Plastic plant pot revamp!

A few weeks ago we bought £20's worth of 'hard to kill' house plants. I always kill houseplants, they look great for the first month then spend the next year just begging to be put out of their misery LOL The very knowledgeable lady in the shop gave me a few hints though so maybe these ones will last a bit longer, who knows? Here's what she said -

• Remember house plants come from the rainforest originally (thats why they don't need full light) so watering them with cold water will shock the roots, always use warm water.
• Water regularly, like not just when they look dry, once a week ish.
• Spray them with a mister whenever you remember to stop leaves drying out.
• Windowsills are not always the best place because of the big change in temp from day to night, most houseplants like as steady as possible temp so keep away from radiators too!
• Feed them.

They needed re-potting but we only had ugly plastic ones and being frugal and environmentally conscious we didn't want to buy new ones. DIY time :)

These paint samples we had from the living room where the wood burner went in, you don't actually need the masking tape, I was going to do something arty with it but decided not to.

Give the pots a good sanding with a fine grit sandpaper. I recommend cleaning them first not just banging them out like I did, my desk was covered in soil and a few bugs...

Paint away :) I think its easier to use a brush than these little applicators, they are kind uneven... You'll need at least 2 coats but they dry pretty fast, by the time I had done the 6th pot the 1st one was ready for a 2nd coat.

Then get re-potting :) I love how the purple really makes the green leaves stand out.

If you have any houseplant hints I would LOVE to hear them. I decided this year that even if they only last the winter and I have to buy new ones each year it's still worth it. They make the home feel so much more fresh and I know they're doing the air quality good, especially important over winter and when baby arrives (we've got a few picked for his room/our room when he's born).

P.S - Im having a little issue with my blogger account could someone please tell me if in their blog reader, a picture comes up next to my new post snippet and does it say noreply@blogger or my name and email? Thanks very much :)

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