You can have too many houseplants #sorrynotsorry

It's the Easter holidays, and this week I have spent time repotting a wayward Hoya fungii and reviving a dehyrdrated Thanksgiving cactus. I STILL haven't cleared out my messy shed (not a euphemism) but I have been bringing bunches of tulips, hyacinths and daffs into the house to enjoy, even though they are riddled with aphids that like to take up home on my Streptocarpus. 

I have decided to rehome my Epipremnum aureum 'N'Joy' because - oh the irony - it brings me no joy (no truth to the rumours that it's solely because I hate the cultivar name.) I am also giving away a few other plants because - gasp - I have too many. 

Maybe you can endlessly extend your plant collection if you live in a mansion and/or have numerous minions on hand to repot them all, but for us mere mortals, you really can have too many plants. Being aware of this fact is just one aspect of being a more responsible houseplant enthusiast.

Here are three things you can do right now to help your houseplant collection be more sustainable.

1. Make every purchase a considered one

I really dislike the phrase 'you can't have too many plants'. You really can. The right number for you might be zero, five, or 500, depending on your current situation, home, habits and budget. So, before you bring home any plant, reflect for a moment on whether you have the resources to care for it, and the knowledge to make it thrive. Houseplants are too often treated as throwaway items rather than specimens that can live for decades in our homes.

2. Stop buying plastic pots

There are loads of plastic pots already in circulation, and many end up going straight to landfill because they are not currently recyclable. Ask around and I guarantee you will be deluged with people offering to give you plastic pots. If you like clear pots, raid the recycling and you'll find milkshake cups and all kinds of clear plastic containers can be used for plants with the addition of some drainage holes. Use them until they break. 

3. Go peat free

There was a time not that long ago that nobody was talking about peat content of houseplants: thankfully that is now changing, although it's often still hard to know from the labelling whether houseplants you buy are potted in peat. It is easy, though, to only repot your plants in peat free: more and more peat-free bespoke houseplant potting mixes are coming on the market. I use Melcourt Sylvagrow Multipurpose with added John Innes and add in other elements such as grit and leca in different amounts for each plant's needs. 

Want to hear more about houseplants and sustainability? There's a whole series of podcast episodes to download here. 

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my twice monthly email newsletter about the UK houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.