What she said, plus ... ferns. Trying to grow indoor ferns can be a real buzzkill.

I remember going with my mother to different greenhouses,this was every week. I was amazed by the variety of plants.

Nothing like that around here anymore :(

need2seegreen, try a Dallas Fern- I find this an easy grower with good manners (does not drop tons of leaflets all over the place unless it is sick).

Thanks, Sans2014, I’ll check that out.

is that famous during the 70s?

Is "Dallas" fern the same as "Macho" fern?

I have good luck with Platycerium (Staghorn fern) and Asplenium (Bird's Nest) inside the winter home. I also like Macho for being less inclined to suffer constant leaf loss. Outdoors, I have dozens of fern species, inside, not so much.

Myrtle Ivy,

Nephrolephis exaltata 'Dallas' I think is the full name of the fern I am recommending.

I am not sure what a Macho fern is. I never liked Boston Ferns for all the leaf dropping.

What ever happened to those old time standard plants: peanut cactus for one. Cast Iron plants now are only sold south of the Mason Dixon line, and not as houseplants but as a landscaping plant. The true Christmas cactus is hard to find.

There is always a craze, It's all about location. In the south you won't find people that have "house plants" like us in the northern parts of the world.

I live north of the Mason Dixon line (New Jersey/Zone 7), I bought my Aspidistra (Cast Iron) at a local nursery. Have one in the ground and other in a container. Love them. They are indestructible both indoors and outdoors (from assault by cold and DEER). I too reminisce about plants that have seemingly disappeared from the trade.

I miss Pandanus plants. Finally, got the spineless P. amarylifolius. It nice but I still miss the variegated foliage of the P. veitchii. I think this one went out because of the spines and the dermatitis reaction but plant lovers don't let a bit of dermatitis get in the way of indoor cultivation.

I do notice that the local big box stores have a MUCH poorer selection than they used to have locally. Not that long ago, I could pretty much count on my local HD to have a selection not that different from a Miami HD. Nowadays, nothing by comparison!

P.S., I just saw Swedish Ivy at another nursery locally. Did not buy it as I am not that crazy about it. But remember Cissus antarctica? GONE from the trade, why?! Or Saxifragra sarmentosa?

P.S. 2, Sans, Macho fern is like a Boston fern on STEROIDS! (Still not certain of the species associations.) Foliage is much less inclined to wither and die indoors from the dry air. Very robust appearance, and foliage is a bit more shiny.

Myrtle, I 'll have to look into Macho- thanks for the info. You grow Aspidistra out doors? I am in PA zone 5 or 4, I can't remember ( feels like 3 though). I never see Cast Iron in any store around here.

Yes, I have one Cast Iron planted outside. It has survived the WORST winters, but this is still a zone 7, but still, there were those years of insane POLAR VORTICES from he// frozen over! My containerized one goes into my garage for the winter (just kept above freezing).

I have LOTS of cold hardy ferns in the ground, actually, I am not that crazy about the 'Boston fern'. It's just too delicate! Outside of the hothouse tropicals (coconuts, mangos, etc.), the majority of plants that I grow have some degree of drought or chill tolerance. 'Macho' is not nearly as temperamental as the Boston fern, and it's a BIG, robust plant!

But like some of the others, not so often available.

What caused the 70's plant craze to die? Macrame plant hangers became a lost art when folks stopped making them and there no longer was a place for all the plants.

tj

I moved from the parents to my own place in the 70's. And yes, I had macrame hangers and a big old round spool from giant cable company cable abandoned in a field, for a tv/plant stand. I had concrete block and bare boards for plants and albums and my stereo, and apple boxes and old bar stools for plant stands. I never stopped growing plants but I did stop purchasing them as I did back then. For me, it was the closing of all the plants shops and specialty nurseries that use to be so easy to find, in towns big and small; They sold only plants in perfect health and knew what care each one needed. The relationship I had with these owners was part of the fun. To shop at the big box stores after losing our favorite reliable "groovy far out shops" was no comparison to buying plants from a business owner who loved plants like I did. We have all seen plants at the box stores in just shameful condition, but back then; it was a not what we had known, and I just would not purchase poorly cared for plants. In fact, it was kind of depressing. Unusual plants did not show up in these stores either. And there became a stereo type of being too much of a hippie if you had to prune the foliage so guests could get to your bathroom. So, that had an affect on me too.

Matt--what makes you say that there are more house plant lovers in the north than in the south? I've not lived in the north but there are many houseplant collectors here in Augusta, GA. And, while I agree in mourning the loss of independent nurseries, I am enjoying perusing the selection of plants produced by Costa Farms that are available at our big box stores. Sure, they aren't always cared for properly but I've found some goodies in the last few years.

Junco, I read Matt's comment to mean that Southerners can keep plants outdoors (for much of the year at least) rather than indoors as house plants due to warmer weather. Wish I could, too, but don't have any outdoor space with my current apartment. :(

But we still have to protect the tender plants from whatever winter temps we have! For most people that means bringing them in the house.

Soccer moms killed it.

Al