Recently, we mourned the loss of Ida, our beloved Ikea Ivy. It was tough to say goodbye, mostly because it meant I failed to keep a plant alive. For those who watched recent Oscar winner Sandra Bullock’s movie 28 Days, you know that keeping a plant alive is crucial before starting a relationship. Here’s hoping that’s not true for me!

In order to spruce up our homesteads, I went with my friend An-Chi to a local nursery to find the perfect indoor plant. After roaming around the outdoor section, we finally asked for help and they led us indoors for the indoor plant section. Strange, we’re such newbs that we didn’t think to look there.

Our helper insisted that most people kill indoor plants by overwatering. This wasn’t the case as Ida was fried, like deep fried, likely due to the low light and totally forgetting to water it for about two months. Our helper pointed out several great plants, but we settled on the Snake Plant, also called sansevieria trifasciata. An-Chi notes that it’s also called Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. Some plant namer must have a bit of a grudge…

This doesn’t bloom, but I was attracted to the modern look of it. (And that it hardly requires watering or much light.) Although, I forgot that Matt’s big fear is snakes and now it’s in our bedroom. No nightmares yet, that he’s mentioned, at least.

Next up was finding a correct pot. We were encouraged to get a snug, but slightly larger pot. They told us not to remove the black plastic pot from the plant. We should only remove it and add soil when it starts to get bigger. Even then, they said it should be fine to repot it in the pot we bought, since it was a little roomy.

We also had to purchase the water tray underneath, but they didn’t really have any to match the pots, so we bought plastic. It was too funky for me, so I found an old plate that I had been using as a candle holder. Here it is, in our sitting area of the bedroom. What do you think?

It’s been a couple weeks and the plant is still alive! Hooray! Now all I need is a name. Any suggestions?