0 TO 60 (PLANTS) REEEAL QUICK!
Hey friends! Plants are a growing trend right now, which honestly is awesome because we are all breathing that good clean air. I figured I’d talk a little about how I got into being a wild plant loon as it’s something I talk a lot about :) read on to learn my “how to” not be intimidated by plants tips if you’re a newb!
Current houseplant count: …. I think we’re in the upper 70s now.. I did just buy three new plants yesterday and snipped some cuttings from a few mature plants to propagate some new babes. I used to have a reliable plant count but now that’s a whole thing right now so I'm just going to guesstimate here.
I’d like to preface by saying I think there’s a gene that runs in my family that essentially demands as soon as someone enters adulthood, they grow a green third thumb. Because somehow literally everyone in my family has exceptional knowledge about plants and how to care for them. Granted, I’ve been into adulthood for a while now but just embraced the Homeyer-plant-mami(or papi)-gene a little less than two years ago.
About two years ago, one of my friends asked me to plant sit for her while she was on vacation. I knew I loved plants but had a quick awakening when I realized I was responsible for someone else’s pride and joy… about 15 expensive pride and joys, to be specific. Despite my love and appreciation for our green friends, I quickly realized I didn’t know all that much about plants. I was unsure how much water would be too much. I was afraid to touch them and cause a leaf to fall off. But don’t worry, I made it through (so did the plants - I was asked to plant sit again in the future, woohoo!) and after that, the hunger for plant knowledge, and plants, quickly continued to grow.
When I bought my first three plants a couple years ago, I killed two of them within the first few months. Luckily still have one from the OPG (original plant gang - yes I just made this up - and yes I’m laughing out loud to myself about it). I didn’t know the first thing about plants and I’m pretty sure I legitimately didn’t water the jade plant I still have for like six months or something crazy… someone please tell me how it lived because I still am not sure to this day how it held on as a baby! The two other plants I bought were succulents. Most of you probably know these as some of the easiest things to keep alive because they don’t need watered as often as most other plants. Well, they are easy if you actually give them even just a little love every once in a while. But hey, I learned and grew (and soon after, so did my plants).
Plants seemed to keep jumping into my path, so I started researching the easiest houseplants to keep alive. I slowly started collecting more and more plants such as: aloe vera plants, golden pothos, jades, different varieties of philodendrons, and then more pothos. I realized quickly when I actually gave them water and love, they grew. First of all - what an obviously simple but yet rewarding concept. Let me tell you guys, I was soooo excited!
I began buying more and more plants and last year moved into a huge apartment with zero furniture. Immediately I realized I wanted to fill it only with plants. Here’s where my luck and experience both grew exponentially: one of my friends, who is the ultimate plant papi, was leaving town for more than a month while he was in between moving apartments. This was during the beginning of summer, like full swing into GROWING SZN so all of his plants needed a lot of TLC. He ended up bringing probably 50 plants to my house. I was nervous about this because I had nearly 30 plants by this point. You guys… that’s a LOT of plants to care for. Like 0-60 reeaaaal fast. Anyone out there with a hefty haul of plants - you all know it is a full time commitment to care for these babes!
I’m going to sum story time up by saying I sadly killed a couple of his plants, but ended up buying probably over half of them from him. And since then have purchased (too) many plants. Having someone nearby to teach you which plants are which and what they all need is so helpful. It’s hard to research about plants if you aren’t even sure what the plants are.
BUT doing tons of research on my own has been so beneficial to my plant knowledge. I spend a lot of time perusing through local nurseries and plant shops, following tons of plant accounts on instagram and finding a community to join in to learn about plants with.
I know it can be extremely intimidating to begin if you don’t know a lot about plants. I get a lot of questions online and from friends seeking out plant advice, which is so cool to realize how much I’ve learned to be able to help other people learn too.
If you’re looking to start your green family but you don’t know how, just start somewhere. Go through nurseries or online. Find plants you like the look of and then learn about them. Three easy steps to get you started:
Start by looking up the most easy to care for houseplants (I’ll be doing a post on this soon!)
Peruse nurseries or online via instagram, pinterest, virtual plant shops, etc, to see what kinds of plants you’re into that you want to bring into your home.
Before you purchase new plants, find out what kind of environment they thrive in. Learn if they need soft morning light (east windows) or they can handle the harsher afternoon light (west facing windows) and figure out if your home can support these plants well.
If you learn these things first about the plants you’re interested in, you’ll feel ten times more confident once you actually have the plant. You’ll know exactly what you’re new plant babe needs to thrive and I guarantee you’ll feel much more excited about the entire process if you’re even a little bit informed or prepared going into your plant purchase.
If you wanna talk all things plants, have any questions on houseplant tips, or best plants to start out with in your home, or maybe you just wanna say hi! Let’s be friends!
Xoxo, Elizabeth