Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom: A Room-by-Room Guide to Styling and Caring for Your Houseplants

by Emily L. Hay Hinsdale

Create your own green indoor paradise with this beautifully illustrated room-by-room guide to bringing the outdoors inside—perfect for plant parents everywhere!

Decorating with plants adds a fresh, natural touch to any room. Potted plants can uplift a living space with serious mood-boosting power, reducing stress, improving air quality, and even providing fresh herbs for that next meal!

But first, you have to keep them alive.

Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom shows you how to maximize these health benefits and decorate like a pro, all while covering the essentials of plant care and maintenance. Full of home design and practical plant care tips, this illustrated guide helps you choose the right plants for your space, from succulents and spider plants to pothos and ZZ plants.

Inside you’ll
- Plant Care Instructions including watering instructions for popular types of plants and a guide to repotting your new plant babies
- O ver 70 Plant Recommendations from the easy peace lily to a dramatic monstera, feel like a pro as you design your perfect indoor garden
- The Room-by-Room Guide covering which herbs and veggies can be grown in your kitchen to, yes, why you should never put that cactus in your bathroom
- Crafting a Healthy Home with plants through purifying the air, adding beautiful aromas, and bringing a little nature inside
- Beautiful Illustrations to ignite your own creativity and inspiration as you plan your newest addition to your home!

Perfect for fans of Wild at Home , Urban Jungle , and Wellness by Design , this book will give plant lovers the tools and confidence they need to bring houseplants into every corner of their homes, improve their quality of life, and turn their home into a natural sanctuary.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Nature, Plants, Reference, Audiobook, Self Help

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 13, 2021

Reviews

[Cee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, my 'laugh out loud' tag may seem a little extra here, but I did chuckle. There are a few good one liners here that added to the fun nature of the book.

Let me also clarify my rating here. I'm the kind of person who keeps buying succulents because I hear they are easy to grow, but I kill them. I want plants in my house, but don't know where to start. Or now I should say didn't know where to start. So, my rating is based on the writing, what I learned, and how I feel -- not so much if the information is correct because on that I have no idea.

The writing is super easy to read. It isn't dry at all and the illustrations of the plants helped make the book seem light and easy to get through -- because it was. I wasn't planning on reading it all in one sitting, but I did because it is easy to follow and the way it is written makes the content matter feel so doable.
Which leads me into how I feel and what I learned. While I learned there is way more to taking care of a plant than watering it, I think it is something I can do -- with the right plants. I didn't realize house plants would need re-potting or even that you could grow tomatoes indoors (what?!). I learned where I could start, where certain plants will do best in a house, basics on plant care, and what plants I could look forward to getting once I can keep some alive. There is also a huge list of plants in the index, so I can look them up online -- which I am totally going to be doing. After reading this book, I feel semi-prepared to go out and buy a plant because now I know what to expect.

Look, this isn't going to be the book everyone should read. It is definitely geared towards beginners and feels more like a stepping stone to getting someone excited about houseplants and getting them to research more about plants. This is general knowledge with focus on which types of plants to put in each room and why.

My one little thing is I wish there was a section of resources for further information. It would have been a cool addition, but it isn't needed. The acknowledgements are full of places with websites, so I'll probably check those out in the future.

So, if you're looking into getting houseplants or wanting to expand your small collection, I do recommend you read this book!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little book for beginning plant owners that walks you through the needs of various types of houseplants and what plants are well suited for different areas of the house. It doesn't cover a lot of plants and there are no photos. There are fun black and white illustrations and some of the plants mentioned have drawings of them, but not all. I'm not really sure how useful any plant book can be without illustrations but it does have some good basic info and has a fun, conversational writing style.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

[Susannah Lohmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun! A great resource for anyone who likes houseplants but doesn’t have a million dollars or a million hours a day to care for them 🪴

[Caffeinated Fae · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I needed to read the ARC. Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom is a good book for the novice plant person. Over quarantine, I've been slowly adding plants into my collection. Some of my plants have thrived (looking at you, mystery plant from Trader Joes) and others that didn't (looking at you, spider plant from Trader Joes). This book was a great basic plant book for those wanting to know what plants will survive where. The book reads like a textbook so I recommend having it solely as a reference book and not read it cover to cover.

All in all, this was a solid book that I would recommend for someone who is extremely new and doesn't know what plants to buy for what room.

[Ramona Mead · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book for the fun title! I love houseplants and am always looking to up my game, so I was hoping to learn a lot about fine tuning my plant care. And while I did learn a few things, this is definitely a book for beginners. I consider myself an intermediate plant owner so the majority of this content wasn't new to me.

