House Plant Therapy
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Welcome to the second issue of “The Art of Elevated Living.”
Today, I want to talk about my love for house plants and the experience I have had incorporating them into my space.
Growing up in the lush Pacific Northwest, I never understood the need for plants inside, since I could just look outside to see them. Silly me!
Not until I was on my own was I brave enough to purchase a plant. A cactus! I was told that they need very little water and are very hard to kill. Well, what do you know, I killed it because I was overwatering it! I wanted to make sure the plant knew I cared for it, and I guess I loved it a little too much. What’s that idiom again... You love someone to death? Well, I loved this poor cactus to death.
After that attempt, I figured I would leave the poor plants alone.
Fortunately, when I lived in Hawaii, I experienced a new appreciation for them. This time it was orchids! You’re probably thinking, "Uh oh!" If you know anything about orchids, you know they are totally the opposite of a cactus. The beginning of an orchid definition says, "A plant with complex flowers." I was sure in for it!
But this time, I had a plan! One of my dearest friends always had orchids in her home and I was able to get some tips from her and from the locals at the farmer’s market. Water them with a few ice cubes once a week and place them in proper lighting and you should be good to go! I thought for sure I was going to let this poor plant die. I could feel my failure already! I looked at the orchid and thought, "You poor thing! You don't know what's coming!"
But, as it turned out, I kept it alive! This delicate, intimidating plant held on! The blooms lasted over 3 months. It gave me the confidence to venture back into plant parenthood but it also became a living piece of art that illuminated our living room. It brought me joy, knowing I was taking care of it, and it gave me the assurance to feel that I could actually be a good plant parent.
This made me want to open my home to different house plants: snake plants, succulents, palms, a Chinese money plant, a monstera, a foxtail fern, peace lilies, and more--even a fuzzy pink flower called a chenille plant I had never heard of or seen before, gifted to me as a cutting from my friend's plant. And that’s the beauty of plants. They are truly a gift that keeps on giving. And don’t get me started on the pot selections (pots for plants). That’s a whole other “issue” in itself. Pun intended!
And every time I added a plant, I researched the best light for it, how it liked to be watered, and what type of drainage it needed. Does it need a friend? I truly believe plants need companionship, so I like to keep them in pairs if possible or close by so they know they aren’t alone. Okay, now I am officially a plant lady, lol! But I still haven’t named them, so I haven’t gone over the edge quite yet--or have I?
Through this whole process, I have found that I enjoy taking care of them. I look forward to my weekly watering sessions with them, and to repotting them, then moving them to different locations to see if they will thrive--and when they do, they are glorious! It’s a bit like therapy for me. A time to pause, reflect, relish in the sound of the water filling the watering canister, then gently pouring the life source into the soil which will nourish them.
And this got me thinking (yes, I do that time from time) aren’t plants so much like us? When we are in the right environment, watered/nurtured, given the freedom to expand and grow, we can show the world who we truly are. But if we are neglected, forgotten, malnourished, and not seen, we can wither away.
And while I am no expert on plants and all the varieties of other health factors they can bring to your space, what I have come to realize is, by giving something a chance--even if it doesn’t work out initially--and then by trying again, and fine tuning the approach, we can thrive in the trying.
What has brought you unexpected joy recently? I would love to hear your experience by commenting below. Are you a plant parent yourself?
