New to Lemmy, I am here to learn, mainly about plants and sustainability. 🌿
This year is my first time gardening. I planted some herbs in a raised bed in the balcony (lavender, mugwort, catmint and some pink parasol) and they are slowly growing.
I also got “Moonlight” roses and the first one opened some days ago (after constantly checking on them lol). I didn’t expect them to be so beautiful and smell so good. I will be collecting the petals to make rose tea.
There are houseplants that are taken from nature endangering the species or grown in tropical countries and imported. But this isn’t that common, especially for plants that are meant for beginners. Most countries will also have very strict laws and policies that prevent importing invasive, endangered species, or any plant that may become a threat.
Most houseplants are grown much closer to the place they will be sold (if you live in Europe, the ones you find in stores probably come from the Netherlands. Many will have their Plant Passport that can tell you where they exactly come from!), which not only reduces the impact but it also helps the plants to be better acclimated to those places.
I am not really sure if you can grow native plants indoors unless you live in a tropical country. Plants in colder climates usually need to experience the cold of the winter! Which is hard to provide in a home. Also, some plants are protected and can’t be taken from nature.
My favorite houseplants are pothos, philodendrons and other aroids.
But I would suggest you look into Tradescantias instead. They are very hardy and easy to grow. And they come in many different colors!
You just must be aware that they are considered an invasive species in some places. However, as long as they are kept in pots inside the house (or a balcony, for example), there shouldn’t be any problem.
Since they are so easy to grow, many people sell or give away cuttings (check for example this thread on Mastodon). You wouldn’t need to attend a commercial store if you don’t want to support the environmental impact all the greenhouses and nurseries have.
I don’t think cuttings are usually a good idea for beginners cause they grow so slow!! But you don’t have that problem with Tradescantias.
But don’t switch completely to a healthy diet all of a sudden, do it slowly. Otherwise your body may not handle the drastic change and you may get health issues (mine was a belly button infection 🙃).