Houseplant Care, by Susie Lickman
March 25, 2026. Monthly Speaker.
A self-proclaimed fan of the humble spider plant, Susie explained how houseplants have been in and out of fashion in recent years and have experiencing something of a resurgence, thanks in part to their popularity on social media.
Houseplant care was the subject of an entertaining presentation by expert Susie Lickman.
These days, media focus is on unusual, rare or expensive specimens with some Swiss cheese plant cuttings going for as much as £700.
Susie, who owns Windowsill plant shop in Market Harborough, admits to a true passion for indoor plants and is unable to ignore a half-dead 50p houseplant for sale in Homebase and will always take it home to revive it.
Keeping houseplants alive is easy, she said, if you have some understanding of how they grow and how they respond to natural light and water.
The key to success is knowing which direction your windows are facing and assessing the quality of light.
So cactus, succulents and mother-in-law’s tongue like to face south, prayer plants like a north-facing aspect and peace lilies prefer a darkish spot.
The biggest killer of houseplants is over-watering, Susie said. Their roots have no stop mechanism and will try carry on absorbing water until the roots rot.
She advocates watering every three weeks on average, with maybe every four, five or six weeks in the winter and every two weeks in the summer. A good test of how much water is hanging around the plants roots is simply to pick up the pot. If it feels very light in weight then it could be time to water. Water from the bottom and leave for 15 to 20 minutes and always drain away the excess.
She calls rainwater the ‘gold standard’ for indoor plants – but take care it is not too cold. Susie boils water and leaves it to cool to distil it.
For the growing medium, houseplant compost is fine with 30 per cent Perlite added and she uses orchid bark too. Feed with Baby Bio between the end of March up to September, using only four drops in a litre of water.
Susie admits she has recently culled her home houseplant collection from 120 to around 90, much to her husband’s relief. And, yes, she does talk to all her specimens and told us they may respond to being congratulated on each new leaf that appears.
A lively talk from Susie and many visitors went home clutching one or two of her healthy plants she brought along to sell.
Susie’s shop is at The Old Station, 10a Abbey Street, Market Harborough.