living with plants

Hello friends!

Let’s talk about plants! Because at the moment, looks like every single person that I know, is into plants!

I noticed, since the covid-19 lockdown, people are into plants so much. Some people that I know, used to not into plants before, now they have almost every plants on the planet😀 Which is good tho, as long as they keep looking after their plants and don’t abandon them after normal life resumes.

As for me, I started to have interest in plants perhaps since about 3 years ago. My first plant was Fiddle leaf fig. I remembered I bought it in IKEA for $10 and it was just about 30cm tall. Now, it has reached almost to the ceiling!

I first thought gardening was only for older people, you know like when you have reached 60 and above, like my mother. But geez I’m wrong. Nowadays even as young as teenager they are into plants!

I used to buy fresh flowers to add some aesthetic in to my house. But then they are quite expensive for my wallet and they only last two weeks max, so I thought I didn’t want to spend my money on plants that not gonna last long. So, I started to buy ‘real plants’.

My second plant was monstera and it grew beautifully and big, until I got bored because it was so big it took so much space inside the house. So, I moved it outside. It still alive, surprisingly.

I bought my plants from every where, I cannot visit a nursery or garden centre without taking home a new green friend. I probably have nearly 100 plants now. But I try not to make my house look like an out of control jungle though. I put the plants to every room of my home, including bathroom. I also try to prevent my home from looking too full on planty, so I add shelves and hang the plants from the ceiling.

I also have killed few plants, oh yeahh! It is not the end of the world if you kill a plant, it’s an excuse to choose a new one!

If you are just into plants, there are several easy to care plants that won’t die easily such as; devil’s ivy / pothos, monstera, spider plant, snake plant, peace lily, and aloe vera. The most important thing to look after your plants in my opinion, is first light. Get to know if your plant likes direct or indirect light, indoor or outdoor, if outdoor shade or no shade. Then second, water. I don’t water my plants every day. In winter I normally water them once every 10 – 14 days, in summer once a week. Some plants tend to go dormant during winter, so less water is better. It is better underwater than over water as the latter can cause root rots. Every plant needs a different kind of care, and I usually just touch the soil to find out if it needs water.

I believe there is no such thing as a black thumb tho. If you are willing to invest a bit of TLC (time, love, and care) to your plants I am sure you will have a healthy and beautiful plants.

So, if you are plants mama/dad what is your favourite plant ? Mine at the moment is begonia, I’m obsessed with any kind of them 😍

Before I forget, couple weeks ago my friend Noni asked me to chat about plants on her podcast so below is our conversation about anything plants, if you would like to listen. Apologise it’s in Indonesian and there are lots of giggles. But mostly what we were chatting is what I am blogging here.

And if you haven’t followed my plants account on Instagram, please do so @ohdearplants . Thank you pretty people 😍

Til next time!