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" Nothing energizes a room like lush, healthy houseplants. Not only do they add color and life to interior spaces, they&amp;#039;re also natural air purifiers that consume carbon dioxide and, in turn, release clean oxygen into the air. You don&amp;#039;t have to have a green thumb to reap the rewards that a beautiful houseplant can bring to your home. We asked Woman&amp;#039;s Day Specials gardening editor, Peter Walsh, for his list of easy-care favorites. Here are his picks:   1. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera)  A succulent that grows even in places that don&amp;#039;t get a lot of sunlight, this plant is a medium to fast grower and requires watering only twice a month. &amp;quot;It reliably blooms\u2014with pink, red, white or salmon-colored blossoms\u2014in winter, just when you need the burst of color most,&amp;quot; says Walsh. Plant it in any standard houseplant potting soil and feed it once every two years with a houseplant fertilizer.   2. Rex begonia (Begonia rex)  &amp;quot;Also known as fancy leaf begonia, this plant, beloved for its textured leaves, is proven to thrive in indoor conditions and its medium size makes it ideal for a tabletop or plant stand,&amp;quot; say Walsh. It likes a sunny to partly sunny locale, grows in standard potting soil and should be watered about once every two weeks and nourished every spring with an all-purpose water-soluble plant fertilizer.   3. Shamrock plant (Oxalis regnellii)  This pretty houseplant sports purple or green origami-like leaves that look like clover. &amp;quot;The leaves fold in at night and the plant blooms almost year-round with dainty white or pink flowers held aloft on tiny tendrils,&amp;quot; says Walsh. Shamrock plants love to summer outdoors (when the weather is consistently above 50 degrees), but prefer dappled or filtered sunlight to direct bright light. Water it thoroughly once a week by placing it in the sink and running water in the pot until it fills up completely. Let it drain, then repeat this process and put it back in its place. Plant it in standard potting soil and feed it once a year with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer.   4. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)  Readily available at grocery stores, this unfussy trailing vine plant thrives in all kinds of indoor light conditions and generally needs watering about every two weeks or when the leaves start wilting slightly. &amp;quot;You can train its vines to grow in front of windows or along a ledge, or just cut off the vines when they get too long, place the cut-off pieces in a container of water and they&amp;#039;ll re-root and you can replant them,&amp;quot; says Walsh. They thrive in standard potting soil and should be fed once in the spring with houseplant food.   5. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)  Another trailing plant that&amp;#039;s super-easy to grow, spider plants can live for decades. &amp;quot;I have had one since the 1970s and it&amp;#039;s still growing in the same pot,&amp;quot; says Walsh. You can grow them in a window in bright light, on top of a fridge or virtually anywhere. You&amp;#039;ll know when they need water because their leaves begin to fold, but generally they like water about once a week. And they flower intermittently with tiny white scented flowers. Grow the plant in standard potting soil and, if it gets too big for its pot, you can remove it from its container, divide the plant in half or thirds, and repot.   6. Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla)  An evergreen that can grow indoors as well as out, this beautiful tree sports luminous green needled branches and can get up to nine feet tall or more. &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;re like living Christmas trees,&amp;quot; says Walsh. Usually sold at about three feet tall as indoor plants, they can grow from six to 12 inches per year. They prefer their roots to be nestled in snug pots with consistently moist potting soil. They should be watered once a week or once every two weeks and located in a cool place, not too close to a window, but in bright sunlight.   7. Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)  This plant is a completely different kind of tree that can bring a tropical touch to an indoor setting. It thrives in indirect light near a sliding door or window. Its feathery fronds add a softening effect to a room full of hard-lined furnishings. This palm likes soil that&amp;#039;s slightly dry and should be watered about every two weeks. It can grow up to seven feet tall, but if you keep it in a small pot, it won&amp;#039;t grow as large.  Other Indoor Gardening Tips: 1. When in doubt, throw it out. &amp;quot;If a plant looks sickly, old or ugly, be ruthless. Toss it and get a new one,&amp;quot; says Walsh. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s part of your decor and you&amp;#039;d do the same with a ratty pillow.&amp;quot;  2. Water right. &amp;quot;The fastest way to kill a houseplant is to over-water it,&amp;quot; says Walsh.  3. Let your plants summer outdoors. &amp;quot;When the weather is consistently 50 degrees outdoors, bring your plants outside for some fresh air in the shade,&amp;quot; Walsh advises. &amp;quot;Be sure the light in the location is dappled. Intense sun will bake and may kill your plants. Know what you&amp;#039;re growing and try to replicate the conditions in which the plant would grow in nature.&amp;quot;  4. Fertilize appropriately. Walsh suggests using either Jobe&amp;#039;s houseplant food spikes or a liquid or time-released granular houseplant fertilizer. Always follow the manufacturer&amp;#039;s directions. \u200BMore: 5 Plants That Help Keep Mosquitoes Away        "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/home/decorating/a1274/7-easy-to-care-for-houseplants-103045/>