u/CasthiaCameron

I live in Denmark and moved into my first home this winter. I have a large garden outside with lots of spring flowers that don't need any maintenance and nothing inside except a house lily that I am struggling to keep alive. I frankly have no idea what I'm doing. I have never had a plant in my home; my mother killed every plant she ever tried to bring home. Now, I'm on my own and have no one to ask.

For the house lily:

I bought my first plant in November shortly after I moved in: a standard peace lily about the size of a small soda bottle. It had several beautiful white flowers on it when I got it, but now it doesn't have a single flower (but three small green bulbs), all the bottom leaves are a sickly yellow, and the top leaves have curling brown tips. It looks unwell. It started in my bathroom with plenty of humidity (we don't have vents here; it gets 100% of the shower steam), but there was no window and no light at all. So, I moved it out to a south-facing window and started watering a little bit about every 3-5 days (whenever the dirt started to feel dry) instead of once a week. She got even more unwell, leaves falling off. I moved her to a north facing window. Perked up a little, but still weak. I'm starting to think it's because I didn't repot it when I brought it home, and maybe it's just a badly aired pot? I don't know.

For the fuchsia:

I was thinking about getting a fuschia to help liven my place up. I have a large home with no decorations, white walls, white furniture, white...really everything. My husband is fine with it, but I desperately need...something. The market near us is selling fuchsias, and I really like them. However, all the advice I find on fuchsias is very...American-specific advice. For instance:

- "You’ve probably noticed that the air in your home is drier than it is outside, thanks to air conditioning and heating. That means you’ll need to be diligent about keeping the soil moist."

Yeah, Denmark doesn't have central air conditioning or heating. There is no AC for the summer unless you count an open window, and we have radiators for heating. My house in particular is very cold year round. In summer, we're talking 18C/65F, maybe 22C/72F on a hot day, and 8C/46F in winter indoors. I don't know how this will affect the care of the plant at all. Do I need a humidifier like articles suggest if there is no central AC/heat to counteract?

- "Try using Miracle Grow once a fortnight."

We do not have "Miracle Grow." I'm sure there's a good substitute, and yes, I have Googled it, but I do not understand what in the ingredients or composition of Miracle Grow is important to look for.

- "Look out for Whiteflies and Aspids."

These are not native to Denmark -- or Europe (though may be found in greenhouses with imported plants). Is there a native, far more likely to appear pest I should watch out for? This is linked to the advice about fertilizers as apparently specific ones can draw out pests, but every time I try to look for pest information and the relation with fertilizers with fucshias, I get a link to the Missouri Botanical Gardens website and a Toronto fucshia-help post that quotes it and then immediately states that the information is not specific or helpful in Canada...

- "Try facing it to a south, east, or west window."

So, I could put it in every direction except north? Why? It says it needs indirect sunlight on Google, but I don't know if the information about which window to put it in is specific to someone assumed to be much further south.

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I have tried going to the Danish fuchsia society's website. Alas, the website has been discontinued. Fucshiaklubben (the Fucshia Club) also seems to be a completely social event that spends a lot of time looking at rhododendrons, driving, and not having any helpful information or even vague mentions of fuchsias on their website.

Please help. I don't want to be a plant killer D: