NOW TRENDING: AN EASIER HOUSEPLANT

These Products Make Growing The Green Stuff

Indoors An Actual Cinch By

Behold the black-thumbed monster. I’ve never met a houseplant I couldn’t kill. Until last year, that is, when I invested in a new plant on the market, Easyplant, a statement piece that promised me it could overcome my ability to destroy greenery that wasn’t ersatz. Would I be able to overcome my inability to stop killing plants? Only time would tell.

I ordered a Dragon Tree, a spiky plant hailing from Madagascar in the tallest size (it measures several feet) in a Deep Navy pot ($249). Easyplant prevents over- and under-watering. A reservoir built into the pot allows you to fill it once per month; the water is then slowly distributed to the

HANNAH SELINGER

plant in a measured, perfect way. You can go on vacation without asking someone to stop by to water your houseplants, and the sleek, streamlined pots do not need to have a dingy plastic liner left underneath to catch spillover water. Everything is right in the container. It’s one of the most designforward planters on the market, with extra points for how easy it is to use (and how impossible the plant is to kill, I’ve learned).

Houseplants come in a range of sizes and styles, from money trees to rubber trees to palms. Those looking to add indoor botanicals to their homes with minimal effort and relatively moderate cost should consider Easyplant. Pots come in a ton of different colors, and plants can be selected to suit whatever light your home has the most of. After 18 months, plants can be repotted — so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Easyplant isn’t the only brand making indoor greenery that much easier. Lettuce Grow, which facilitates indoor vegetablegrowing with a starting price tag of $348, is worth considering if you’ve been missing out on crunchy greens in the colder months. This hydroponic machine relies on water that has been infused with nutrients and fertilizer to boost leaf and root growth. Roots grow long and outward, rather than into the ground, a visual reminder of how gardening actually works.

Lettuce Grow is a modern contraption that looks fashionable enough in any kitchen or sunroom. What’s even better is what it produces: crisp lettuce and herbs and, if you can manage to teach yourself the ins and outs of pollination, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other members of the nightshade and melon families. The delight is in knowing that there’s very little fuss involved here: nary a spade, hoe, or tiller in sight (and no soil to mess around with, either). The lettuce sprouts irrespective of the weather, and the veggies can emerge even in the coldest days of winter.

Like Easyplant, Lettuce Grow is designed to help gardeners who aren’t necessarily naturally inclined toward making things flourish on their own. The machine does require the occasional tune-up, and, yes, if you feel more ambitious about planting, you may find yourself buried in a book when it comes to pollination. But, for the most part, both Lettuce Grow and Easyplant are both easy on the eyes and easy on the mind. And that’s ok! We could all use a little assistance sometimes.