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House Plants : ZZ Plant

House Plants to Love : ZZ Plant
Hey Guys! I wasn’t expecting to take so much time in-between-posts, I had put this one all together and hoped to finish it during the course of a long train ride, but instead I just decided to not finish it. The fam and I went on a much needed vacation last week. The boys have finally reached an age where the make decent traveling companions. We headed out to the west coast to start our vacation journey in Portland, however we made the mistake and took the discount airline, Frontier. Due to a delayed flight we missed our connecting flight and the airline was unable to book us on another flight (so lame). So, we scrambled, emptied our wallets, and somehow made it to Seattle at 2AM, just in time to hop on a train. At least we got to see the entire west coast from top to bottom, which bt-dubs, was insanely beautiful. Did you guys know that spring exists in other places? We got to Seattle just as the tree buds began to open – so jealous. We ended up a few days later in Palm Springs where we rented a beautiful house. I don’t want to tell too much cause my plan was to do a whole trip recap sometime in the near future. For now I am in bed with a cold (cause that’s what happens after the best vacay) and struggling to finish up this post.

On to business, today I’m sharing a newer favorite house plant, the ZZ plant (aka Zanzibar Gem). Let me start by saying that I have four of these things, and have never had as much as a wilted stem no matter how much I neglect them. I purchased my first plant about two years ago, enough time to learn that these guys are slow growers. Here in the midwest, the ZZ Plant usually puts out a few new shoots around the new year which take about 2-3 months to be fully realized (warmer temperatures will typically result in more growth). The thing I love about them is their vibrant green, glossy, symmetrical leaf pattern. It’s so perfect it can often be mistaken for plastic, but don’t be fooled my friends. For all you brown thumbs out there, this plant can tolerate low-light and neglect, and still pull off babe plant status.

These should be easy for you to find, almost every big box hardware store, and blue and yellow swedish wonderland sells them. The ZZ Plant prefers moderate to low light preferring to be kept out of direct sunlight. Shoot for anything but a south face window and they should be okay. If you notice curling brown leaves your plant is getting too much light and should be placed in a shadier locaisch. They prefer to be watered lightly and appreciate drying out between drinks. Too much water can cause the potato-like rhizomes to rot, and the leaves to yellow. If you see yellow leaves take this as your sign to take it easy on the water.

Please take note that this plant is poisonous, give it a home on your mantel or tall dresser and don’t feed it to your kids for dinner.

Botanical name:
Zamioculcas zamiifolia

House Plants to Love : ZZ Plant

Light:
Keep this one away from direct southern light. This plant will be happier in indirect light or a moderately shady section of your home.

Watering:
If you do anything, underwater this plant. Make sure to let it dry out between waterings, and water it lightly.

House Plants to Love : ZZ Plant

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  • Lindsey April 5, 2016

    So lame about Frontier! I have a friend who works for an airline (a good one–not Frontier), and she has told us that any time we have a problem with the airline to be sure to Tweet at them or post and tag them in other social media. They try to keep their social media clean, and you can typically hear from someone faster than calling and waiting on hold. I hope they’re able to make it somewhat right!
    And thanks for all these great plant posts. You have singlehandedly helped me improve my outdoor living space, and I will definitely be on the hunt for some of these indoor plants too!

    • Scoops April 7, 2016

      Oh man, I’ll have to send my husb-o on a man hunt, I have a strong aversion to confrontation. It would be nice to get reimbursed for the money we had to spend on booking with another airline on the SAME DAY! Thanks for the tip :)

  • Meredith April 5, 2016

    I have nothing resembling a green thumb so when we moved into our house 5 years ago and friends of ours gave us one of these plants for a house warming I told them not to be offended if it wasn’t alive the next time they came over as I tend to kill green things pretty quickly. My friend told me that this plant was practically un-killable as she had left hers at her office with no natural light and no watering for a year while she was on maternity leave and it still lived! She was right, this is the greatest plant and not only is it still alive but it is thriving in my house! I have repotted it in a larger pot and it just continues to grow and look amazing even if I forget to water it for over a month!

    • Scoops April 7, 2016

      I bet it is huge and beautiful now! I think I need to repot all of mine this summer, it’s good to hear that they take well to being repotted!

  • katrina April 5, 2016

    I love these plant posts, but I’m here to commiserate with you about Frontier. We had a missed connection disaster experience with them last year. THE WORST. Glad the rest of your vacation went well and I can’t wait to read about it!

    • Scoops April 7, 2016

      Katrina, it was absolutely they worst. Like, I couldn’t believe it was real. It’s one of those nightmare experiences that you think are just too bad to actually happen to people. We were so lucky to have made it to Seattle and salvage our trip, but it was possible because another crucial flight was delayed – still cost us big. Nothing like seeing your very thoughtfully planned and scheduled trip fall apart before your eyes. I’m sure you experienced the same lack of ‘give a shit’ that we did, hope you were able to make the most of your trip after it happened.

  • Alison G April 6, 2016

    I am glad to see a low light plant featured. Sadly our house is on the low light side. More low light plants please. This one is now on my shopping list.

    • Scoops April 7, 2016

      I will try, Alison! Here are a few other options you could look into that tolerate low-light: Hoya, Heart Shaped Philodendron, Monstera, and Boston Fern. Hope that helps :)

      • Alison G April 14, 2016

        Thank you so much. I will look them up and see if I can find them to buy.

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