I was fully planning to take the week off for Christmas… but then I walked into my sister’s house and her “few plants” were absolutely thriving, so of course we had to do an impromptu houseplant tour. I show you the Marble Queen pothos I gifted my brother-in-law a few years ago (the leaves are HUGE), and we talk about why it really took off when they put it outside in Houston’s warm, humid weather—still shaded, but brighter than where it normally lives inside. Then we pop into my brother-in-law’s office to check on the philodendron micans I started from propagations off my own mama plant. It’s gotten bushier, fuller, and longer, and it’s a great example of how you can grow plants far from a north-facing window if you add a simple grow light. After that, we head to my sister’s orchid corner in her bathroom—yes, in a north-facing window—and her phalaenopsis orchids are blooming like crazy. I also share the exact “soak, then let it dry” approach she swears by, plus a peek at my Plantcon Dallas gift to her (a Phalaenopsis chalurana ‘Wilson’ No. 5) and the chunky orchid bark setup that’s working for her.