5 Ways To Indulge the Green Thumb You Never Knew You Had
Salvation by houseplants.
I was like you — I looked at the people with live plants all over their house like some tribe of mystics that were gifted knowledge I’d never have access to. I’d buy a tiny pot of something and watch it wilt.
That all changed when I was going through a rough breakup and found myself crying in the sauna of the tropical plant section at a home improvement store. A shelf of clearance plants, with their damaged leaves and missing stalks, spoke to me.
I took three home thinking that a short life with me was better than being tossed into the dumpster. Plus, they were cheap. If they withered away, I wouldn’t take a hard hit on the investment.
Three months later, the plants were thriving. I read a few books and watched a lot of YouTube videos on basic plant care, but most of my knowledge came by way of simple curiosity.
What did I need to heal myself? Space. Time. Air. Water.
What did these plants need? The same.
Plants evolve alongside an evolution in our perceptions. When we work to instill life into a plant, it may too instill life within us.
— Summer Rayne Oakes, from her book How to Make a Plant Love You
