I’ve never had much luck with plants. I’ve overwatered cati, underwatered fiddle leaf figs, and somehow even managed to kill three snake plants. (Yes, the house plant that’s known for being resilient and nearly impossible to kill.) It’s not for lack of care: I always research the plants beforehand, choose ones with needs my apartment can meet, and keep a close eye on them. But after years of sadly scooping dead plants into my trash can, I came to terms with the fact that I just simply don’t have a green thumb.
A couple of months after saying goodbye to my last failed attempt at at-home botany—a snake plant I managed to keep alive for three months before a friend informed me it was, in fact, dead—I was given this ceramic self-watering planter. Naturally a bit of a skeptic, my expectations were very low, but I figured it was worth a shot. I walked a few blocks to a well-loved plant shop in my neighborhood, took my time perusing the shelves, and landed on a small pothos plant. Similar to snake plants, it has a reputation for being easy to care for. Plus, its flexible lighting needs—it thrives in bright, indirect light but can also tolerate medium-to-low indirect light—were a perfect match for my apartment. I walked back home, pothos in hand, plopped it into my new self-watering pot, set it on the corner of my dresser, and waited. Almost six months later, my pothos is still alive and well.