Back to the Be Inspired Blog
The Secret Lives of Houseplants
Think you know the pothos on your bookshelf or the snake plant beside your desk? Familiar houseplants have a few surprises, from leaves that change as they mature to flower stalks worth keeping long after the blooms fade.
Getting to know these details can make growing houseplants more rewarding. You might try a new way to display a vine, save a future flowering site, or discover why a cutting looks different from its parent.
Take a closer look at four favorites, then explore a simple tip for finding the right growing spot in your Bay Area home.
Your Pothos Has a Grown-Up Version
You probably know pothos for its cascading vines and heart-shaped leaves. But those familiar leaves are its juvenile form.
Pothos is a climber by nature. With a suitable surface for its aerial roots to grip, adequate light, and time, it can develop much larger leaves as it matures. The way it grows can change the way it looks.
At home, a sturdy climbing support and bright, indirect light can encourage larger new leaves over time. Results depend on the variety and growing conditions, so think of it as a gradual growing project.
Try this: Give a pothos something to climb and photograph its new leaves as it grows. You may start noticing a different side of a familiar favorite.
Your Hoya Can Bloom From the Same Spot Again
Hoya flowers look almost too perfect to be real, with their waxy petals and starry clusters. But the small stalk left behind after flowering deserves some appreciation, too.
Called a peduncle, or flower spur, this little structure can produce flowers again. Many hoya species return to the same spur for repeat performances.
That means tidying up too enthusiastically after a bloom can remove a future flowering site. Let spent flowers fall naturally and leave the healthy spur attached.
Try this: Before reaching for your pruning scissors, look for the short stalk where the flower cluster grew. Preserve it, give your hoya bright, indirect light, and be patient. Young plants may take several years to begin flowering.
Your Snake Plant May Not Pass Along Its Yellow Edges
Starting a new plant from a cutting feels a little like making a copy. With some snake plants, the result has a surprise.
Yellow-edged varieties such as ‘Laurentii’ generally lose those yellow margins when propagated from leaf cuttings. The new plant can grow successfully while looking different from its parent.
The reason lies in how that particular variegation is arranged in the plant’s tissues. A leaf cutting doesn’t preserve the pattern the way division does.
Try this: If you want new plants with those same yellow edges, choose division—separating an established clump into rooted sections—instead of leaf cuttings. Ask our team for guidance before dividing your plant.
Your Peace Lily Has Flowers Hiding in Plain Sight
That elegant white “petal” is one of the peace lily’s most recognizable features. Botanically, it’s a modified leaf called a spathe.
The actual flowers are tiny and clustered along the central spike, called a spadix. Together, the spathe and spadix create the display we usually think of as a single bloom.
Even its color has a story: the white spathe can become greener as it ages, a normal part of its development.
Try this: The next time your peace lily blooms, look closely at the central spike. There’s much more happening there than you might notice from across the room.
Find the Right Spot in Your Home
A room can look bright to you while offering surprisingly little light to a plant. Our eyes adjust to dim spaces; a plant still needs enough light to grow.
For Bay Area homes, look at the actual window, its exposure, and anything shading it. Trees, nearby buildings, overhangs, and curtains all influence indoor light. Watch how sunlight moves through the room as the seasons change.
Try this: Before choosing a spot for your next houseplant, observe it at different times of day. A photo of the room and its windows can help our team recommend a suitable plant.
Learn more about indoor light from UC Master Gardeners of Alameda County.
Discover Your Next Houseplant Favorite
Part of the pleasure of growing houseplants is getting to know them. A new leaf, a returning flower cluster, or a successful division gives you something to notice and enjoy.
Visit your neighborhood SummerWinds Nursery to explore our houseplants and talk with our team about choosing and caring for a plant that suits your home.
Explore Houseplants | Find Your Store
