After the pandemic, I became fascinated with plants. I won't say fascinated. It was borderline obsession and indescribable wonder. I had seen so many beautiful plants pop up on my social media timelines and was in awe of how many of my cyber friends had developed these green thumbs. A green thumb was seemingly something I was missing from my toolkit, as I had managed to kill every plant I had acquired after my father's death in 2010. My then apartment sagged with wilted greenery engulfing my living room and one thing I just couldn't manage to nurture to health-- those damned plants. I had this habit of purchasing flowers from the local grocery store each week, and while they were a beautiful sight sitting on my small dining room table, they could not rival strong towering leaves of flourishing plants, in my mind. I was no stranger to them, as my Grandma Lou had a sunroom with the most beautiful, healthy plants you ever wanted to see growing up against its walls. That room was full of grandma's love and care. And she she did not play with my siblings and I when it came to "disturbing" them. I didn't want to keep accumulating flowers just to throw them out each week. I wanted to nurture some beautiful greens to life, too.
Fast forward to 2019 and I began to get that longing to nurture something again. This was partly because COVID had me wanting to start a million new hobbies and I was growing stir-crazy during our process of purchasing a home. I decided to start nurturing the green thumb I was hoping lie dormant somewhere in my toolkit by bringing home a couple of propagations my mom had growing in her laundry room. And out of these two golden pothos propagations reemerged my love of plants. My two propagations, affectionately named Dottie (after Dorothy Dandridge) & Dominique Deveraux, took residence up in my new home and sprouted beautifully against my new bookshelves. I became a thriving plant mama in that moment.
Now it's Summer 2023. My busy green thumbs have unfortunately unalived about 5 plants. But with the damage I've done, I've learned many lessons about the life of the blooming plants around me and the love + patience it takes to care for them. Now I'm in awe of how well I manage to care for 20+ plants.
My favorite among them is my monstera deliciosa, as it's a plant I've always wanted to own and watch flourish. Her name is Sweetest Taboo, and I've already propagated 4 thriving plants from her strong + healthy roots.
Around my living space there are a host of pothos (my second favorite plant), snake plants, a Pink Dalmatian, Red Praying Plant, and ZZ Plant for good measure. Housing and nurturing my plant babies has given me a sense of satisfaction and pride I did not know I would feel after watching my peace lilies flail all around me in 2010. They bring me such an indescribable peace and joy that I could not imagine not watering, fertilizing, and basking in the beauty of these green girls and guys as a part of my routine. They've taught me a new love and patience I thought had escaped me for so long.
ARE YOU A PLANT PARENT?
