The original reason we decided to write about indoor plants for this column was because our featured nursery, Potted Elephant, which exclusively grows and sells houseplants, was going to be one of the amazing vendors at the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s wonderful annual sale, Hortlandia, which traditionally has sold hardy outdoor plants but this year had extended an invitation to several indoor plant nurseries.

But, as with so many other things in our current daily existence, the coronavirus had other plans, and the April extravaganza was canceled.

Our hearts go out to the vendors who spend much of their year focused on this one event, and for those who work alongside them in their nurseries.

Let’s be honest: Our hearts go out to everyone, everywhere, at a time like this.

And while we toyed with changing gears and writing on a different subject, it felt like, with the vast majority of us hunkered down at home, indoor plants take on a whole new importance in our daily lives, so we stuck with them.

Anyhow, this is a long-winded way to say stay well, stay healthy and now, more than ever, practice kindness and patience in all that you do while never forgetting we are all in this together.

Dennis: I’ve lived long enough to experience three eras of indoor plants.

— In the late 1950s/early ‘60s, there was the Plastic Scene Epoch. Not only was every plant inside my folks’ home plastic, so was much of the fruit, which made for some very tasteless pies.

— In the ‘70s, as former hippies fell in (not-as-free-as-it-was-in-the’60s) love and got their own places, there was what I refer to as the Spider Plant Age, in which every apartment or starter home had at least one Chlorophytum comosum (usually found at swap meets) descending from the ceiling in a macrame hanger.

But those times pale when compared to the current explosion in the popularity of houseplants.

Whether it’s because fewer people have the room for large outdoor gardens but still love a bit of nature indoors, or because of the incredible variety available, plants for the interior have never been more popular.

And, if my theory about indoor plants’ blooming popularity needed any evidence to back it up, last year’s big Hardy Plant Society of Oregon plant sale, Hortlandia (looking forward to the 2021 version of this, and just about everything else, too), provided it, with countless (mostly young) shoppers on the prowl for indoor plants.

Adam Aguilera, Cory Paul Jarrell and John Heckel, the upbeat, young (to me, at least) owners of Potted Elephant, are not only in the middle of this wave of popularity, they are riding it for all it’s worth.

Adam, an English teacher at Evergreen High School in his other job, says he sees both boomers and millennials clamoring for indoor plants.

“The market potential is limitless,” he said.

And as long as growers like these three continue to grow an amazing array of beautiful plants, I can see no reason to disagree with him.

- Adam Aguilera (red shirt), Cory Paul Jarrell (purple shirt) and John Heckel (hat), own Potted Elephant are doing what they can in these difficult times to get their amazing plants into homes by offering to deliver them to your door. You can find them on Etsy (just search for pottedelephant). Marcia Westcott PeckPotted Elephant

Marcia: I’m finding sitting down to write our column a very difficult thing to do.

Normally, we offer up silly banter and a project, but during this crisis as people struggle to survive, my heart just isn’t in it.

And yet, as Dennis says, people probably need a break and maybe a little chuckle, too.

I’ll leave that to him.

While writing my part of this column, sitting on our couch in an uneasy, self-quarantined, relative cocoon, I can’t get out of my mind how the next few months will unfold and how this virus will affect everyone to some degree.

The fact of the matter is our deadline falls two weeks before our column runs in the newspaper, and at that point we didn’t know what the world would look like as you sit down to read this. One thing I do know is that we are all in this together, in this moment in time, swirling through an infinite cosmos on this big, beautiful planet we call Earth. With gratitude, I ground myself into her and find love and reassurance.

With that love and reassurance and a humbleness to what lies ahead, I turn to this week’s column.

Anyone that reads our column knows that Dennis and I always look forward to and write about Hortlandia, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s epic spring plant sale. As Dennis said, this year’s event was canceled due to the virus and will be sorely missed.

Usually packed with hardy plants, this year, because of their huge popularity, Hortlandia invited several nurseries that specialize in houseplants. My guess is next year at Hortlandia, houseplants will be invited again, offered right alongside the hardiest of outdoor garden plants.

And since houseplants are so popular and it looks like we will be spending more time indoors, we decided to go ahead and write this week’s column about indoor plants.

I’ve always had houseplants, all the way back in the ‘60s to the present, when I am actually IN my 60s. Some things are timeless!

Among our plant menagerie are a 40-year-old cactus and a 27-year-old ficus tree. I find indoor plants relatively easy. I water them once a week (some less), make sure they get enough sun and, with some seasonal fish fertilizer, they thrive.

Over the years, I have lost my share of houseplants, but by getting rid of the ones that struggle and keeping the ones that do thrive, through trial and error we have ended up with a happy little healthy community of plants that share their lives with ours.

