YOU HAVE A BLACK THUMB…
….but you want to decorate with plants!
You're reading this blog post because you THINK you have a black thumb but you want to inject plants into your home and your life.
Photo Credit: Janet Kwan
“I honestly think anyone could keep a plant alive.”
I feel like a lot of you who just read my quote above are thinking, "yeah right... she's never met me before. I've tried countless of times already!"
And guess what friends? So have I! And I keep trying! I still fail from time to time but I have found that answering a few questions can save your wallet and your heart from breaking.
Before you buy a plant, ask yourself a few questions...
Where do I plan to place my plant?
Which direction does this room face?
How often will I check on my plant?
QUESTION 1 determines the placement of your plants and as someone who loves home decor just as much as I love plants this is an important one to answer. Are you placing that coveted fiddle leaf fig in a corner for extra drama and to fill to add some height? Great! You found your placement!
QUESTION 2 determines how much sunlight your plant will receive. Is your room a north, south, east or west facing? All plants have different sun exposure preferences and it's imperative for you to know if your west facing window will jive with the plant you have in mind for this particular room. Borrowing the fiddle leaf fig again, if you're placing this guy in a corner (as mentioned above), next to a west facing window we know that it'll get way too much direct sun exposure. He will probably suffer, so you will want to move it away from the window but it'll compromise your decor. Perhaps consider a different plant who will like the bright sunlight in your west facing room.
QUESTION 3 determines how much care you are willing to to put into your plants. No judgement here. I don't provide around the clock care for my plants because I am out of the country most of the week. Based on my routine and schedule I know that I have to pick plants that are more drought tolerant and can stand a bit of "neglect". This doesn't mean that I don't check in on my plants, but I can only dedicate one day out of the week to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. For this reason, ferns do not typically do well under my care because I'm not home to keep the soil moist for them.
I BELIEVE IN YOU!
I hope this blog post gives you the confidence to know that you too can keep a plant alive for more than two weeks. Plants are living things and have watering and light preferences. Once you figure out what kind of home conditions and care you can provide for your plants, then you will see results!
Good luck and thanks for reading!