Houseplants can be tricky. They grow in what are essentially artificial, indoor conditions, care advice can be conflicting and knowing where you’re going wrong is often down to guesswork. You’re Overwatering It! by houseplant fanatic Jonny Balchandani aims to take the mystery out of growing successfully indoors.
(Ad. Sent review copy. Not paid to review.)
Jonny, better known as The Bearded Plantaholic to his many social media followers, didn’t always love houseplants or know who to look after them. Rather, his interest was sparked by a pathos, a type of vine, that refused to die no matter how he mistreated it.
“That pathos didn’t just survive – it sparked something,” he tells us.
He became interested in houseplants not as part of interior decoration but as “living things with their own needs, instincts and behaviours”. Understanding those is the key to knowing how to grow them successfully.
Unlike many houseplant books, You’re Overwatering It!, doesn’t pick out individual plants and give care guides. Instead, Jonny describes it as a “training manual” and it covers the basic elements that any plant needs – light, water, soil – and how to judge what will suit each plant.
He begins by debunking plant labels and their “misleading advice” before moving on to light – can a plant see the sky? – soil mixes and water – “watering is an art”.
Along the way, he calls out common beliefs that he thinks are “rubbish”: watering cannot be tied to a timetable as conditions vary between houses and plant growth is further affected by the seasons. The idea that there are shade-loving plants is laughable. It is just the difference between surviving and thriving.
There’s advice on the different ways of watering, which soil mixes are best for particular types of plants, how to deal with pests, and a ‘personality test’ in each section to determine which plants you and your home are most suited to growing.
For those who wish to know more, there’s a look at the science of how plants grow and communicate through the wood wide web as well as advice on shaping and displaying your collection.
It’s information conveyed in an easy style: Begonia maculata is described as “wearing couture”, the ZZ plant as “the cockroach of houseplants (in the best way)”.
He advises starting with something you actually care about keeping alive and moves on to end the book with rare, unusual and extremely difficult plants to grow.
Ultimately though it’s important to begin with plants that suit how you garden: “Plant care should bring joy and fulfilment, not stress.”
You’re Overwatering It! by Jonny Balchandani photography by Dave Brown is published by Ebury Press with an RRP of £25. #Ad You can buy it here for £11.72. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Alternatively, you may wish to buy from an independent bookseller here. All prices correct at time of publication of this post.
Enjoyed this? You can read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here.
Make sure you don’t miss future posts by adding your name to my mailing list.