I liked how the author went room by room through a home and gave tips for how each plant could thrive or decline there. I worked in a flower shop for a while and the biggest thing I learned there was that a plant will grow differently in different home and even different spots in the same home. It was nice to see this reiterated in such specific ways.

I also liked the author's casual tone. Her writing is straight forward and easy to understand. I wish she had included photos of the plants she talks about.

Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a fun little book that has good information for new plant parents. I do wish there was more info but otherwise it was good! Thank you NetGalley for showing me this book as I will recommend it to those just starting out with plants

[Jenny Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling all planties!!! 🌱🌿🪴This book was short and sweet but provided so many good tips! It started with different types of plants and then went room by room. I loved that it helps you decipher which plants might be good for your gardening/plant care level & interest. Glad I bought it on Audible because I will revisit it for some reminders for my plant babies. ☺️

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book! It's perfect for those who are houseplant beginners. The witty humor throughout made it a fun read.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Tiller Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, so a few weeks before I received this book the one and only plant I have been able to keep alive got knocked over and destroyed.  It was an adorable Jade plant and I'd had it for 5 years.  Every other plant I purchased for my home, I somehow ended up killing it, and I really didn't understand why.  Well let me tell you, this is the book for me. 

This book provided an approachable way to understand plant care.  It gives examples of hard to kill plants, where they should go in your house and how to care for them.  It also goes one step further and discusses how the different environment in your house can support different plants.  This book makes me feel like I might actually be able to keep alive the next plant I buy.

[Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has made me a plant mom and now I need a plant in every room. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is starting out with house plants. I have learned so much from this book and will be getting a physical copy of this book.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is a friendly book ideally suited to those who are just starting to learn how to keep houseplants. As a guide, I'd say it is good for those with no plants - then you can just pick and choose and set up your house nicely with green growies.

The problem with the book is that it is sparsely illustrated - and in black and white simple drawings. No photographs or color (despite the colorful cover) means it can be more than difficult to figure out what you are working with if you already have plants. As an example, I was given a lovely plant with small peach colored flowers - I have no idea what it is and the book isn't going to help me identify it in order to care for it properly.

There is the usual filler: why house plants are great, getting started, houseplants 101. The meat of the book is a breakdown of the best plants to put in each room (bathrooms are humid, bedrooms tend to be dark, kitchens great for herbs, living rooms need decorative plants, etc.). There are some great observations in here - such as orchids being the new throw pillow. As well, there is a nice breakdown of the ironclad plants that can't die versus the ones that need very special care.

You'll find the usual extras - how to repot, watering, etc. But you'll find the best information in the sections for each plant in each room.

In all, without pictures, I found the book very hard to use for existing plants and then also difficult when choosing which plant for which room (I guess I could spend some time at the garden center, look at each plant name, look it up in the book, and then decide if it would look better in the room than another choice). But yes, this is a very frustrating (but friendly!) wall of text.

In all, in the modern age, it is very hard to make a book like this appealing without photographs and especially without color. We don't live in black and white and the publishing world has developed well enough in the modern age to giving us full color everywhere (especially in the digital era). I would have liked the illustrations to be in color, in the very least, and much larger.
Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Aithen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by stating my experience with houseplants: I've killed a few over the years, but am at the point where I keep my plants happy most of the time and rarely have a lost cause. These days, I'm confident enough to buy plants that are not labelled "beginner" and rescue friends' dying succulents. On the other hand, I don't consider myself "advanced" in plant care and still have lots to learn. As such, maybe this book wasn't aimed for my experience level: despite the adorable art (which I loved), overall I found it kind of childish and simplistic, with few usable tips for the intermediate-level plant enthusiast.

A lot of the tips and fun facts were so basic that I'm not sure whether the author is really an expert or just an enthusiastic afficionado who wrote a book. Additionally, they were split up very strangely: some plants were in the "watering" section, others in the "repotting" section, other still in the chapter about light... It makes it hard to navigate, and is far from optimal. All of the tips seemed to be for only one type of plant, which was a strange way to split up a chapter about care. If I know how to water a ZZ plant and how to repot a Monstera, but not how to water a Monstera and repot a ZZ plant, I'm not doing great...

While the illustrations were cute, they were few and far between. I would have appreciated an illustration of each described plant; while I do know many by name, it isn't all of them, and a visual reminder would have helped, especially since this book is so beginner oriented.

The tone of the book kind of feels like a 200 page Buzzfeed article. The author is constantly cracking jokes or making puns between factual tidbits, and the humor is sometimes juvenile and not really my cup of tea. Interspersed within the author's opinions are quotes from other houseplant people and references to NASA's research on houseplants. Considering Buzzfeed's popularity, I'm sure this writing style appeals to some people, it's just not to me.

