Houseplants-More Than Home Décor

Houseplants are a large part of my home décor, my life, and my heart. Plants are more than a decoration. If you have them in your home, have them in your heart.

It has always been this way and it always will.

I am surrounded by plants, inside and out, and if you know me, you know this about me. You love me; you love my plants. It is that simple.

When Mark and I were first married, I decorated with a lot of plants. For me, houseplants were inexpensive home décor. I had many varieties, but mainly a lot of pothos ivy because they were cheap, easy to grow, and weren’t particular about their amount of sunlight. They were also pretty forgiving. I do best with forgiving plants.

Houseplants are family

In the first month of our marriage, we bought a ficus tree. I will always remember that day. This tree moved with us every time we relocated. The tree was part of the family, always there. We nurtured it. I repotted it as it grew. And it grew and grew, like our marriage. We named the ficus tree the Marriage Tree.

Our marriage tree sadly died seven years ago. It was 25 years-old. I am happy to report our marriage is still going strong; our love is still growing.

My love for plants is in my DNA–straight from my grandmother. Grandma always had houseplants. She may have been the original plant lady. Grandma not only had a green thumb, but I believe all ten of her fingers were green. She had plants that were cool before plants were cool.

“Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart.” -Russell Page

Grandma was on to something

She had snake plants and Philodendron, plants that I thought were weird back then. Now I have those same plants, and I love them.

Grandma had all kinds of plants everywhere. I can remember her talking and humming to them. Whatever she did, her plants liked it, and it looked good on them.

She had plants outside and inside—just like me.

Houseplants have become a social media star.

It seems plants are a big thing now. There is a craze happening. If you look on Instagram or Pinterest, there are many, many pretty, eye-catching, mouth-dropping pictures to lure you in and make you want to be a crazy plant-lady.

I post pictures on my stories all the time of my little green fellers. They make me smile, so I like to share them.

Plants are on a rising boom and are a decorating commodity, as well as a self-care must-have. We as people need to take care of things. We need to take care of a living thing. It gives us joy and responsibility to take care of plants. I believe you give a little of your heart to your houseplants.

Affection towards plants

This affection is not new to grandma and me, but it is a new thing for millennials. And I am not just talking girls—boys like plants, too. My son loves and cares for his plants just as much as his sister’s do. (I taught them well. Grandma is proud.)

We live in a crazy world, and we need to reconnect with nature. In our homes and apartments, we need and want that connection, and the answer is houseplants.

It seems we all spend far too much time in front of our screens. Having something to hold and take care of, having something that breathes air and cleans the air you breathe, is a good thing. Click To Tweet

Green plants make us healthier, happier, more grounded people. And we are all now aware of this.

Houseplants as plant-pets

Plants have become our pets, if you will — our babies. We name our plants, we show-off our plants, and we nurture our plants with light and water. And affection. Having plants is cheaper than having pets. (although, I still recommend pets!) You don’t have to potty-train them. Or take them to a vet, which is nice, but I will always have pups.

Houseplants are way cheaper than kids, too. (Again, I am glad I had kids!) But houseplants behave. Plants don’t cry, and there is no need for a college fund. (But again, thankful for my children!)
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 I will always have all three–plants, pets, and my kids.

But the truth is plants are simple and make a room pretty, too.

Decorating with plants

I still love to decorate with plants. I suppose I always have. It is now more of a love than a necessity, but pretty just the same. Candles, books, and plants. You can never go wrong with those three essential items in your décor, no matter your style.

I now have a sunroom, and this is where the majority of my plants reside. They love it in there. My grandmother would enjoy sitting in there it, too. The ceiling is glass, and the light is constant. Basically, It is a greenhouse, only with an air conditioner, a couch, and hardwood floors. My sunroom is just as pretty on a cloudy day as it is on a sunny day. (And you should see it in the rain!)

I keep telling myself I have plenty of plants and I do not need another. But, I continue to buy them.

The more I have, the longer it takes to water them weekly, but I don’t mind. I find myself enjoying it. I talk to my plants, although I have yet to hum to them. (Sorry, Grandma!)

In my house, I use a mixture of live and faux plants. I use the faux in areas that don’t get much sunlight. I list my favorite places to buy faux plants here.

Take good care of your plants

Watering my plants is a quiet time for me. A meditation time. A ritual. And exercise, because it takes me many trips back and forth to the kitchen sink to fill up my two watering cans. I recommend picking a day and watering your plants on that day every week. Make this a habit. And don’t over-water.

Make sure you have the right plant for the right amount of sun. Succulents need a lot of sun and little water. Think desert. And tropical plants can be the opposite. Many plants will tell you on a label the amount of light and water they need.

Research plants before you buy them. A great resource is The Sill. You can learn all about plants and how to care for them, as well as purchase popular varieties.

I have even bought plants on Amazon, because you can buy everything on Amazon, right?

Children and houseplants

If you’ve already done the kid thing, teach your children to be plant-lovers, too. Buy your children, if they are interested, an easy-care houseplant to nurture and grow.

Some easy-care varieties are Air Plants, Spider Plant, Aloe, English Ivy, Dragon Tree, Bromeliad, Jade Plant, Kalanchoe, Yucca, or a Philodendron.

Make sure you get the right plant for the amount of sun the room receives. Low light, medium, or intense? In a window or across the room. If you get the right plant for the amount of sun the room receives, you will not set your child up for failure.

Take your children to a nursery. Ask a professional. Let your child pick their plant and a pot to house their new friend. This is a teaching moment, so take advantage of it. Teach them about the plant itself, its needs, and sit back and watch the responsibility.

I remember my first houseplant was a Jade Plant. I think I took really good care of it. At least I hope I did.

It is a learning experience and a lesson in patience. There might be some failure, but let your kids fail. Have a plant funeral and buy a new one. Again, a life-learning moment.

“Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy. -Astrid Alaudo

I hope for you green plants and joy!

love and blessings~dd

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