The ZZ Plant

While you are updating your outdoor gardens and flowerbeds this season, don’t forget to look for favorite household plants too. One of my favorite is the ZZ plant, or the “Zamioculcas zamiifolia [which] is such a mouthful to say that gardeners tend to nickname it. The most common moniker is ZZ plant, followed by zammy, eternity plant, aroid palm, succulent philodendron and fat boy. Native to Tanzania and Zanzibar, the ZZ excels as a houseplant and is winter-hardy only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. The ZZ plant has an exotic appearance that belies its ease of care and maintenance. As its maturing stems and leaves thicken and grow heavy, they droop gracefully and impart a fuller overall appearance. This slow-growing plant virtually shapes itself and always looks attractive. So aesthetic pruning is seldom necessary.”

I (Litsa) have enjoyed our graceful, droopy steamy ZZ plant but after surviving a toddler, I decided this year that it was time to replace my favorite household plant with a new beauty—-a new ZZ plant that is—since it was on sale at my local grocery store. It gave a new, polished look to my pot and our living room. Knowing how to care for a ZZ plant is important even though it requires little maintenance. If I had to guess the watering had more to do with my ZZ plant looking lame more than the toddler did. Keep this tip in mind if you are interested in maintaining an immaculate ZZ plant for your home: “Prune out dead and dying stems. Cut them off at the soil level because they cannot be restored by the time they wrinkle and all the leaves turn yellow. Because a ZZ plant rarely suffers from pests and diseases, dead and dying stems probably result from improper watering. Sudden leaf and stem decline occur when the plant is kept too wet or allowed to dehydrate over two or three months.”

Enjoy the envy of others as they observe the beauty of this green plant flourishing in your home!

Thanks Homeguides for your knowledge about pruning & caring for a ZZ plant!

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Litsa @How to Have it All

Litsa is a stay at home mom to a beautiful little girl. She is a native of Greece and now resides in Tennessee. As a former teacher, Litsa wears many hats that it takes to make a home a functioning home!