Hello dear friends~!
If you've visited the shop, chances are you've seen a short-haired girl fretting and fussing over all the greenery. That'd be me-- Michelle, and I'm so pleased to say I am the shop manager here at Paper Plant Co!
Like many others I attained plant-motherhood as a result of pandemic life; my sole ambition to create the perfect insta-worthy, call-me-Mother-Nature™, indoor jungle of a living space. Suffice it to say, I'm far from realizing this dream and I am in no way a perfect plant parent, never mind Mother Nature. I've under-watered, over-watered, flubbed fertilizer directions, left delicate humidity-loving babies in direct sun, lost many (so many) a prayer plant, and much much more I won’t elaborate on.
But Michelle... you sound like you have no clue what you're doing! What on earth makes you qualified to write a guide on plants??
To be frank, I'm not! I'm your average person who'd always believed I had a brown thumb, doomed to only ever live in envy of the beautiful planty lifestyles of IG. If you've ever said "I can't have plants. I just kill them," this guide is dedicated to you!
1. You're Going to Kill Plants
No one is never going to kill a plant, and that's a fact. You're going to kill one (...or ten) throughout your plant journey, and that's okay!!
Plant parenthood is a process of finding which plants are suited to your living situation, which plants vibe with your lifestyle, and which plants simply bring you joy in the first place! Plants will wilt, brown, and die for a multitude of reasons, and regardless of those reasons it's not an indicator of bad parenting. Maybe that plant just wasn't The One for you.
So don't get discouraged and don't give up on yourself! Take a moment to mourn the dearly departed, toss it out, and begin anew! As they say, there are plenty of fish in the sea (--or rather, plants at the nursery).
2. There's No Such Thing As The 'Beginner' Plant
Raise your hand if you've ever been personally victimized by a Fiddle Leaf Fig or succulent. Put down the watering can, turn off HGTV, you are not alone.
In the past few years, I have come to find I love a good low-maintenance plant; however, I do love to be overbearing and baby the heck out of them. One of my biggest joys in life is having a plant care ritual where I carve out time weekly to check in on all my plants-- I fertilize, water, wipe down leaves, propagate, repot, bask in all their glory, etc. I give my children a nourishing drink of water and they give me that sweet serotonin boost in return. It's in this time where I find presence of mind and the plants speak to my soul...
TL;DR I'm a daydreamer who gets easily carried away with overwatering-- like, a lot.
FLF and succulents don't need nearly that much care. If anything, they thrive on being ignored as much as humanly possible. So can you see why these "beginner-friendly" plants and I just don't vibe?
All this to say, not everyone is going to have the same experience with certain plant types. Easy-going to me means I get to feed, kiss, and tuck the plant into bed at night; whereas easy-going to another may mean forgetting the plant up on a shelf and watering just when it starts to look a little sad. It's all about your preference in care and what kind of plant parent you want to be! So...
3. Be The Plant Parent You Want To Be!
Contrary to popular belief, there is no right or wrong way to care for your plants. Sure, the plant people of social media wax poetic about fertilizers, balancing your water pH, fancy gadgets, and the like. These things can certainly be helpful and maybe you’ll eventually want to learn more about them, but all of that is optional. It’s important to remember that plant parenting should be an enjoyable aspect of life, not a stressful one.
Whenever you feel lost or overwhelmed and ready to throw in the towel, narrow down the process to what kind of light and humidity you have at home and how often you’re willing to take the time to water. It's really that simple! Keeping things simple is a perfectly acceptable way to determine what kind of plants are suited to you. And if you're still having doubts? There’s always Ol’ Reliable, aka Google.
So there you have it! Not a single piece of advice on how to actually grow your plants (those will come later!), but keeping these points in mind has really shifted the way I think about my plant parenting. I used to feel like it was the end of the world when a plant died or had ugly brown edges; that maybe I’m not deserving of such beauty in my home. I've experienced my share of fails, but it's not about how many plants I can keep alive and looking flawless. It's all about how caring for these plants makes me feel overall, and that feeling is what's made my successes all the more rewarding.
If you've made it to the end of my rambling, thank you! Please take 10 percent off your online PPC order with code WaterYourself10 (valid until the end of the month)! I sincerely hope that at least some part of this post resonated with you. Whether an expert or beginner, I urge you to go forth with confidence and be the very best plant parent you can be!
With Love,
Michelle