5 Easy Plants To Start Your Plant Growing Journey

Hello Everyone!

It’s time to talk about plant growing and all that jazz. Ok, so if you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know that I’ve become a plant mom. I started growing some indoor plants a few years ago, and have developed a love for it, and every so often, whenever I’m at the garden centre, I just have to pick up a new plant. Why? Because I want to see how far my gardening skills have gone. I’m not at the stage yet, where I can start building raised flower beds and growing my own fruit and vegetable crops, but I will get there one day. For now, I’m slowly learning how to propagate the plants I currently own and building the family of plants that now overflow my windowsill.

So, here is a beginner’s perspective on how to grow your own plants at home, it’s quick, it’s simple, it’s easy, and if you’re patient enough, you’ll see just how much they’ve grown from when they were babies (because yes, they are babies). Like I said, I’m still a beginner, and although I have a variety stacked on my windowsill, I’ve not gone quite as far as planting in the garden yet, but to help you get started, here are 5 easy plants you can start with, for your own plant growing journey.

1.   Lipstick Echeveria

The Lipstick Echeveria, or the Echeveria Agavoides is a succulent that doesn’t need too much attention, to thrive. Literally, it can go weeks without water, as long as you leave it on your windowsill. The Lipstick Echeveria was the first ever plant I purchased and looked after, along with a coffee plant that is sadly no longer with us (I accidentally killed it by putting it in a non-draining pot - lesson learned). The one I currently own, on my windowsill is the child of another Lipstick Echeveria plant that is also no longer with us, because of complications when my mom left it outside during the summer, and when it returned indoors, it didn’t last very long.

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Luckily, I managed to propagate one of the babies it had started growing, the summer it was left out, and it’s been with me ever since. Like I said, the Lipstick Echeveria is one of the easiest plants to start off with, because it doesn’t need too much care. So, if you’re a very busy person, and you don’t have time to watch over your plants, every day, this one’s a good one to start off with. You just need to remember to water it every now and then, and you’ll be fine.

2.   Globulea Hispida

Globulea Hispida, or Crassula Mesembryanthemoides (try saying that out loud!) is another succulent that busy people can begin their gardening journey with. When I was working full-time, I was gifted this plant, by a former employer, and it has been about three years, since I got it. She (yes, I call her she!) started out as nothing but a small shoot of two branches, now she’s almost become a tree. Granted, I haven’t potted her in a big pot, because I don’t have that space in my home, but what started out as a small gift has become a big part of my family.

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Like with the Lipstick Echeveria, you can’t go wrong with the Globulea Hispida, just as long as you keep it on your windowsill, where it can get a full blast of sunlight, and don’t forget to water it every now and then. Remember, in the summer, that’s when these succulents really come online, so while you might be able to water them once a month in the winter and springtime, summer is when they may need a second drink, or maybe even a third one.

3.   Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera, any type of Aloe Vera, like the previous two plants are another beginner-friendly plant. Again, they’re succulents, so they thrive on neglect. Literally, stick them on a windowsill that faces the sunlight, and they’ll be fine. Just remember to water them once in a while. I have had my Aloe Vera plant a Gonialoe variegata, formerly Aloe variegata, or Tiger Aloe Vera plant for about a year now, and I’ve proudly watched her grow from a tiny little thing that could fit in a small coffee mug, that now stands tall and proud at my windowsill. When I first got her, I was so ecstatic, because I’d just been to The Maldives (which is a beautiful country, by the way) and everywhere we went, there were Aloe Vera products lining every single shelf in sight. Literally, there were Aloe Vera drinks, Aloe Vera gels to help with insect bites, you name it.

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If you ask me, I should have bought an Aloe Vera plant ages ago. Not only because they are very easy to take care of, but they are useful too. You can eat the gel inside the leaves and use them for medicinal purposes. Just be warned, only eat the Aloe Barbadensis plant. Any other Aloe Vera plant will be toxic. You can, however, use other Aloe plants, like the Tiger Aloe Vera plant (the one I have), for skincare uses, so for example, if you have a sun burn, or an open wound, you can apply the gel to the wound or burn, and it will help cool and heal the area. Just remember to use it immediately, do not save the gel for a later time, it won’t work as well.

4.   Arabica Coffee

You all know I love my coffee! I was a barista for two years, and even now, when I no longer am, I still love my coffee. I hope one day I can use my barista skills at home, or maybe even open my own coffee shop, who knows, but that does not extend to my plant journey. I am suggesting Coffea Arabica, as a beginner-friendly plant, because it is beginner friendly. Now, while it’s not as easy as the succulents I previously mentioned, it still is a hardy plant that won’t need too much care and attention. I will point out that it may not flower in your home, and it may not grow the beans you need, to have an actual coffee with. Chances are, some of your coffee plants may die before you can harvest enough beans to use for a drink. There is a reason for that. It needs the right temperature, soil and climate to yield enough beans, and you'll need an actual farm, to be able to enjoy coffee from your beans. That’s why they have coffee farms in Brazil, Africa and even in Asia.

Don’t be disheartened thought, a coffee plant is still a good plant to have at home. It will still flower and grow into a beautiful bush that can decorate any corner of the house, as long as you remember to water it often. I don’t mean water it every single day, it’s still a tropical plant after all, and can survive a few days without it, but unlike a succulent or a cactus, you’ll need to water it at least once a week. Just remember the 1-inch rule. If the top first inch of the soil is dry, your plant will cry (I made that up, so sue me).

5.   Peppermint

Now, for those of you who are more adventurous and a little more available, Mentha Piperita or Peppermint is a good herb to start off with. You might have wondered why I didn’t suggest lavender. While lavender is a good plant to start off with, I think the Peppermint plant is a good way to introduce yourself to perennial plants. Peppermint, like other Mint plants (yes, there’s a difference), die back in winter. So, when you see your mint leaves start to fall, don’t worry or throw it out! The leaves will come back in spring!

Like the coffee plant, it will need frequent watering, although in winter it won’t need as much, since it’s dormant. Just remember to water it at least once a week, and you’re good to go. It’s a hardy plant, so you can’t go wrong with it. Just remember, don’t plant it straight into your garden soil, it may take over the space, since it can grow out really quickly, so if you wanted to plant it with other flowers and shrubs, your Mint plant might overwhelm them. Ideally, grow them in pots, or raised flowerbeds, away from other plants, so they don’t choke them out. Also, unlike the coffee plant, you can harvest your Peppermint plant every summer! So, you’ll have minty fresh food and drinks throughout the season, to keep you cool.

Now You Have 5 Easy Plants To Grow, Get Growing!

Honestly, it isn’t difficult to start, just get some compost, a few pots, a couple of trowels and a watering can, and you’re good to go. Like I said, I’m a beginner myself, and I’ll be making this journey with you. So, get yourself a good succulent to start off with, and grow your garden with me. Who knows, we may end up planting a vegetable patch together and growing our own food for the kitchen. I am no expert, but the more planting and propagating I do, the more experienced I’ll get, and eventually, we may end up being just as fussy with our soil and compost as the professionals do.

Well, that’s it from me today, I’m going to go to the garden centre and get me a lavender plant (I’ve always wanted a lavender plant!), as well as a couple of new pots, for some of my coffee plants. In the meantime, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my social media channels, and on Patreon. Your support really helps me make more content like this, for you guys.

And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.

I’ll see you later!

Feather, out!