Time for the autumn shift. Outdoor flowerpots are replanted with cold-hardy flowers, and it’s time to start cleaning up Big Jim, my 50-year-old rubber tree, before dragging it indoors for the winter.

Pity the little lizards that had snuggled into the soil, now forced to find new winter quarters. This is one of my concerns every October as I begin a ritual I’ve followed for decades, ever since I had to drag my mother’s treasured bird of paradise in and out with the seasons.

And what home is complete without a phytopet or two? These “portable hobbies” liven things up, bringing comfort and the satisfaction of keeping something alive with little real effort. Fussing over an African violet or Sansevieria also connects us to our agrarian roots.

Unlike my garden-club grandmother, who fussed over her blue-ribbon African violets on a special lighted stand, I am not one to coddle plants. I’m often gone for weeks at a time in winter, so I mostly stick with low-care kinds with broad, slick leaves that collect maximum light and, unlike ferns and palms, tolerate low humidity and sporadic watering. My favorites include Ficus (rubber tree, fiddle leaf fig, weeping fig), Sansevierias (mother-in-law’s tongue or snake plant), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), Pothos vine, ribbon plant and other Dracaenas, Philodendrons, Begonias, Dieffenbachia (dumb cane), wax Hoya vine, dwarf Schefflera, and quite a few succulents. Oh, and the oft-overlooked cast-iron Aspidistra.

I’m growing way too many. To accommodate my leafy collection, I added a large room to my tiny cabin, with energy-efficient double-pane windows on three sides and a stained concrete floor that’s easy to mop dry.

Low indoor humidity dries tropical leaves faster than misting can help, causing leaf-edge burn or total defoliation. I arrange plants in layers, with smaller pots set on the soil of larger ones to create a humid, jungle-like microhabitat. When I water, excess moisture drips onto those below and eventually into pans that can be emptied easily. It’s also smart to position something near the heater vent to redirect dry air away from the plants.

Recent research shows potted plants make practically no difference in indoor air quality. They don’t filter anything beyond what is caught in dust on leaves or absorbed by soil between waterings. The over-hyped NASA research of the 1980s, often cited by the potted-plant industry, was conducted in small sealed chambers — not in real-life homes with doors, windows, and circulating air. Grow them because you love them, not because you expect cleaner air.

Most of my largest plants are pruned hard every fall to remove dead or scraggly growth, spider webs, bird nests, and the like. This also limits leaf drop caused by the sudden shift to lower light and lower humidity indoors. I dust everything with the garden hose, hand-sweep fallen leaves from foliage and soil, and soak the roots three times, a few minutes apart, to drive out ants, roaches, and other hitchhiking critters.

I’m giving Big Jim a cleaning and haircut ahead of time, trying to avoid the usual last-minute rush to drag everything in before the first frost. Hopefully, this year, it will be free of ants, spiders, and lizards.

Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to [email protected].

READER FAVORITES

• 

  Master Gardeners bloom at state conference

  By Ashlyn Joyner • 18 hours ago