Those who follow me on Instagram are probably getting pretttttty sick of my pictures of plants. I don’t know what has come over me, but over the past few weeks I have been super into pretty flowers and greenery. It must be this terribly grey winter we’ve had…something in me says ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and wants to cover every surface of my condo with flora. Lately I’ve spent way too much money on plants, and subsequently WAY too much time staging Instagram photos…#sorrynotsorry?
As someone with the least green of thumbs (we’re talking purple. That’s across the colour wheel, right?) I thought I’d share a few of my tips for picking plants that work for you, and how to make the most of your lil plant babies. Enjoy, and please take this with a grain of salt…again, purple thumb…
Know what you like, and what you can handle! This is obvious…pick plants that you think are beautiful! But at the same time, don’t get cocky. I myself have killed (and slightly revived) my orchid COUNTLESS times…it’s barely hanging on. That said, I will not be buying myself another orchid any time soon. Lord knows it won’t survive. Between my lack of plant skills and the extreme heat in my apartment (all windows is a blessing and a curse) it is not an ideal environment for temperamental plants. Cacti and succulents are my friends, and lucky for me, I LOVE them. Know what works for your commitment level and your environment!
Find a florist or flower market! While I do love picking up a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store, I’ve fallen in love with specialty flower stores. My favourites at the moment are Fiori in Oakville, and Crown Flora in Parkdale. They are a little bit pricier (ugh) but the selection is stunning, and honestly these blooms are going to last so much longer than your grocery store picks. The staff at these stores are also crazy knowledgeable and will tell you how often to water your plants, and how to make the most of them. Please listen to these experts. If it weren’t for them, my succulents would be much less succulent.
Be diligent. While I love the easy nature of cacti, fresh flowers are beautiful and make me smile. But as I said, my condo is all windows…it gets SO hot, and the sun can be brutal. This means that I have to be conscious of where my flowers are and how I’m caring for them. Typically I have to add fresh water to my blooms every day or two (it evaporates…ugh) and move them accordingly. If I notice they are getting super wilty (that’s totally a word) I’ll move them across my apartment to an area that’s less likely to get direct, glaring sunlight. Also, be sure to remove any leaves that are just hanging in the water…they may rot and cause the flowers to die sooner. It helps to trim the stems every few days, too…who knows why. It works. When you’re spending money on flowers, you want them to survive!
When in doubt, call mom. What is it about moms that know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING? Life skills, directions, food prep (how do I know if this has gone bad?)…they know it all. My mom also seems to know everything about plants, which I am totally cool with. She’s like a human Google. Whenever I have a question about how to make my plants last longer, how to revive them, how often to water them, etc…she is the ultimate resource. Find someone in your life who knows plants, and assault them with questions. Kidding…sort of.