Keeping Houseplants In Your Dorm or Apartment

Close up of houseplants on a windowsill in Willow Hall.

Today we speak with three Rowan students about living on campus with plants in their living spaces.

Two green plants inside of small pots. The pot on the left looks like a cat. There is also multiple other items on the table.
Tara’s plants

Tara Lonsdorf, a senior Geology major from East Windsor, NJ (Mercer County) has three plants, all of which were given to her from different people. She says she has, “a tiny air plant given to me by my dad, an aloe plant given to me by my boyfriend, and a jade plant given to me by Lindsay Johnson at the Wellness Center after completing counseling with her.” Tara’s reasoning for her having those specific plants are that they are convenient for her. She explained, “All of the plants are small, easy to transport, and super low-maintenance.” Tara also advised, “Don’t get a plant just to have a plant. Get a plant that will be meaningful to you and fit your lifestyle.”

Three green plants sitting on a brown table. There is also a "groot" holding one of the plants.
Kalie’s plants

Kalie VanDewater, senior Journalism major from Mt. Holly, NJ (Burlington County) said, “I have three plants: an aloe, a cactus, and the other one is a vine plant.” Kalie said, “I just got them because I thought they were cool. I honestly can’t remember why.” Kalie’s advice is, “I recommend a cactus because that’s my most resilient plant and does well without a lot of water.”

Small green bamboo plant with mini pumpkins around it.
Rachel’s bamboo

Rachel Rumsby, a sophomore Communication Studies & Public Relations double major from River Edge, NJ (Bergen County) said, “I have one bamboo plant. My roommate, friend and I went to a Rowan After Hours event because we heard they were giving away pumpkins. They ran out of pumpkins so we were not able to get one. However, they had these bamboo plants so we each got one of those instead.” Rachel’s tip was, “Buy something easy to take care of and small to start off.”

Among the three of them they all are happy and enjoy living with their houseplants.

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Story by: Luke Garcia, junior music industry major