Turning Your Indoor Jungle from Tragic to Magic: Chive Tips for Plant Perfection

Welcome to Chive Blogs, where every houseplant gets a chance to thrive—and so do you. Our tips on houseplants, pots, and decor will save your indoor jungle from disaster. From fending off a fern-cicle to avoiding the silent treatment from succulents, we’ve got you covered. Get ready for advice that’s as fresh as morning dew, ensuring your indoor garden is the envy of your office and maybe even your snooty neighbor.

Do Plant Pots Need Drainage Holes? Yes. Here’s Why - Chive Studio, Toronto

Do Plant Pots Need Drainage Holes? Yes. Here’s Why

Plant pots need drainage holes — without one, water pools at the root zone and suffocates roots. Chive has made ceramic pots with drainage for over two decades, stocked at botanical institutions worldwide. The most important part of the pot is the part nobody photographs. 

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Large Office Plants: Bird of Paradise, Dracaena, Philodendron

Large Office Plants: Bird of Paradise, Dracaena, Philodendron

Large office plants — bird of paradise, dracaena, and philodendron — transform a workspace at a scale no other decor element reaches. They cross a threshold where they stop being amenities and start being colleagues. Once an office has one, you'll understand why.

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Low Light Office Plants: What Actually Works - Chive Studio, Toronto

Low Light Office Plants: What Actually Works

ZZ plants, snake plants, and pothos are the best low light office plants for fluorescent light and irregular watering. These three survive where every other option has quietly failed. The one still alive on a desk two years later isn't luck — here's exactly how it's done.

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ZZ Plant Care: The Ultimate Low Light Plant, Chive Studio

ZZ Plant Care: The Ultimate Low Light Plant

ZZ plant care requires almost nothing: indirect light, water every two to three weeks, and benign neglect. The ZZ plant stores water in underground rhizomes, making it the most forgiving low light houseplant available. The only way to kill it is to try too hard. 

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Non Toxic Plants for Cats: The Complete Guide

Non Toxic Plants for Cats: The Complete Guide

Spider plants, hoyas, and Boston ferns are non-toxic to cats and work well as houseplants. Chive's ceramic wall flowers — stocked in the Getty Museum and over 200 galleries — are also definitively cat-safe. The cat will investigate one, determine it is not food, and never think about it again.

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Best low light plants by room — Chive Studio, Toronto

Best Low Light Plants for Every Room

The best low light plants for every room — bathroom, bedroom, hallway, living room — are different plants, matched to what each room actually provides. Not all low light is the same. The wrong plant doesn't fail dramatically — it just gets quieter until you stop noticing it's alive.

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Indoor Plants That Thrive in Low Light - Chive Studio

Low Light Houseplants: The Complete Guide

The best low light houseplants — ZZ plant, snake plant, pothos, peace lily, and cast iron plant — thrive in dim rooms with minimal care. Not every plant needs a bright window. The question is whether yours has the right pot.

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Plants That Like West Facing Windows - Chive Ceramics Studio

Plants That Like West Facing Windows

There's something deliciously theatrical about west-facing windows, the way they frame the afternoon sun like a spotlight hitting center stage. Unlike their demure northern cousins that whisper gentle encouragement or...
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Plants for Small Spaces: A Guide to Compact Greenery for Condos & Apartments - Chive Ceramics Studio

Plants for Small Spaces: A Guide to Compact Greenery for Condos & Apartments

The modern apartment dweller exists in a state of perpetual spatial mathematics, calculating square footage with the precision of NASA engineers while attempting to squeeze entire lifestyles into spaces that...
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Plants for Beginners: A Foolproof Guide to Starting Your Plant Journey - Chive Ceramics Studio

Plants for Beginners: A Foolproof Guide to Starting Your Plant Journey

The transformation from plant killer to plant parent represents one of the more optimistic ventures of modern domestic life. Countless individuals have gazed upon the lush Instagram feeds of botanical...
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Low Light Indoor Plants: What Actually Survives

Low Light Indoor Plants: What Actually Survives

Low light indoor plants don't need sympathy — they need the right match. ZZ, snake, and cast iron plants thrive in dim rooms because they were designed for it. The gap between plants that belong in your dim room and the ones just hoping for the best is wider than you think.

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Plants that grow in low light, Chive Studio, Toronto

Plants That Grow in Low Light: What Works

Not every plant requires a bright window — some thrive without one. The best low light plants grow new leaves, add new stems, and increase in size in the room corners. The list is shorter than most people hope, and longer than they believe.

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