Houseplant Love Day -- A note to the 'plant killers'
“I kill houseplants.” This is a common form of self-identification, as in “I can’t be trusted with a dog or baby because I can’t even keep a plant alive.” This may feel true, but I can assure you that the difference between a green and brown thumb is not set at birth, it is not an inherent quality you are cursed or blessed with. It’s about three things: attitude, mindfulness, and routine. Turn the knob just a smidge on these qualities and any plants under your care will perk up and take notice in a positive loop. Or, the plant will continue to weaken a die simply because it is time and not even the most accomplished plant parent could save it.
First, let go of the negative self talk. Everything has a life cycle. Houseplants die. They die in my house and they die in meticulous botanical gardens, too. Most houseplants are actually native plants of tropical lands, far from their natural environment. The houseplants we see for sale today have been selectively bred and altered, grown in industrial greenhouses, jammed into plastic pots, trucked hundreds of miles and endured countless changes in humidity, light, and water. If they die upon entering your home, don’t take it personally. Lighten up about it and say “I’m figuring out this houseplant thing, I’m learning what they need, I’m going to find the ones that work in my house.”
Don’t know how to get started? Convinced you have a brown thumb? Discouraged by the death of an expensive exotic? Buy your plants from a grocery store. These are hardy survivors that get refreshed often, they are forgiving, inexpensive, and plentiful. Build your houseplant rhythm and style slowly with this band of old faithfuls. Spend time at the plant section of a grocery store, get to know the selection over a few weeks, read the labels, observe the leaves, then bring home something new and start again.
Boring plants encourage failure — there’s nothing to watch, so why would you look? Why would you remember to check the plant to see how it’s doing when it looks exactly the same week after week, month after month? Succulents are great because they are hardy little things that look like living sculptures. Yet they behave like little sculptures too, just sitting there for long periods of time. That’s not a great setup for care-taking.
The best plants for the self-identified plant killer are plants that stretch and turn towards the sun, plants that send up tender new leaves that unfurl into fresh new shapes. These plants are a joy to care for because they respond, they grow, they evolve in the shifting light. The joy of finding new growth is the dopamine hit that keeps us attentive and tuned in. When they're happy, you’ll know it, and you’ll feel it too. Killer no more.
