It used to seem silly to me to spend money on plants. I grew up spending Saturdays and Sundays in the garden with my mother getting my hands dirty, it felt good, but I didn’t get it. I loved being outside, but I couldn’t make sense of why they invested so much money into greenery and flowers and such when money could be spent on other things. My brain didn’t grasp the concept of proper nesting back then, I paid no mind to how these living organisms contributed to my well being because simply put, I took them for granted. They were always there so I didn’t know what I was lacking.
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Oh girl I get it now. I can’t seem to get my hands on enough plant life. I need it ALL! It started about seven years ago, I fell in love with a cactus. I fell for all things cacti and succulent, it was that southwestern AZ type vibe that spoke to me and suddenly I wanted to dance in the desert and surround my humble abode in that yummy spiky goodness. My next love affair stemmed from the snake plant ie. Mother-in-law’s tongue ie. Sansevieria Trifasciata. How’s that for a mouthful. Yep my first one was a gift from my mother, and I managed not to kill it. Shockingly I never really saw myself as having a green thumb even though nothing makes me happier than mother earth doing her damn thing. I figured I would definitely kill this practically indestructible –doesn’t need much light or water or love- type house plant. I think mom knew I needed low maintenance. She knew what she was doing – ‘ don’t give Preston too much responsibility ‘ she knew if I killed a plant that it would damage my soul and result in some sort of ridiculous deeply suppressed anxiety that would later surface in anger of how I “can’t do anything right.” Mom gets me (I type this laughing literally out loud as we know this is extreme but let’s be real, the anxiety runs deep in this bloodline lol)
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I stumbled my way into the passion of leather jewelry making and all things bohemian; I craved that free spirited lifestyle so hard. It made me happy. Pure unfiltered happiness came from surrounding myself with things that brought me joy. I moved around so much in my late twenties, I loved + lost and loved + lost again…I kept my favorite possessions with me as my life did its hot-mess thing and it was all beautiful. Wrapping up my twenties, I lost 50% of everything I owned to a love story gone wrong and I was faced with the opportunity to rebuild. I GOT the chance to hit the reset button on what kind of adult I wanted to be. I began by thrifting my way into building my new life, a new home and dove face first into a new chapter of ME. You learn a lot about yourself when obstacles force their chaotic way into your life, that fierce “don’t fuck with me” drive kicks into gear and it’s like you suddenly can conquer anything you freaking want. I use rough language because that is the ACTUAL reality of what goes through your mind. I am not soft-spoken, never have been. Why sugar coat shit now? I’m all about that real raw vulnerability thing you keep hearing about from TED talks…I’ve embodied it and it is my FREAKING JAM.
I digress. So you thought we were talking about plants… yeah we were and I have a point. Plants don’t just give you life, they are a living life! Surrounding your dwelling with happy, positive clean oxygen emitting energy is one of the healthiest forward moving things you can bring into your life. I lost a lot of my material furniture and décor possessions…but what I didn’t lose… was my plants. They couldn’t sit on an airplane to Seattle, so they stayed by my side. Growing with me as I grew. Growing healthier, I might add because I began channeling my energy into what I COULD control; since the other life-things were clearly off the table.
Fast forward a little to meeting the man of my dreams…he resided in-between Plaza Midwood and NoDa, he strolled the markets on Saturdays, rode ape-hanger bikes with his wild ass friends, ordered his “coffee” from Smelly Cat – Hot Chocolate with two shots of espresso hold the coffee- he was a free spirited, momma’s boy & beach bum that stumbled his way into crown town.
And his first gift to me was a CACTUS. A perfect little baby from the local market, it was so precious and boho and it brought me all of the feels. He had known me for two weeks…
RIGHT!? He thought it was a small gesture and I was over here about to faint from excitement.
The moral of the story: buy lots of plants and surround yourself with the kind of people that WANT to GIFT you with PLANTLIFE!
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When you embellish interior spaces with houseplants, you're not just adding greenery. These living organisms interact with your body, mind and home in ways that completely enhance your quality of life.
Did you know that harboring plant life is proven to sharpen your focus? Aside from the obvious plant contributions like improving the air quality, making it easier to breath and purifying the air, plants are good for your brain functioning! A study at The Royal College of Agriculture in Circencester, England, found that students demonstrate 70% greater attentiveness when they're taught in rooms containing plants. In the same study, attendance was also higher for lectures given in classrooms with plants… who knew?
“Adding plants to hospital rooms speeds recovery rates of surgical patients, according to researchers at Kansas State University. Compared to patients in rooms without plants, patients in rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower heart rates and blood pressure, experience less fatigue and anxiety, and are released from the hospital sooner.
The Dutch Product Board for Horticulture commissioned a workplace study that discovered that adding plants to office settings decreases fatigue, colds, headaches, coughs, sore throats and flu-like symptoms. In another study by the Agricultural University of Norway, sickness rates fell by more than 60% in offices with plants." - SMB Life Science Corp
Before I expand on all the DIY projects we’ve been working on at the house and all the gorgeous new greenery we have added to our lives over the last year; I wanted to share a little history of why greenery is so significant to me (there is a part 2 to this post coming soon!) I thought it might help you as the reader to think back on your own life and take note of those special people that gifted you with green. I have a special appreciation for those type of humans, it’s the gift that keeps giving and improves your living. So cheers to better nesting, good people and an incredible kickoff to this hot summer season babes!
Posting about plants + projects later this week!
Xo - P