101 in 1001: Get a house plant and keep it alive

It's been 20 months since I moved into my lovely apartment (it sounds like counting the age of a baby - but for me it was almost like that!), so I think it's safe to say that I managed to keep a plant alive.

Why was this on my list in the first place? Well, because my history with plants was not all that great. I managed to kill a couple of cacti when I was younger, which is sort of impossible (unless you drown them, which, of course, I did). I also killed the plant our old landlady had back when me and my bro were renting, by doing the opposite - not watering it, like, ever. 

But when I bought the apartment, I decided I was going to be a plant person. Easier said than done, of course, and I admit to managing to successfully kill some plants in the process because I didn't do enough research on them and didn't really know how to care for them.

I will say this - each plant is special and what works with one may not work with others, so research is your friend if you want to start an indoor or outdoor garden.

I started off with a beautiful pink Anthurium, which I still have, although I've had some adventures with it in the past year (but managed to save from certain death after replanting it in a smaller pot, and it has also flowered this autumn). I plan on acquiring another one at one point.

I received a Bonsai from a friend, but unfortunately I've had some problems with it due to incorrectly placing it - my apartment is not very bright and I had to place my plants on windowsills, which is not a very good idea, since Bonsais are not supposed to be put in drafty places. I hope I can restore it this winter.

My plant "collection" has grown this year and, besides the Anthurium and the Bonsai, I also have 3 Kalanchöes (orange, pink and red), a purple Zantedeschia (Calla Lily), a yellow Guzmania (which has babies that will need repotting soon), a small Dracaena Marginata (green, no flowers), a Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo), a Yucca plant (one of the easiest houseplants to care for, recommended for beginners), a small Haworthia plant (succulent) and two Phalaenopsis Orchids (one is purple and the other one is sort of peach-pink-ish). Oh, and also a pink Climbing rose which I received as a gift from my work mates and which I hope will survive the winter, as there's no way I can store it inside until spring.

It's not a big collection, I definitely want to add more to it, but probably not before spring. I also need to reconsider storing them during the winter (closing the bedroom balcony in the future, when I manage to put some money away). 

So far, I'm quite proud of myself for managing to keep more plants alive than the ones I've (unwantedly) killed, so yay for me!