And now, a little note about Hortlandia

The sale, the major fundraiser for the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, consists of many small, individually owned local and regional nurseries. It’s important to support them in this uncertain time, just as it is important to support everyone. If you want to learn more about activities and promotions to support the vendors, go to the HPSO website (hardyplantsociety.org). In the difficult days to come, we all need to look out for each other. Stay well.

And one about Potted Elephant, too

The three enterprising, passionate young men behind the nursery are doing what they can in these difficult times to get their amazing plants into homes by offering to deliver them to your door. You can find them on Etsy (just search for pottedelephant).

- Indoor plants everyone should have, recommended by the owners of Potted Elephant: varieties of jungle cacti; Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant); Crassula ovata (jade plant); varieties of Hoya; Davallia trichomanoides (rabbit’s foot fern); and varietieis of Haworthia. Potted ElephantPotted Elephant

Indoor plants everyone should have

Recommended by Potted Elephant

1. Many varieties of jungle cacti, which can be mounted and displayed on your wall

Water: soak for 30 minutes every 10-14 days

Sun: bright, indirect light

2. Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant)

Water: water every two weeks until it runs through the bottom of the pot

Sun: bright, indirect light

3. Crassula ovata (jade plant)

Water: water a few days after soil is completely dry and less in winter

Sun: bright, direct light (for eight or more hours)

4. Many varieties of Hoya

Water: when soil is completely dry

Sun: bright, indirect light

5. Davallia trichomanoides (rabbit’s foot fern)

Water: when soil is completely dry

Sun: bright, direct light

6. Many varieties of Haworthia

Water: water a few days after soil is completely dry and less in winter

Sun: bright, direct light

Euphorbia ingens cristataPotted Elephant

Six favorite plants of Cory Paul and John

Euphorbias

Peperomias

Begonias

Syngoniums

Orchids

Gesneriads

TIPS

1. The No. 1 thing that kills indoor plants is not enough light. So true.

2. Over care (too much water) is another thing that kills them. I water all of my plants except the cactus once a week and have learned how much each plant wants. Some plants will dry out quicker than others. Just stick your finger in the soil (Cory Paul uses chopsticks instead) and if the soil is still wet after one week, don’t give it as much water. After a while, you won’t even need to check; you’ll know.

3. Start fertilizing in spring and stop fertilizing in fall. I take my cues from nature. When the days start getting long and the trees outdoors start sending out leaves I start fertilizing my indoor plants. And in the fall, when the leaves have fallen off the trees, I stop fertilizing. Follow the cycle of nature. It has never failed me. I use very diluted fish fertilizer seasonally with each watering; that way I don’t have to even think about it.

4. Plants want well-draining soil. When you transplant your plants, be aware that there are different soil mixes for cactus, African violets, etc., but for most plants buy a potting mix that is composed of materials such as peat moss, pumice, perlite and orchid bark, because roots need air, too!

5. Most plants want to be re-potted every few years. If roots are coming out of the drain hole or there is very little soil left in the pot, it is time to re-pot and/or root prune.

6. I take some of my plants outdoors for the summer and then bring them back inside for the winter. I place them in the appropriate sunlight and treat them just like one of my outdoor potted plants. It really perks them up. Just do a pest check before you bring the back inside.

7. Be timely when it comes to remedying pests or visible concerns. Feel free to consult Potted Elephant via email (thepottedelephant@gmail.com) or Instagram (@pottedelephant). Photos are very helpful when diagnosing issues.

8. If your kids or pets eat plants, Google your plant to check for toxicity.

9. Most indoor plants enjoy an occasional shower to wash off any dust.

10. I prune many of my indoor plants just like I would my outdoor plants. I shape them and cut out dead branches or pinch off dead leaves.

11. Plants are great for getting rid of indoor air pollution. They are nature’s air purifiers.

12. You will need to have a pot that drains. I either use a saucer or place a pot with a hole in the bottom inside of a pot that doesn’t have a hole in the bottom to act as a drain pan. I place a piece of coconut fiber, some netting or some rock on top of the drain hole to keep the soil from falling through.

13. I use tongs when planting cactus.

14. If your new plant doesn’t want to come out of its nursery pot, check to see if the roots are growing out of the bottom and clip them if need be. Then, just squeeze the sides of the pot in several places or gently roll it on its side and it should slip out.

15. If you are planting multiple plants in one pot make sure they have the same needs.

16. These are general tips. Each plant is different and there are a lot of new varieties out there, so look up your specific plant to find out its needs. Knowing the name of your plant, what kind of conditions it prefers and experimenting with its environment will lead to successful indoor gardening.

17. Last, don’t be afraid if a plant dies. As I told my daughter, just pretend it was a long-lasting bouquet and try something different.

— Marcia Westcott Peck is a landscape designer (mwplandscape.com or find her on Instagram at @pecklandscape), and Dennis Peck is a senior editor at The Oregonian/OregonLive.