A Newbie’s Guide To Finding The Right House Plant
So you’re a greenhorn to the plant dating world. Easy! Here are 4 key questions you need to ask yourself as a new plant lover before diving into the deep end and choosing a plant companion.
Know your habits and how well they will fit your plant’s needs, and you’ll be able to enjoy a long-lasting relationship with your plant! These questions apply similarly to plants as they do in our life, let’s get to it!
How available are you?
Probably the most important question. If you’re the type of person who works a lot and has a busy schedule and is rarely at home, hey, maybe that lush Boston fern isn’t right for you.
Instead, look for plants that require minimal care and attention (needs little watering) to suit your lifestyle schedule. A low-maintenance and easy-to-care-for leafy companion like a snake plant or ZZ plant would work perfectly for you. Or.. *drumroll* a cactus!
How willing are you to commit to your new plant?
The next step—making the move to commit. Before that, do your research! Know how much time you need to commit to the plant, or how much space the plant requires etc. Some plants are hardy and require little attention to thrive, while some others require more specific knowledge to succeed.
A little research goes a long way, and with enough knowledge, you can advance from relatively easy-to-care-for plants like Pothos, Hoyas or Philodendrons, to other more advanced choices that require more effort (but also looks more pleasing and more rewarding to care for!) such as Fiddle-leaf figs or Cheese plants.
Will you still have freedom?
Have you ever had one of those friends who—in the middle of hanging out—suddenly tells you that he/she needs to head back soon to care for their plants? How annoying.
Goes without saying that the more plants you have, the more time you’re gonna have to devote to them. However, this should not come between you and your daily activities nor affect your relationships with people. Plants are there to calm us and make us feel at ease, and the last thing you want is to make caring for them feel like a chore. You should still have the freedom to live your life without constantly thinking of your plants all the time.
What happens when it’s over?
As the saying goes: at the end of the day, nothing lasts forever. If you know you have chosen ‘the right’ plant and have a beautiful relationship with it, don’t stress over it or freak out if one day it dies! Whether it is your fault or it being an environmental factor, don’t beat yourself up over it.
Plants are replaceable. There are many ways to keep plants in your life and have them around you. Going through the process while figuring things out and losing plants along the way, you’ll only get a greater understanding of them.