In conclusion, while there wasn't anything factually wrong about this book (as far as I know), it certainly wasn't in depth. Maybe good for a teenage, beginner plant lover who has never even googled "how to care for a houseplant", but not for someone who already owns a few plants and is looking for some extra pointers to add to their knowledge base.

[Ashley Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Personal success, that loosely defined concept, comes in many forms. In the end, we decide it for ourselves."

⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiller Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went on NetGalley recently specifically looking for some sort of houseplant guide. Despite having a few already, I was curious to learn how to better take care for them individually instead of just... watering them often and hoping for the best.

This book follows a comedic narrative with different facts about houseplants, explaining different categories of plants, what plants might look best in different rooms around the house, and other useful tidbits of plant information.

I took one star off the book strictly based on the e-book edition. Obviously ARCs often come with typos or errors, but the formatting in the book was so off that I struggled to not DNF it. There are small paragraphs or bulleted lists that I imagine would go into a pop-up box of sorts on the side of the text like in a textbook. Unfortunately, in the e-book, they were pasted into the text, and usually mid-sentence of an unrelated paragraph. I struggled to keep up with where sentences began and ended nearly every chapter.

This book is very humorous. Please do not misunderstand, I found myself laughing or chuckling as I learned about plants. What I did not enjoy was the frequency of the jokes perhaps. Often, I found that a paragraph was mostly a plant-based pun or joke with very little actual information.

My favorite part of this book was useful information that applied to many commonplace plants, such as how to propagate herbs and how to properly hang air plants. I also had no idea there were different kinds of soil to purchase for different plants! Even while reading this book, I've noticed myself at the store and being able to identify a few plants I wouldn't have been able to before.

I would recommend this to readers who are beginners/amateurs to owning a plant and who enjoy puns and frequent jokes.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom is a beginner's guide to choosing and keeping houseplants written by Emily L. Hay Hinsdale. Due out 13th April 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a well written tutorial guide with culture tips for plants in a very easy-to-understand format. The first section introduces the plants and very basic info on how to keep plants alive. The second (larger) section is a room-by-room guide to choosing plants for specific conditions and includes light, heat, humidity and other conditions. The information is -very- basic and aimed at beginners.

The illustrations by Loni Harris are simple, very pretty, and accentuate the text well. There are no photos in this collection. Side notes or special info is provided in highlighted text boxes. In general botanical names (Latin nomenclature) are *not* used which seems to have been a conscious choice to make the text more accessible for beginners. Most of the Latin names can be found in the index with links to the relevant info in the main text.

This would be a good selection for library or classroom acquisition, gifting (perhaps to a young adult recently moved into their first apartment?) or for beginning indoor gardeners who want to get some suggestions for styling with plants.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Kacy Steiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This copy was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review: all opinions are my own. '

Like I needed another excuse to buy a houseplant but this book gave it. Healthier mind, healthier environment, healthier happier being. And its all true, I started my houseplant life way before it became trendy, looking for the air purifiers to keep my life a little healthier; as a cancer survivor, this idea of removing harmful from my personal environment was awesome. I feel calmed staring at my plant (Monstera) when I'm going through a yoga sequence, they are a great grounding source during meditation. NASA approved plants and the plants of steel are still the ones I gravitate towards because they are so forgiving to my plant mom learning.

Helpful and informative, Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom was a fresh and fun way to explore houseplants and just how to keep them alive. To recognize that while a plant might be cool and uber trendy, maybe you don't have the right amount of light to grow.

A book beautiful and chat worthy enough to be a coffee table book, but also totally worth reading!!

[W.A. Ashes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute. It has adorable illustrations and the cover is so pretty that I want to have the book on display. In fact, it is on display in my work office since my office theme is cacti.

Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom is a great guide for new plant owners, or those struggling to keep their plant babies alive. The book walks you through how to take care of different plants, the kind of environment they thrive in, and the health beneifts of having them. Even if you're not a plant enthusiast, the illustrations are to die for. As for me, I love plants. Specifically succulents, aloes, and other types of cacti. Some cacti are easy to grow and others are more difficult. Each type of plant is unique just like each plant owner is unique. This book helps explain how to care for your plants and use them to keep yourself healthy.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

The chapter headings are cute, but I had trouble reading some of the curly fonts in a digital format which made it a less enjoyable read.

The information in the book is helpful though! There's tips and information throughout the book on raising various houseplants. There's a guide for what is considered an easy plant and what plants require more attention. There's also jokes throughout the book. I was hoping for more pictures, but there is a lot of info about how different plants grow.

The book is formatted to talk about which plants typically thrive in which rooms best. It's a helpful guide for new and old plant collectors alike.

