Let's Talk About Plants

Let's talk about plants (again). Okay so I'm not a plant person, I'm a total flower girl. And this has NOTHING to do with not liking plants and more to do with killing them quicker than I'm betting any human can possibly kill a plant. I was raised with plants in the house, my mother loves them, and my husband has a windowsill full of them in his home office which he cares for beautifully. Me, well I have a single aloe vera plant on my window and in the kitchen, a few unknown species and some succulents, and I've even managed to kill succulents so you can already see that something wasn't wired correctly in my head. It's really lame honestly and breaks my heart a little bit that plants never became part of my decor or life in general because I'm a bit intimated by them. Well, not a bit. A lot.

Via Albatross

By the way, what kind of succulent is the first one shown far left on the above bench? I've been trying to ID it for days... I digress.

I love nature, I mean I love it. LOVE. IT. I could adopt every stray animal, bring home motherless squirrels by the truckload and I'm constantly hauling home branches, leaves and other fallen objects from trees whenever I'm walking in the forest. In fact, I live in this particular house because we have a million acre (not really but it's massive) forest behind us. Nature is my thing; I grew up on the coast and spent nearly every day on the beach until I was in my twenties. Why aren't plants a part of my life and furthermore, when I do adopt them, why do I neglect them so terribly? What am I missing here? Are you the same, or?

Via Stylizimo

I thought I'd dedicate this post to those of us who are finally catching on to plants and who are considering adding them to our decor, and even more, maintaining them so they live for awhile. I'm hoping that you plant PROS out there can leave us some advice in the comments section - I certainly need it. We have a few three-season porches on our house and a balcony along with big windowsills in every room so there is more than enough room to decorate with plants. And we have nice daylight, too. I keep looking at those fiddle leaf plants, because they'd be gorgeous on the porches, and I really love succulents because they are so low maintenance, but I really need to branch out (literally).

Via: Broste Copenhagen

Can you suggest some good starter plants for a total plant-phobic? Something easy so I don't have to water them a thousand times a day, that aren't poisonous (in case my future baby decides to chew on a leaf when I'm not looking) and I certainly cannot have plants that will run the house, plants that my friends will want to roll and smoke, and plants that go so wild that my home becomes a jungle that I have to constantly dust and maintain, I don't want to live in the Rain Forest Cafe if you know what I'm sayin'. They also cannot require full on sunlight all day because we're all not lucky enough to live in the Mediterranean or LA. See, I have a real plant anxiety disorder, don't I? Plant worry grips me.

Via IKEA

Looking at these photos, I can definitely get behind the whole plant trend right now, can't you? I love how clean and modern these spaces look without a 70s/80s flashback into my childhood home. I love my mother, but we had so many hanging plants and plants in macrame and plants growing other plants (spider plants with their "babies"), it was all just too much for me, I would feel suffocated with so much crowding my windows and my home in general. But I can definitely do a few here and there and honestly, I should because they are great for the air quality and look so pretty! What about you?

Via Derek Shapton

Via: D*S

Via D*S

Via William Dangar & Associates

So guys, what do you think? Any advice for me and others reading this blog who haven't jumped onto the plant bandwagon yet? Any tips and tricks to share? Product suggestions? Plant species you'd think I'd like? With Spring coming, I'm ready to make a commitment to a few green cuties and honestly, it's about time I grow up - I'm going to be a mommy soon for goodness sake.

Here is another post of mine from last year where I talk about plants and show some gorgeous images, too. But I'm ready to walk the talk now guys. I'm ready to haul butt to the garden center in a few months and get rollin' on this whole plant thing, so help me if you can!

(images linked to their sources above)