Growing plants from leaves is a pretty amazing process and not a new thing for members of the North Haven Garden Club, and it always gives us great results.

I thought I would share some of my favorites to grow from leaves. It’s an easy and less expensive way to grow more plants and share them. Growing more plants, or going green, in your home has never been more beautiful and convenient. On additional advantage is that plants clean the air in your home.

All you need is a healthy leaf cut from your favorite plant or from a friend’s plant. Here are seven plants that you can easily grow from cuttings or leaves.

1. Money Plant: This is an excellent plant to give to someone, or yourself, to bring luck and blessings into their or your home. The money plant is a easy, versatile herb that can be grown indoors and outdoors. Cut the leaves from the stem, making sure to leave the nodes intact. Place the cut pieces in soil or another rooting medium to encourage new roots at they grow. You can dip them in some growth hormones to speed up the process.

2. Aloe Vera: Having an aloe vera plant in your home was the thing to have years ago and it’s the same now. Not only is it a different-looking plant with unusual leaves that grow quickly. It can provide a variety of benefits. Aloe requires well-drained, sandy potting soil and bright, sunny conditions. The most successful method of aloe plant propagation is from offsets or “pups” with resulting plants almost immediately. As a result, aloe vera cuttings are not the most reliable method of plant propagation. Use a container with several drainage holes.

3. Jade Plants: This is a elegant-looking succulent that has small white and pink flowers. It is said that the petals bring good luck and blessing to your home. Take some leaves from the jade plant, prepare one part each compost and soil in a pot with good drainage, and plant leaves in the container. Water accordingly until you see the roots coming out, which means soon you will see small plants coming out, too. They will be ready to plant individually.

4. Snake Plant: This is a beautiful evergreen that grows year after year. It’s also known as mother-in-law’s tongue. This is a very easy plant to grow if you don’t have a green thumb; it can withstand low-light and/or drought conditions. It’s also the perfect plant for someone who is looking for an ornamental tree with dark green stripes and thick tough leaves. Using a sharp knife, cut a leaf form a healthy snake plant. Add some water in a container so it just covers the leaf, changing the water every two- to three days making sure not to expose it to direct sunlight. The leaf is ready to be transplanted when you see the roots are developed.

5. Spider Plant: This is by far the easiest houseplant to grow. With its striking green and white leaves, it will liven up any indoor space. The spider plant gives you plenty of babies or “plantlets” all year long. All you need to do is pick one or more, place in a small container, cover the bottom with water and place on your counter. After a few days, roots will start to grow and are ready to be planted in indoor soil.

6. African Violet: The African violet is a colorful herbaceous plant and makes a great addition to any indoor or garden. It has beautiful flowers with soft fuzzy leaves; they add a soothing touch to any home or office. African violets can be propagated from the leaves. Cut fresh leaves from a healthy plant with a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle. Mix one part soil mix and two parts perlite or vermiculite for best rooting conditions. Water until mixture is moist and place in bright, indirect light. Once roots form, the plant is ready to be transplanted into a small container, African violets do not like a lot of room.

7. Cactus: These are among the most popular houseplants. With their low maintenance, cactus can be grown easily on any kind of climate due to its hardy nature. This is another easy plant to propagate. Cut a piece from an already-rooted plant and dry for two days. (This is done to prevent any disease while rooting occurs.) Place the pieces directly into pots with well-draining soil (producers make soil just for cactus) and place in indirect sunlight. They will form new roots within one to two weeks.

Here’s a fun fact: the aloe vera plant is an excellent way to have your bedroom smelling sweet and feeling cool. The thick leaves of this hardworking succulent can improve air quality by night, as it produces oxygen.

For more information, visit The North Haven Garden Club on Facebook. The North Haven Garden Club is a member of The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut Inc., New England Garden Clubs, Inc., and The National Garden Clubs Inc.