I’ve rekindled a childhood hobby recently —that is, planting and caring for plants—albeit at this time indoor plants only. I know I’m a little bit behind as the houseplant collecting trend became worldwide during the Covid lockdown. But still I enjoyed it and find a sense of peace and calm which is very healing to me.
I bought a house in the early part of this year. It came with a huge backyard and big enough space for flowering plants in the front. Prior to moving in, I’d imagine us having a large vegetable garden and flowering shrubs. In our previous house, my husband maintained a large vegetable garden during the summer months and planted lots of fruit bearing trees, too. But we only have a few ornamental plants. Most of them came with the house when we rented it.
When I came to the US a long time ago, I have no interest in gardening and anything that involves working outside, Since my husband is pretty good in that department, I let him do it with occasional help from my kids. I was content staying indoors running the household and doing chores.
Years later when my husband got sick and his strength and mental faculties slowly deteriorated, I started wondering if I should also learn what he knows. We used to raise chickens and plant berries for family consumption. We gave away to neighbors, family, and friends any excess harvest we had. It was a fun experience. With the amount of work it took to do all that, I chickened out and decided that it’s too complicated for me. I wanted to focus on things that are manageable.
I miss those days and there are times I hoped we can replicate what we did at the other house in this new property. But with my husband’s physical and mental health not getting any better, I’m afraid that’s going to be a challenge. But we’ll try. Since we moved in at the end of spring and renovations in the house became a priority, we put off starting a vegetable garden and flowering shrubs next season. Hopefully, we can prioritize that next year.
To have something therapeutic to do, I decided I’ll start caring for small plants indoors and I’m so glad I did. I started off with a couple easy-to-care for plants. I bought them online including the necessary supplies to start my hobby. I can’t believe anything can be bought online nowadays— including soil and live plants! I can start a whole garden literally by ordering everything over the internet. I am grateful for this technological wonder. It is very advantageous for us individuals who have physical disabilities because we have an option not to go to a physical store anymore.
Being a newbie to caring for house plants as an adult, I have to learn new things. I had to know the names of the plants, identifying which are safe and poisonous for humans, and learning tips and tricks how to ensure they grow healthy. It’s a lot complicated now compared to the times I recall growing up in the countryside in the Philippines. Over there, gardening and being surrounded by plants is so innate. You just knew the names and how to grow and care for them naturally because you see them all the time in your own yard, your neighbors yard, or anywhere you go in the country. Tropical and ornamental plants are bountiful and you will almost always get them for free from neighbors and people you know. It was so different back then and I remember those days with fondness.
I enjoy the texture and smell of the soil in my bare hands. Handling plants require gentleness and unhurried moments—I have to dedicate a specific time undisturbed. I love touching the leaves individually and inspecting them for the presence of pests and yellowed leaves. It’s my beautiful escape from my busy life. No wonder many people find gardening so relaxing. It did wonders to me even if I only have a few plants to care for at the moment.
This is a hobby that I am planning to continue. I want my house to have enough plants to liven up the space to bring joy and satisfaction to me and the rest of my family. It’s also a good idea to encourage my kids to take up planting and gardening as a hobby to lessen their screen time. We’ll see how it is in the future.
But for today and I am happy and I want to share that with my readers.