By Elena It’s finally springtime in Seattle, and I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved to finally see the sun again. Although I am a fan of clouds and rain, I’m from Phoenix, Arizona, so the adjustment when I moved to the PNW for college four years ago was pretty difficult as soon as winter hit and the gray days began. It actually got so difficult that I found myself struggling a lot with seasonal depression and found it increasingly hard to get out of bed and do simple tasks, especially when it came to self-care (which, of course, just makes depression worse). I also really missed my cat, who I had left back in Phoenix. Usually, taking care of my cat would help me to remember to take care of myself, because it’s pretty hard to not get out of bed when you have an apparently starving feline yowling in your face. But pets weren’t allowed in our dorm. So, in a stroke of desperation, I bought a plant. Important context: I was never a plant person. In fact, in my freshman year, I was pretty confident that I killed every plant I touched, so the choice to pick up a $5 unnamed plant in a weird pot from Trader Joe’s was truly my last resort, and I was already preparing myself for heartbreak when it inevitably died. Some ill-fated but very cute succulents – turns out succulents are NOT the easiest plants to take care of when you live in a place with 0 sunlight. Anyway, I didn’t really think it would work. Taking care of plants is nothing like taking care of cats, but I just needed another living thing in my space to tend to so that I would have a reason to get up and be a semi-functional human every day. Then the strangest thing happened: the plant didn’t die. More like, I couldn’t kill it. I had no idea what I was doing, so it’s a miracle that the plant stayed alive, but the fact that it did meant that I was able to actually learn and figure out how to be a good plant parent. I got really into figuring out what the mysteriously label-less grocery store plant was (it’s a Peperomia obtusifolia Variegata, or variegated baby rubber plant) and once I did that, I learned how to give it what it actually needed to not just stubbornly survive, but thrive. And suddenly my days seemed a little bit less gray. Don’t get me wrong – some of the plants that I got after that first one definitely met tragic, tragic ends. But I learned not to give up and to do my research about which plants were tough and right for my space, and as of today, my living space is filled with very happy plants which add some color and joy to even the darkest of Seattle days. Maude is also a plant fan – both peperomias and African violets are pet-safe! And now that it’s springtime, it’s the best time of year to get a plant! If you’ve been wanting to get a plant but just don’t know where to start and/or fear that you too may be a menace to anything green, this post is for you! Below are some of the tips that I found most useful when beginning my plant adventures: HELP. WHY DO ALL MY PLANTS DIE?
HOW TO KEEP PLANTS HAPPY
Grocery store herbs are infamously easy to kill – I put 2 smaller basil plants in one bigger pot, gave them lots of sunshine, fertilizer, and watered when they wilted...and got fresh basil leaves for homemade pesto for a whole year! No garden needed; just a little apartment windowsill space. PLANTS THAT WILL BE FORGIVING
Pothos come in many kinds! Left: Golden Pothos; Right: Silver Pothos SOME OF MY FAVORITE PLANT THINGS:
Plant Shop Seattle (Cap Hill)
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January 2024
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