“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” — Lady Bird Johnson
We recently packed up our daughter (and her 30+ plants!) to move to the far edge of the country for college. It has been an emotional time for all of us and we have definitely felt a hole in our home. Both my husband and I have found a strange connection with her through houseplants. We have found ourselves enabling her in her quest for more and more plants while simultaneously trying to fill the space she left with more plants. It’s our way of trying to stay connected without hovering.
With all of these new plants, we need some guidance! “Decorating with Plants: What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive” by Baylor Chapman is a perfect option to help us figure out what to do with all of them. I love the way this book is laid out! Not only does it give some really cool ideas about how to display your plants room by room, but it also provides plant profiles with all of their unique requirements including light, water and ease of care.
Another book I have found to be handy is “Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-light Houseplants” by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf. My house just doesn’t have enough sunny windows, and this book helps to narrow down the field of plants that just won’t work in my dark corners and those that have a chance.
I’ve even started a bonsai! Equipped with “The Bonsai Bible: The Definitive Guide to Choosing and Growing Bonsai” by Peter Chan, I have dug up a couple of saplings from my flower beds to see what I can do. Yes, the book says that’s the most difficult way to start a bonsai, but these little saplings weren’t going to be able to stay where they were anyway. At least now they have a chance?
I’m also renewing my love for mosses with “Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens: Bonsai, Kokedama, Terrariums, Dish Gardens” by Megumi Oshima and “Moss Ball Bonsai: 100 Beautiful Kokedama That Are Fun to Create” by Satoshi Sunamori. I will give a small warning: if you are looking for some of the things required for some of these projects, you might run up against some COVID supply chain shortages and/or some recalls. But don’t let that get you down!
We’ve even started an avocado plant using “Plants from Pits: Pots of Plants for the Whole Family to Enjoy” by Holly Farrell. This is a fun and economical way of increasing your plants. Another economical way of getting plants is by sharing plants. Most house plants can easily be propagated to make more to share.
Hopefully these books will help you to bring some calm and fill some holes in your own home. I have made a list with even more helpful books! Happy indoor gardening!
Image credit: Georgfotoart, Disocactus ackermannii via Wikimedia Commons (license)
