Best House Plants for West Texas Climate
In the winter, when the temperature drops and the mesquite leaves fall, the West Texas landscape tends to glow ten shades of brown. If you find yourself yearning for brighter, more technicolor days until spring arrives, one way to fight the winter blues is to bring the outdoors inside with houseplants.
A houseplant or two can instantly soften and warm up a room. Studies have shown that houseplants boost your mood and reduce stress levels, and who doesn’t need a mood booster at the moment? Houseplants also have been proven to purify the air in your home. While smog isn’t a problem in Midland, it still gives you peace of mind to know that your home’s atmosphere will be pollutant-free.
Winter is our driest time of the year in Midland, with indoor humidity hanging around just 20%. Many houseplants are not suited for our climate and struggle to stay alive through our dry winters, so having a variety of your new green friends is important.
The following is a list of houseplants that are beginner-friendly, easy to find locally in West Texas, and will thrive here with little care:
Snake Plant (dracaena trifasciata)
This plant might as well be fake with the amount of abuse it can take. The snake plant or mother-in-law’s-tongue has an interesting, upright structure that can brighten any dark corner. There are several varieties that come in all shades of green, with and without variegation. Care for this plant is pretty simple: it is low light tolerant but will grow faster with moderate light, it prefers for its soil to be dry between watering. If you’re a forgetful plant parent, this is your guy!
ZZ Plant (zamioculcas zamifolia)
The Latin name of this plant might be a mouthful, but the ZZ plant couldn’t be any easier to care for. It has an upright form, and you can find two varieties locally: the bright green original variety and a modern variety with unusual black foliage (Raven ZZ). ZZ plant care is the same as the snake plant: low to moderate light and prefers dry soil between watering. This plant might be one of the few that would survive for quite a while with no light at all (all plants need light to survive though, so in darkness, it would just die a slower death than most others would). It is optimal for bathrooms and other places in the home where other houseplants can’t survive.
Pothos (epipremnum aureum)
This vining pothos plant adds instant tropical vibes to whatever room it's placed in. There are several beautiful varieties available in variegated and non-variegated shades of yellow, green and white. This is a very fast grower and it is easily propagated to share the plant love with friends. Propagation is as simple as cutting a vine and sticking the base in water for a few weeks before it sprouts new roots. Pothos are another low-light tolerant plant, so they will survive in most places in the home or office but will grow faster with more light.
Monstera Deliciosa
This plant probably looks familiar because of its Instagram fame. The monstera deliciosa is another fast grower, with leaves getting larger and more fenestrated (natural holes/gaps in the leaves,) as the plant matures. Because the leaves get so large so fast, you’ll need plenty of room for its tropical sprawl. This plant prefers more light than the other listed plants so place it near an east, west, or south-facing window. It has moderate watering requirements, but make sure the top inch of the soil is dry between watering. If it starts to flop over as it gets more mature, you can tie the vines to support in the center of its pot to make it more stable
Local Houseplant Resources
If you’re ready to add a new green friend to your home, there are a couple of local house plant sources in Midland. Alldredge has the largest selection of houseplants, pots, and potting supplies. While you’re there, stop in for lunch at the Café and enjoy the one place in Midland with humidity levels over 20%. The other local houseplant gem is Botanical Boutique in Ally Village. This small plant store has the healthiest houseplants in Midland, beautiful pots, and all the plant advice. The owner of Botanical Boutique hails from a former gardening staple of Midland, Mannings Nursery, so she has a wealth of plant knowledge that she is eager to share with customers. Before or after picking up advice and a plant from Botanical Boutique, stop for weekend brunch at Butter.
If you have plant care questions or are interested in finding out more about the local houseplant scene, the Facebook group Midessa Houseplant Enthusiasts is a burgeoning community for the green-obsessed. The group is filled with several enthusiastic plant parents that enjoy sharing knowledge and care resources.
