The Beaded Sheep Podcast Episode 41
It has been about one year since I began my journey as a plant person. It feels hard to believe that so much and so little time has passed and the number of plants I have has greatly increased! There have been a few plants that I have had to say goodbye to, but so many others that I have welcomed into my plant crew.
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Some facts about my plant journey are:
Currently, I have 38 plants in my home, including propagated plants!
My favorite plants so far are oxalis, pothos, and calathea plants.
My least favorite plant that I have had has been when I had an umbrella plant, more on that in a bit.
My favorite plant location in my house is my bedroom for its variety of places to put plants depending on how much light a plant needs.
Things I have learned on this plant journey:
Plants die. I currently have sent nine plants to Plant Heaven, which stinks, but has also been an opportunity to see how I can improve taking care of my plants. You can't save all the plants and some plants will not be a good fit for you, no matter what. For me, that plant is the Calathea Dottie. I have now had two of these gorgeous plants, which would be doing great for months and then all of a sudden just shrivel up and die. I am still not sure what I did to this plant, but as of right now, I don't have plans on buying another and will stick to plants that seem to be thriving in my home.
Propagating is really fun! With two of my current plants, I have propagated a clipping from each and am excited to see the clippings take root and then become potted plants down the road. I have one propagation from a pothos that has been really successful and I plan on putting it in a pot of its own soon. I love that propagating gives you a chance to experiement with almost starting with a plant from scratch.
Plants help with anxiety. When I am having "big feelings" I like to sit in my bedroom in my comfy chair next to my plants and focus on the peace they bring me. They are something to focus on and keep me rooted instead of focusing on what is making me anxious. I have found in my home that they create a welcoming environment that feels fresh and relaxing. There is nothing like having a mug of tea, a good book, and a bunch of plants around you to help you unwind!
Try new plants. Each plant has something new to offer. I was somewhat against getting a pothos when I first started my journey because they felt too common, but I have come to absolutely love them for their lush and cascading leaves, plus they are so fun to propagate! I love that each plant has different needs and I love playing with the different spaces in my house as zones for different types of sunlight requirements.
They have been so much fun to have with my kids. My girls love plants. They actually really love plants. My oldest (4yo) gets so excited every day to go check on her plant (a sweet Pilea!) as well as all the other plants in my bedroom. She loves to help me water them, pot them, propagate, and check out new growth. My youngest (18mo) is learning to be gentle with the plants by carefully petting and touching the leaves while she says "gentle," or "wow!" It is the cutest thing! My oldest, Lydia, is excited to have her own garden this year and to help me plant flowers around the house because she has loved being involved in the care of our houseplants. Seeing this genuine love for plants in my girls is so touching and it fills me with joy to see them enjoy something so wonderful as plants. They get to learn so much by helping me with them and they can have a greater appreciation for their world and taking care of it. Plants are always changing and growing, just like my girls, and I love getting to share this love with them!
If you also love plants and are looking for some great plant shops to try (specifically in the southern NH area), here are my favorite plant shops:
Some of my favorite plant books include:
Plantopedia (I have not read this book, but my plant expert friend, Matt, loves it!)
Are you on a plant journey?? Tell me about it in the comments and tell me what your favorite plant is!
xoxo,
Elise
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