to go south when I get involved.

[@indoorIvan]

Hopefully you didn't hurt your back with that heavy Ficus! I'm surprised the Begonia and Staghorn fern aren't protected but the Ficus is! Do the other plants get more shade to avoid any burning?

[@TheImpatientGardener]

No. I just love them less. 😂

[@indoorIvan]

@@TheImpatientGardener Oh... Haha 😅

[@bonitadc3]

You have some amazing plants! sorry, but I did have a few laughs at your struggles with those big plants. QUESTION though: How on earth do you keep them clear of bugs in the winter? I have a lot of plants inside in winter too (zone 7a) but this past winter I had the worst problem with fungus gnats. Do you struggle with anything like that on your houseplants? and what about the gnats outside, do you spray before bringing them back in? this is a bad year for aphids and gnats, I don't want to bring anything back in the house before winter.

[@christinele1136]

I'm the same way. I have one houseplant...an ivy and that's it lol