I’ve always loved plants but never had the space for them. My room back in California was too small and dark. That resulted in a lot of dead plants… But here in The Netherlands we have a lot of windows with indirect sunlight. For me, plants are a no brainer. As in, if you have space for something then you should put a plant there. But it took me a few years to find my groove. I killed a few plants in my first year. And I distinctly remember killing one last year. Never on purpose mind you… But this year felt different. I spent a lot of down time sitting on the couch next to my plants. I watched them and allowed them to calm my nerves. So here are a few things about my plants and my little slice of plant therapy.
No discrimination
I’ve got a little bit of everything in our house. We have a few snake plants, a couple pothos plants that I’ve been able to grow from a mama one and our most eccentric one, a calathea roseopicta. Calathea loves to sleep during the night and turns her leaves to the sunlight during the day so she’s a lot of fun to watch. Our balcony houses a few eucalyptus plants and a tiny lavender bush too. If we ever move into a home with a garden, I want to take these babies and plant them in the ground like they deserve. Don’t forget dried flowers too! We have plenty of those.
Never stop growing
My beloved Monstera Obliqua is the fastest grower in the house. This baby loves to surprise me with extra vines that know no limits. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from her, is that no matter what happens, things will find a way and work out. She sits on my bookshelf next to a picture frame and she has vines everywhere! There are several on top of the frames and even two that found their way behind the frame. She was twice as big as I thought she was! I love her so much… I recently repotted her and broke one of her longest and thickest vines… And I’m still recovering from the tragedy.
Something to care for
I’m thankful that the dogs force me out of the house to walk them but they can care for themselves. I love that I need to water and tend to my plants. Repotting them is the most exciting part of the process because I can allow my plants to grow even bigger. Sander thinks I’m going a little too plant crazy but we aren’t living in a jungle… Yet!
Let it grow
And speaking of letting my plants grow.. It’s so much fun to watch them get bigger. There’s something so interesting about getting a tiny plant and observing it over the following months. How it changes, how it grows new leaves and flowers… Everything about it reminds me that we’re all alive. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that life is finite, especially in a pandemic when all we want to do is feel better. These plants remind me to stay humble and that growth is an important process for everything involved.
The aesthetic
You can’t tell me you didn’t stop to look at a photo and say to yourself… Wow, I wish I had a beautiful space like that. Look at all those plants! While I can’t say I started plant collecting for the aesthetic, I love how they look in my home. It’s so green in some spaces and that bit of nature brings me comfort. It makes our home look lived in and alive. While I love minimalist spaces, there’s something about that plant aesthetic that hits me in the feels.
No Comments