Did you watch the movie Bio-Dome and wish you never had? If so, then you’re like most of the world. But, did you watch Bio-Dome and secretly wish you could surround yourself with tons of plants? Well, then you might just be ready for the latest millennial house decorating trend, #JungalowStyle.
Other terms for this trend:
I’m here to say I did dream of living in a bio-dome and I might/maybe/possibly am a plant hoarder, who can now hide behind the decorator term of ‘house jungle’.
If you have secret dreams of creating your own plant-obsessed haven, but don’t know where to start, then here are five of my longtime favorites.
# 1 Jade Tree
If you want a plant you can own for the next 30 years with very little care, then you need a jade tree in your life. This plant pictured was owned and tended for decades by my parents, then passed along to me for another decade. It is at least 30 years old and likes to spend its summers outdoors, sunning itself on our porch. During the winter I water it every 2 weeks and when it’s outside, I almost never water it.
#2 Spider Plant
You can forget to water this one and put it in a low-light, north window and it won’t bat an eyelash. This is one of two plants my husband brought to our relationship. Yes, I’m pretty sure our vows said something about sharing all our wealth, which includes plant wealth.
#3 Pothos
Here is the second plant that I adopted when I married my husband. I’m here to say this indestructible plant can be left for an entire month in a college apartment without water, barely clinging onto life, but it can survive. It can also be moved in the back of a pick-up truck while driving 60 miles an hour for 30 minutes, while nearly every leaf is stripped off, and still make a comeback.
#4 Purple Shamrock
Sometimes you need a plant that’s a color other than green. This plant fits the bill and grows nicely with a splash of water weekly. This plant does well in a south-facing window. Beware that the bulbs of the purple shamrock are toxic to dogs and cats and should be placed out of their reach. I can vouch for its toxicity because a vole once broke into our basement, feasted on the plant’s bulbs, and didn’t even make it two feet from the plant container before expiring on the cement floor.
#5 Ponytail Palm
The arch nemesis of this plant is cats. Other than that, it requires water every 2 weeks or so and a bright windowsill. We actually have two ponytail plants because I have a real problem when it comes to saying “no” when a plant is offered to me. Another bonus is you can tell small children that visit your home that it’s named “Rapunzel”.
These five plants will help you establish a solid foundation for your new Jungalow, but be warned that it’s a slippery slope and more plants might be in your future.
Do you know of other houseplants I should be adding to my collection? Let me know which one I missed in the comments below.
My Mom grew African Violets for years till some disease started killing them. Then she switched to gloxinias. They were beautiful when all were in bloom. They went dormant afterwards and were taken to the basement to sit on shelves will they started up again several months later. They grew in pots that watered themselves with a wick from the bottom container. During dormancy, they were not watered. Easy. Beautiful. Inexpensive. CAUTION: They often attracted hummingbirds which would fly into the window glass and occasionally commit accidental suicide.
Your mother’s collection sounds spectacular! Did she have a wide variety of colors? I have grown African violets, but not gloxinias. I do like it when I can ditch a plant during dormancy in the basement until they build up steam for their next flowering display. I’ll keep my eyes peeled to add a gloxinia to my collection next time I see one. And I’ll be sure not to tempt hummingbirds into the window.