The days have been cold and dry most of this week. With our central heating running more than usual, the house plants needed some extra TLC.
Dusting and polishing are never high on my to-do list, but I made an exception for the plants. Just like nick-knacks, the broader the leaf, the greater the dust. I use a damp, micro-fiber cloth for the taller plants, wiping the leaves when possible. The Ficus don’t seem to collect much dust, so a gentle tap to the branches loosens what’s there.
The small plants in the kitchen window are the easiest to revive. I set them in the sink for a thorough soak, giving the leaves a quick, warm-water rinse while I’m at it. Even the saucers got a nice cleaning.
Kitchen windows are such a great place for houseplants. They enjoy the natural humidity of an active kitchen, and they rarely dry out with a water faucet just inches away. I generally have a small planter with kitty grass for KT and if we’re motivated, we try growing from an avocado pit.
It’s amazing how well some houseplants do living in cramped pots, with dry air and sometimes dryer soil. This coffee plant, below thrived in the kitchen for many years, sitting on top of the fridge. After remodeling, we had to relocate the plant to another room. It’s still quite healthy, producing these lovely shiny leaves.
Here’s what we have growing indoors:
Freshly “polished” leaves
Fiddle-leaf Fig
Dracaena
Kitchen Counter Collection
The current windowsill collection includes three “Christmas Cactus,” a small yellow rose and an as yet unidentified bulb. I must have picked it up from the garden and had it stored in a kitchen drawer with my seed keeper. It started sprouting, so I popped into a plastic martini glass, leftover from my Halloween costume. Crazy, eh?
Martini with a twist?
‘Sunrise Cactus’ gorgeous, even when not in bloom
Christmas Cactus Bloom
Do you have anything growing on your window sill?
Gardening Nirvana 
Wow, the Christmas Catus looks like someone air brushed it. Beautiful!
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Thank you, Sharon. They are magnificent blooms.
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You definitely have a green thumb! I have African Violets growing near the kitchen sink, and they’ve never been happiier. Each one is starting to bloom. They’ve never been so coordinated in their growth before, so the display of the various flowers & colors is a joy to behold…as I do the dishes. 😉 333
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Thanks for dropping by, Cici! 😉
I love African Violets! How nice to have them coordinating schedules in your kitchen window. I hope you’ll share a photo. I would love to see them.
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You’ve really got me on this one. I only have two house plants. One is dying a slow death. It’s a Spider plant left over from a summer basket and the parts that didn’t get chewed are brown from too much watering. I had to put it way up high so Petals would leave it alone and the poor thing is barely hanging on. I’ve tried to assure it, spring isn’t too far away. I did by an ivy to toss in an Aqua Mccoy Pot I wanted to enjoy…that thing doesn’t seem to mind my lack of attention. I love your Christmas Cactus, so pretty.
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I have orchids growing in my kitchen window, two of them in separate flower pots that I just transplanted into their bigger home and boy oh boy they are growing fast now. It is true that even root bound they will grow and even thrive but once given a bigger home they grow like crazy, I can’t help but think that they must be happy…….. 🙂
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Hi Stacie! Thanks for commenting.
How nice to have that kind of success with your orchids. They must really enjoy that spot, and now all the extra leg room, too. Well done!
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