Looking for a houseplant you can’t kill? This terrific trailer is the one, says Ursula Sutcliffe

WE seem to fall into two categories:

1. We love houseplants but kill them so decided along time ago to stick to cacti and succulents;

2. We had a houseplant 10 years ago which died so have become convinced we are no green thumb.

The good news is, we are all green thumbs. You just need to know which plant you are buying.

Every week, I have someone come into the shop and say: “ I want a plant that I can’t kill.”

My response is and always will be, the Epipremnum aureum, aka the golden pothos.

It really is a plant that keeps on giving. This is a plant that you can water before you go on holiday and not have to worry that you’re going to come back home to a brown, strangled mess.

The golden pothos goes by many names such as, the money plant and devil’s ivy. It has lush, heart-shaped leaves that are a vibrant green with variegated white, yellow or pale green patterns running through. This trailing vine is every household’s first plant.

This beauty can tolerate low light and even fluorescent lighting. It can go without water for a couple of weeks and tolerate lower temperatures compared to most houseplants.

Styling your pothos is also easy due to its versatility of positioning. Choose a trailing vine for ceilings and shelves or one on a moss pole for a desk or corner.

It’s also up there for its air-purifying qualities.

I really do love this plant, not only because of its easy maintenance but because it’s a plant that gives us more. As your plant gets established, you will notice little aerial roots or nodes developing down the vines of your plant. Take a pair of scissors and cut above one or more of these nodes and then place into water – within about two weeks you have enough of a root ball to pot back on or keep it in water as a styling option (I actually do this with a lot of my plants).

Let’s break its care routine down so you can keep a guide for future reference:

  • Place just about anywhere where you receive some light;
  • Water once a week in the summer and once a fortnight in the winter;
  • Don’t fertilise the plant, they don’t need it due to its growing nature;
  • Keep away from cats – this plants is toxic to cats and can harm soft tissue in the mouth and throat;
  • Repot in the spring time;
  • Enjoy!

This plant will give you years of happy, healthy growth.

So there we have it. The golden pothos and, of course, I have them in the shop.

Of course I’ll be happy to help you with any other questions you have about it and, finally, we can have a good old cup if tea while we admire all the plants.

Until next week, planters!

Plant One On Me is at 11 Upper Millergate, Bradford BD1 1SX, part of the Sunbridge Wells complex.

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