House plants confuse me, Any help from a green thumb?

I totally understand your frustration with trying to keep a lawn looking lush and green. It can feel like a never-ending battle, especially with dogs in the mix! Rock gardens are a fantastic alternative that not only alleviate the stress of constant maintenance but also offer a unique and visually appealing landscape feature. You can play around with different types of rocks, gravel, and even succulents to create a personalized look that suits your taste.

I also came across this fascinating article about juniper bonsai, which might spark some creative ideas for your garden transformation: https://bonsaiforbeginners.com/juniper-bonsai-the-classic-choice-for-beginners. Bonsai trees can add a serene and Zen-like atmosphere to any outdoor space, and they're relatively easy to care for, making them a perfect choice for beginners.

for succulents, there are those semi self watering pots, which are like a tenner on amazon. they use felt to absorb the water at the plants pace from a pot.

Pick the pot up. If it's light, water it. Or, push your finger about an inch into the compost. If it's dry, water it. Generally water less in winter. If one dies, don't worry it's not the end of the world. Don't have too many or you forget to water them. Have plants which are quite robust like spider plant or cheese plant.

you managed to kill a cactus? 

now that actually takes alot of skill, cactus usually are very low maintainance and you literally dont need to do anything to them, my mum had a cactus for years, it never died, she never tended it, never even watered it i think, cactus are bombproof and dont need any help, to kill one really does take skill lol

Wow Moon.  I find myself really coveting your rubber plant!

I wish someone would ask "how can I torture and slowly kill a house plant"... I'm a natural at it.

Overwatering is my most common method of assasination - I used to rigidly water every Sunday whether the poor plant needed it or not. Now before watering I check if the soil is moist and if any water is pooled in the outer pot or tray.

In Spring & Summer I add two capfuls of Miracle Gro liquid fertilizer to the 6 litre watering can..

The most robust plants I've found so far (ie: the ones that survive!) are:

Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata)	Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica 'Robusta')	Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

My next challenge is overcoming my reluctance to prune (it just seems cruel!).

I grew my rubber plant from a single leaf cutting and now it takes up 1/3 of my bedroom...

I have a cheese plant also that I quite like, but it's looking a little droopy lately... I think it needs more light.

A tip I would like to give is buy a mister. I have a little glass bottle that you fill with water and you just use your thumb to spray the mist of water. Don’t over water plants. My plants do better with watering 1 or 2 weeks apart but misting 4 or so days a week. Ps I don’t have cactus plants.

Labelling the plants might help. Eg, when to water. Cactus and succulents need very little water so if they are not doing well maybe overwatering could be the cause.

My sister and I both had cactus as kids and I forgot to water mine whereas she carefully watered often. Hers went yellow and mouldy from too much water and mine ended up having mini growth spurts to show they needed more water.

The 2 main things with house plants are how often for watering and how much light they need. Try going one plant at a time for awhile so that you can get an idea of a plant at a time and then each extra plant will be less overwhelming :)

I wouldn't bother with fertiliser over winter months.

Well, I have a particular fondness for houseplants and my windowsills are very cluttered.  Years ago, I started off with just one book - "The Houseplant Expert"  - and this seemed to cover most of the plants I had.   Once I got an idea of the watering and lighting requirements of each of my plants, I gained confidence so I'd suggest maybe just one book or website for starters, just to pare things down and avoid getting overloaded with it.  

Over the years I've also noticed that many plants thrive on neglect and that most of casualties have been caused by my over attentiveness - basically too much watering or feeding.  Maybe keep a small plant journal so's you can keep track and find out what's working best in your house?  There'll still be casualties, no doubt, and some plants are only meant to be temporary visitors, but I think you'll gradually tune in to what's needed and the plants will start lasting longer.  Plus it's a very interesting and optimistic hobby to have.  :)