Here in the UK we're on week three of lock down due to Coronavirus, the likelihood of that being lifted any time soon is looking slim. My houseplants are helping me through this really surreal time in life and I thought I'd write a post about why that is.
Over recent weeks I've found it hard to focus on things or to feel motivated to do much of anything (hello five weeks of no writing!). It's been tough and my anxiety has been at an all time high.
Houseplant care has been my one consistency over the last few weeks. When I say care, I'm not necessarily doing anything with them. I'm often just looking at them, admiring them, inspecting for changes, new growth, possible pests, whether they need water or perhaps some fertiliser and sometimes a spot of rearranging (I really enjoy rearranging things, I feel like it always gives me a fresh perspective on life, anyone else experience that?).
Spending time with the plants for me has been a really mindful activity. When I'm checking in with a plant I'm not thinking about anything else. I'm totally in the moment, concentrating solely on that plant. That's what being mindful is all about isn't it really, it's not all about having an empty mind and breathing. It's about being in the moment, not doing one thing and thinking of another, not letting your thoughts and feelings overwhelm you, which is something that can happen regularly at the moment, with what is going on in the world.
Possibly a strange thing to say, but I'm grateful this period of lock down has happened now. It's the start of the growing season here and all of my plants have suddenly sprung to life! Each day I notice something new happening with one or many of my plants and it's those little things that bring me so much joy! The lock down means I've been observing my plants a lot more, I'm not missing out on any of their little successes!
I love finding new growth on my plants. If they're putting out new growth, it must mean they're happy and I'm mimicking their natural environment well enough to encourage them to thrive. Some of my houseplants even have flowers! It's not often that plants will flower indoors, so if yours are flowering, you must be doing something right 🥰 In the images below you can see my Begonia Maculata Wightii and my Peperomia Caperata have both flowered. The genus Peperomia always have odd looking flowers, their blooms are stalk shaped and often described as looking like 'rat's tails', can you see the bloom in the photo?
I have over 80 houseplants, which I know in the world of houseplants isn't necessarily considered a lot, but in my apartment, there is a plant on almost every surface. So, it feels like more than enough for me. I've enjoyed rearranging them, creating a calming and inspiring environment. I prefer to not have my plants touching each other, partly because of the aesthetic, I like to see the plant as a whole and not muddled with another and I like to see the spaces between them, having plants intertwined can feel quite chaotic for me, not calming at all. I also keep plants separate from one another because of pests, if your plants are touching and you find a pest on one of them, chances are that pest has moved across onto the plants next to it as well, so I like to limit the chances of that occurring where possible.
The process of caring for the plants has given my days some structure and routine. I do a general check on all of the plants in the morning, fix any immediate problems there and then such as, giving a plant a drink if it needs one, removing any dead leaves or dealing with a pest. During that time I'll also make a note of any bigger jobs that need doing and I'll plan them into my day. These could be things like repotting, cleaning leaves or if a plant doesn't seem too happy, doing some research to try and find out how I can improve my care for that plant.
I know this post hasn't been particularly informative, but it felt important for me to address my absence from writing blog posts as well as addressing what is going on in the world right now. I sometimes still find it hard to believe, even though I think I am adjusting to this 'new normal' we're living in. I know some of you are finding comfort in your houseplants and some of you are just getting started on your houseplant journey, taking this opportunity to bring the outside indoors! If any of you have any questions about plants, or just want to talk about plants, I'm so up for having those conversations with you! Comment on this post, send me a message on instagram or email me. Lets talk and connect at this time of disconnect! I look forward to hearing from you.