I've heard of people keeping patchouli as a houseplant, so when I found one at my local garden center I decided to allow myself an impulse buy. It won't keep overwinter outdoors where I live, and we occasionally have unforeseen cold snaps in July, so I'd prefer to keep it indoors.

Does anyone have any experience with it? What type of growing medium does it prefer? For now I'm just going to put it in some regular houseplant potting soil, but I'm sure it'd like something a little more substantial. There isn't a lot of natural light in my house, especially in winter, so I imagine I'll need a grow light. What sort of lux is appropriate for house plants? Would it be satisfied with an aquarium grow light? I have a fixture with bulbs that give out about 8,000 lux. Are there other things I should be concerned about? Diseases? Watering? I've read patchouli likes to be kept fairly moist but can rot quickly if overwatered. I sure hope I can keep it alive, I really like this little plant. It makes the room smell like the 60's!