Hi Neighbor,
I recently read a quote that said, “In case you’re wondering what happens after you’re done having kids and adopting pets, it’s plants—you adopt plants”! I immediately shared it with my husband, laughing as we both realized it’s exactly where we’re headed next!
Our plant story began over 30 years ago when we were first dating. When I met my husband, he was moving into a new home, so I gave him a Calla Lily plant as a house warming gift. It was a sturdy low-maintenance plant that occasionally threatened to die (on multiple occasions), but all we had to do was water it and it would come back to life! It survived three moves, lived in 4 houses and finally saw its demise after we had our third child and had no room for it, or the time to care for it. Since then, the only plant I’ve purchased (and do so, faithfully, each year) is a large Poinsettia from Costco. They are huge, beautiful, and last the perfect amount of time…Thanksgiving through Easter.
Once Easter and Spring arrive our plant interest shifts to our outdoor garden, and we have never really considered the idea of having indoor plants in our home since our Calla Lily. It just hasn’t been on our radar, that is until last year.
Our oldest child who is grown and flown was staying with us for a few months while she was recuperating from a concussion. When she moved back home, she brought along her plants (at least 5 of them!) and we had to find a place for them to survive. She chose our dining room window because it is a large bay window, gets great light, and would fit all of her little plant babies.
Once they were settled in their new home, taking care of her plants provided all of us with a sense of purpose, routine, and connection. They brought life and color to our empty space. Caring for them and watching them grow improved our moods, and ended up being very therapeutic!
When the day came for our daughter to fly again, my husband and I were sad that all of our new plant friends would be going with her, and that our space would once again be quiet, empty and colorless. As we started to plan the best way to move her plants to her apartment, she could see that we were going to miss them, so she suggested that we propagate some of the plants and keep a few. Having no idea about the propagation process we were skeptical but willing to try. We were sure that once the they were transplanted, and she was gone, we would have a windowsill full of dead plants!
Boy, was I wrong! They are all thriving! We’ve re-planted some of the propagated plants to bigger pots and moved them to other locations throughout our house. Our success has made us feel like proud, newly-minted plant parents, which has led to quite a few weekends of shopping for and adopting a small army of new plants – including a new Calla Lily. Our bay window that for years was empty, now has an entire jungle of plants living there!
Adopting plants has become more than just a hobby for me. It has been fun and enormously satisfying. Each new leaf or flower that blooms is like winning a prize!
Caring for our plants has also helped me to fill the void left by having fewer people in the house to care for. It has been a way to nurture something that relies on me for its well-being, which is something I’ve been missing since becoming an empty-nester.
So go ahead neighbor—adopt a plant or two, or a dozen. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll start with one innocent spider plant and before you know it, you’ll have a jungle!
Rooting For You,
Chris