[I Brake For Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the title. As a new plant enthusiast (particularly succulents) I was excited to learn as much as possible. Unfortunately, I found this book hugely disappointing. The information given felt very repetitive and basic. I’d prefer actual photos of plants to help identify what to buy or ones I might already have instead of cutesy drawings that are no help at all. Lastly, maybe I missed it somewhere or it’s supposed to be a cutesy joke, but why can’t I put a cactus in the bathroom? I don’t get it.

Thanks you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Bria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short and sweet little book is beautiful and informative! Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom is exactly what every plant parent needs to make sure they keep all their babies happy as can be. I appreciated how there was specific information on certain popular plants (pothos, aloe, cacti, succulents, etc) as well as super cute accompanying photos. I found the section on lighting to be particularly informative, and realize I need to change a few plants up. This is a must have coffee table book for everyone who new to indoor plants, or wanting to just have a quick reference book.


Thank you so much to Tiller Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in return for a honest review.

[Jacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, this is a BEAUTIFUL book. Very aesthetically pleasing. I would gladly display on a coffee table or prominent place on my bookshelf.

This books was so inviting and such a joy to read. The author was thorough and definitely piqued my curiosity and desire to have plants in the future (after a monumental move that is soon coming).

If you want to know ANYTHING about having plants in your home, their care etc. even fun little tidbits, definitely pick this book up! I’ll be referencing this for years to come.

***

Mahalo to Tiller Press for the ARC and to Goodreads for hosting the Giveaway.

[Joannie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Note - I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway* Like many others, I became a plant mama in spring 2020 during lockdown, with lots of trial and error. I entered the Goodreads Giveaway out of curiosity, and won! If I had this book from the beginning, I could have avoided a LOT of the errors! The plant descriptions are detailed enough for me as an adult, but still fun and easy enough for my 9 y.o. to read with ease. And the illustrations are excellent throughout, making it a great go-to when I need it.

Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom will be a great reference for me as I grow and expand my plant collection!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes which part of your household is best for each plant. How do you water them? Can you eat plants? What can you do when you see that your plant is dying or not doing well? All of this and more in this lovely book. Ever really wanted a plant but didn't know how to take care of it? This book will explain every little thing that you need to know in order to make it grow. The illustrations are cute!! It makes the book ever more wanting to be read. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about plants and how to have them in their home.

[Kennedy! · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is quite good! very practical, advice for specific plants per room. although, many of the plants are "hot" and quite expensive indoor plants. beware etsy plant sellers. remember the dutch tulip trade? yeah. but now it is philodendrons and monsteras.

anyway back to the book. the advice is quite succinct and versatile. appropriate for a range of experience with plants, beginner to advanced. very good about preventative and proper care, not much about how to deal with unfortunate circumstances should they arise, like how to deal with pests or disease.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have killed more than a few succulents with my love (my love primarily comes in the form of over-watering). I've been pretty successful with my aloes, jades, hoya, and Easter cactus, but I'm ready to dive deeper into the world of houseplants and hopefully stop killing them. This book is adorable. The illustrations are so cute, and it's full of great advice. I feel like I have more information about how to help my plants thrive and learned how to maybe stop killing my succulents.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers the reasons for having plants, types of plants, and care specific to some plant types (including repotting information). There are illustrations rather than photos, but they are very well done. The bulk of the book is chapters on each type of room, including questions or discussion on what might be the best types of plants to put in that space. The book goes into a good amount of depth with the information, but it is presented in a way that is accessible and easily understood.

[Janae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic informative book. I am a fairly new plant novice and I learned so much. I appreciated learning where the best places to put specific plants. Highly recommend!

The anesthetics of this book are also quite beautiful. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book for gifts for friends. This would make a fantastic house warming gift.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced ecopy in exchange for honest feedback.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love how different houseplants are laid out in this book and the different care they take. I really hope the physical book is in color, because the black and white color scheme did not do these pictures justice. This is a really great beginner book for starting out your houseplant career, and I will definitely be purchasing my own copy!

[Courtney DeSio · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was aimed at beginners but lacked photos of most plants. Listing houseplants by name only is not very useful for beginners, who then have to look up what the plant looks like elsewhere. The book was meant to be light hearted and funny, but I found most of the jokes super cringey.

Was a fast and easy read, not too overwhelming for newbies, but will not be a book I will be referencing back to.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book with absolutely delightful illustrations. Is this a particularly useful guide if you already have plants and want deeper info? Nope. But if you're starting your plant journey, have a notoriously black thumb, just love the way succulents look for décor but don't want to get yourself in trouble... this is the book! A wonderful housewarming gift.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for a plant lover and a wanna be lover.
This book covers every type of houseplant explanations. That are easy to understand. The author tells you what rooms are appropriate for every plant. And lets you know how you can make your plant thrive!
Its a great resource for all homeowner to have.
Successful planting and plants.