Three Things You MUST Know Before Buying a Plant-- and Three We Think You Should Start With!

We all know what it’s like to buy a sweet plant at a store, take it home and put it somewhere special and then within months or even weeks of buying it-- it’s dead. We have experienced this too and decided to figure out how to prevent this and share some advice with you--some of our favorite people! Here we break it down into 3 things to consider when you’re purchasing a new plant. ​

1. Amount of light in a room

There are many different kinds of light plants require. The hard part is trying to figure out what type of light is in your room and where it is. This diagram should help in figuring out where you should place your plants. The amount of light that a plant gets is as important to its health as being watered. Remider: sunlight is a plant's food! You can find out what kind of light is required for your plant by reading the informational tag that comes along with the plant, asking the sales person in the plant department, or giving a quick google search. 

2. How the temperature of the room changes seasonally

A lot of places in California don’t have the same major seasonal temperature swings as most other states but the swing from warm to hot can be rough on certain plants. And some of our fruit bearing plants need to keep that high temperature and struggle during the colder months. Make sure that your plants don’t need to be moved around seasonally to different areas of your home. This is going to be something you need to keep an eye on and if your plant starts to struggle where it’s at, carefully try moving it to a different part of the house. ​

3. Children and Fur babies

Kids and pets get into things. Some plants can be very toxic to pets and others can irritate sensitive skin if not handled properly. Make sure when you are purchasing a plant you find out if it’s  safe for your home or not. Plant’s typically say on the information tag if it is toxic or not but we highly suggest googling the name of the plant to see if it is safe to have near your loved ones.

A few air purifying plants we LOVE:

1. Sansevieria Trifasciata -- or Mother-In-Law's Tongue
This plant has a funny nickname, but it's seriously cool. Not only is it extremely hardy and works well in our wearmer california climate, it requires less maintenance and watering than other leafy plants. The cherry on top is that the Mother-In-Law's Tongue is an incredible air purifier. This is a great plant to buy that will fit on a shelf or table but you can find taller, more mature versions of the plant to fill larger corners of your home.  
*Removes: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene and Toluene.

2. Dragon Tree - Dracaena Marginata
This plant is another great air purifier. The Dragon Tree has many of the same features as the plant mentioned above but it’s taller and fills space in a different way. This one is more tree-like and the edges of the leaves come in different variations. The most common has a ruby red color around the edges of the leaves which can bring in a lovely warmth and pop of color to your home. This is a particular TD favorite, and we buy/ install these beauties often for clients.
*Removes: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene and Toluene.

Corn Plant - Dracaena Fragrans
​If you’re looking for something with similar qualities as the plants above but want a fuller leafier plant-- the Corn Plant is for you! This plant can grow to be fairly tall and the bushel of leaves can stretch wide without needing direct sunlight! This is also a low maintenance plant and would look perfect in any home. 
*Removes: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Xylene and Toluene.

*information taken from a study done by NASA. For more info click here.

What do you think about these plant suggestions? Do you have any more helpful tips? Share below!