House plants breath life into decor. They are known to make the air better. Personally, I am much calmer and happier when around plants. They are subtle, quieting, and ever changing in their foliage, growth, and flowering.  

I want to share with you the Golden Pothos houseplant. 

Golden Pothos

This may be the most common vining houseplant. It is definitely the most well-known to me. I see this plant everywhere, and all the plant people in my circle have at least one of these plants. 

The leaves on this plant are heart-shaped and shiny! Her green leaves usually have a secondary color, yellow or white. I have found this plant to be easy to grow and recommend you add her to your home (unless your pet has a problem with eating plants, then stay away from this mildly poisonous plant). 

Living Conditions

The nitty gritty of this plant:

• you need a pot with drainage
• well-draining potting mix
• keep them at room-temperature (this shouldn't be an issue, right?)
• bright but indirect light, though low-light will work too, but the plant adapts a bit to stay healthy (variegation in leaves changes and the overall growth is less)

Care

Keep your pothos happy by keeping these things in mind:

• water when soil is dry; they don't need to stay moist (their roots will actually rot)
• plants need nutrients since their whole lives are spent in the same pot, so pick a fertilizer you like and follow it's instructions (usually something like feed every so often in the growing seasons, like spring and summer)

Propagation

Don't you already feel fancy being able to use a word like "propagation"? I did. I felt like I was officially at "plant lady" status at that point. Thankfully, I think this is one of the easiest plants to propagate. (By the way, propagation just means you can turn one plant into two or more plants, and there are different methods of propagating depending on the plant species) Basically, cut the end of a vine and stick it in water. Not so basically:

• find a healthy vine (if it is green and looks nice, it's probably healthy)
• find the nodes on the vine (nodes look like small, round or finger-like bumps on the vine)
• ideally, your stem cutting should have 2-3 leaves or more on it
• cut the stem just above a root node (you want the root node to be at the very bottom of your new "plant")
• stick the cutting in water, don't let the leaves get submerged in the water, and replace the water when you remember to (like once or twice a week, though I usually forget to do this)
• I've also heard you can stick the cutting directly into potting mix, but I've never tried that method 

In a few week your cutting will grow roots. You can accelerate the process by using a root stimulant, though I've never used one. But I will share a TMI secret with you, I have actually used my own breast milk once to help encourage rooting. Yepp... there's that, and yes, it worked amazingly.

Styling

Now my favorite part, how I add pothos into my decor. As of writing this article, I have a very large pothos ivy in my bedroom (the one pictured in this post). I also have a few cuttings that are already fully rooted in beautiful gin bottles on my mantle and on top of a book shelf. Those are cuttings from my mother's pothos. I took cuttings that, at the time, had around 14 leaves on them already, and they have since grown more. You definitely don't have to wait for a vine to have that many leaves, I think I have done as few as 6. 

For reference, the ivy I have pictured is in a pot that is 8" in diameter, and I put that plastic and well-draining pot into a copper/bronze decorative bowl. I love this setup! I kept the plant in the pot I purchased it in, and then bought the bowl from a local craft store. 

I paired my large pothos and bowl with my Large Eyelet plant hanger. The plant hanger pictured is in the color "jet". 

I also have a copper/bronze gooseneck watering can that I really think needs mentioning. This can adds so much to my decor. I love the color of this metal combined with the functionality of a gooseneck. Especially when watering a plant that has so many leaves, it's quite helpful to specify exactly where your water goes and how fast it goes to your plant. ALSO, I use a gooseneck watering can to refill my oil diffuser. It is so easy! 

Finally

I hope that you can add this plant to your collection soon. You may not even have to purchase one. If you ask a few plant-lovers, I think you must soon find someone who would gladly give you a cutting of their pothos. But if you want the full foliage experience, I recommend going to your local, small, and sweet plant shop and purchasing a large pothos! Just because mine has been right by my side in my bedroom for so long and I just have to recommend everyone have this same decor experience! 

<3 Nathalie