The Great Houseplant Census of 2010

– Posted in: Plant info
10 comments

Mr. McGregor’s Daughter, in an effort to promote domestic harmony*, has requested gardeners everywhere to tally up the number of plants they currently have growing inside. Here are my results:

Outdoor Plants Wintering Over

1 rosemary
1 ‘Rehoku Sunrise’ carex (an experiment)
1 apple seedling (my middle daughter’s experiment)
1 orange tree grown from seed by my 16 year old son

Year Round Houseplants

4 Aloe vera
2 Christmas cactus
1 Thanksgiving cactus
1 ivy (my eldest daughter’s)
1 stem of wandering Jew, rooting in water (also my eldest daughter’s)

Forced Bulbs

8 hyacinths (pictured above)
5 Soleil d’Or narcissus (there are actually more narcissus, but some aren’t sprouting)

For a grand total of 26 plants. I would have guessed half that, but then, I probably would have counted the pots of forced bulbs as one each, and I wouldn’t have counted my children’s plants. Good thing we haven’t started any seeds yet!

What about you? Do you know how many houseplants you really have? Do you dare to find out? If so, submit your tally here.

*If you have more indoor plants than Mr. McGregor’s Daughter, you promote her domestic harmony.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

Now, the digging and dividing of perennials, the general autumn cleanup and the planting of spring bulbs are all an act of faith. One carries on before the altar of delayed gratification, until the ground freezes and you can’t do any more other than refill the bird feeder and gaze through the window, waiting for the snow. . . . Meanwhile, it helps to think of yourself as a pear tree or a tulip. You will blossom spectacularly in the spring, but only after the required period of chilling.

~Adrian Higgins in The Washington Post, November 6, 2013

Comments on this entry are closed.

Nathan (2af) February 6, 2010, 6:02 pm

If I hadn’t already moved my onions out to the cold frames I would have had over 300 🙁

Cindy, MCOK February 4, 2010, 10:19 pm

Kathy, I’m tickled that Evan commented to chide you about his orange tree. See, you had more than you thought!

Shady Gardener February 4, 2010, 10:51 am

Very nice post! What a pretty vase for your hyacinth bulb. 🙂 I took photos yesterday, but am tardy in creating a post.

Living wall artist February 4, 2010, 7:43 am

I love the Aloe Vera. We had one growing up and we’d occasionally break off a stem to use it to treat a sunburn. A good looking and useful plant =)

Dee/reddirtramblings February 2, 2010, 10:06 pm

You have bunches more than I do, and I love how you listed them. This has been fun.~~Dee

Meredith February 2, 2010, 7:36 pm

Do we count *each* seedling? Or each pot or tray of them? What about potatoes that have sprouted but not yet made it in the ground?

Kathy Purdy February 2, 2010, 7:40 pm

You should address your questions to Mr. McGregor’s Daughter. I think she said each seedling should be counted individually. Sprouting potatoes–personally, I wouldn’t count them. But it’s her census, not mine.

Evan P February 2, 2010, 6:26 pm

What makes my orange tree not count as a house plant? =(

(I bet you just forgot it…)

Kathy Purdy February 2, 2010, 6:34 pm

I did! I forgot! It is now corrected.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter February 2, 2010, 6:06 pm

Thanks for participating. I do want to know how many people have less, in the interests of truth and fairness. (But I am starting to feel rather smug.) The number of indoor plants can be surprising once you start counting them.