10 Jan: National Houseplant Day
Well, Well, Well...who would've thunk it. Me? Lil ol' me INTO plants. I never seen this coming but life comes at cha fast. I used to despise flowers becuz they never lasted a week n I always thought it was a waste of money. My stepma had a whole sunroom full of plants n I always admired how she took care of em. I just figured I had a black thumb of doom!
Fast forward to the pandemic n a random nudge landed me in Home Depot n Lowe's shopping plants. I had no idea what I was doin! I grabbed my first two plants (above) n watered them once a week. What else did I have to do right? We had nothing but time during lockdown. No rhyme or reason for getting these 2 breeds other than...the price was under $25 so I didn't feel like it would be a total waste if they didn't make it.
I am happy to repot..I mean report...almost three years later...they stiiiiiill here! Gannon is such an OG, I've since created another 2 from that one! Monstera's grow out of control n it's been the most repotted. Bernadette (peace lily) is still hanging in there; same pot n all. From 2 plants to **counts around the house n remembers to include the bathrooms** ...well...it's a mini jungle in here. I totally love the homey-ness plants have added to the home. Learning how to grow em n thrive has been lessons learned. We've had our ups n downs with a few losses here n there.
I get asked how do I maintain n grow. It's honestly trial by error. I've read up in plant groups on tips n tricks but ultimately it's learning ur plants. I take the time to pay attn to them dmn near every day. I wake up n play jazz then after my morning routine, I make my rounds. I mist them n talk to them. As I'm chatting, I am wiping em down to keep away pesky spider mites n dust n pruning as needed. Some need more attn than others but you'll know. Bernadette gets sad (droops) when she needs water and soon as I give her water she pops back up.
Monstera's have been my fave, Birds of Paradise closely follows. I have big ones n mini ones. If u feeling fancy u can clip one n propagate to watch em grow roots n plant em. U can go almost 2 wks before watering n they grow fast. Typically plants will go dormant in colder months but the fun part of learning ur plants is...moving them around. I switch up the placements to monitor which spot they like best. Snake n ZZ plants are perfect for beginners! I water those once a week n that's being friendly. They thrive off being left alone as much as possible. I love watching them grow from nothing. It's fascinating to see a sprout n I wish I could do a time lapse to watch it unfold.
Enjoy the slideshow of a love story
My kids are future plant daddy's haha. Mason maintains two plants in his room that surprisingly survives the mystic odors of a teen boy's space. Toot loves to water n mist them when he's over. He drenches the leaves overly spraying n making a mess! In addition to plants, I love getting flowers as an accent to sprucing up the home but mainly brightening the mood. Those I know are short lived but I can stretch em to at least a week n half.
Plant life has become a lifestyle and has clearly spilled into my clothes!! That's how u know its real lol. It's made a difference n my life n has become a stress reliever. To stop n be reminded to "smell the roses" in a fast pace life of hustling n bustling; I enjoy pausing to care for my plants n nurture them. U will truly get what u put out. If ur good to them, they are good to u. If u are watering too much you'll notice gnats. Don't be afraid to get ur hands dirty. There's magic in repotting n running ur hands through the soil. I've learned to let go even after growing attached to my beloved leaf babies. Cycle of life right? Nothing lasts forever. Green life has been setting the tone for the mood under this roof. I've created a tranquil n peaceful space. I was already a homebody but it's next level. If I'm lucky, I catch my plants "dance" (move to grow) n it tickles me. Like wow, I'm actually a #PlantMom n it makes me feel good. It's a hobby that caught me by surprise n I've been welcoming this newfound gift that came from a pandemic curse.
So here I shout to all my sprouts...Happy National Houseplant Day!!!
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