I fancy my self to be a bit of a ‘crazy plant lady.’ I received my first planter with a few tiny little plant clippings a little over a year ago and now my plants have quickly taken over my life – and my dorm room. The allure of keeping plants wasn’t lost on my roommate, either. She now has several pots proudly sitting on the windowsill alongside my army! Rather than online shopping for shoes and dresses, I prefer to browse Etsy, looking for succulents and plant clippings.
I can’t tell you why I love my plants so much, I just do. It is nice having something to take care of, and they certainly liven the room up quite a bit. Nurturing them and watching them grow and thrive is just so rewarding. Perhaps it’s my maternal side that constantly needs to be taking care of something, or maybe it’s the fact that I came upon my first plants during a time in my life where I was experiencing a lot of change, but for whatever reason I latched onto them, and now I like my plants more than I like most people.
Spike.
Spike was the very first plant that I adopted – at horticulture club freshman year there were a ton of plants that we could take cuttings from, and I was drawn towards the massive green monster full of sharp points and I clipped just the very end of a branch and that’s where the love affair started. I don’t know what type of plant Spike is, but whatever plant it is, it’s one of my favorites. Spike is the only one of my plants who has never looked sickly or made me worry. I know that Spike is hardy, and I don’t doubt that he will stay healthy for years and years. I only wonder how large he is going to get, because he is probably 25x larger now than he was when I got him.
‘The Girls.’
The girls are my most fragile plants. I was told that they are called ‘Wandering Jews’ and they are absolutely gorgeous with purple/silvery/green leaves and tiny delicate flowers under the right conditions. I have fought the most to keep them alive, and finally they seem pretty hardy. If you’re wondering why they don’t have names, it’s because the way these plants grow is they start to spread, laying new roots, and the original roots and the beginning of the plant ends up dying, sometimes splitting one plant into two, and then the process repeats. With them constantly splitting, naming them would be impossible.
Aloela + Baby.
Megan gave Aloela to me this time last year, and I am absolutely smitten. She has probably tripled in size in this past year, and she really needs to be repotted. Aloela spent the summer outdoors, where she sprouted a little baby, who has yet to be named. Aloela is the mother of my plant group and has been long before the baby came around. Perhaps it’s because of the healing nature of Aloe plants that I have always just gotten a motherly vibe from her.
Sully.
Sully is my newest plant, I received him at Quad Day this August. Sully is definitely the runt of the family, and is only very slightly larger than he was when I first got him. Despite his (very!) slow growth, he, like spike, has never had a decline in health – he is small but mighty! And very likable, it seems, after living indoors for months, Sully seemed to have made a new friend who is planted beside him. While some may consider this new plant a weed, I don’t discriminate and will be repotting the little guy as soon as possible.
There we have it, my plant family! Now, before you all write me off as truly being a crazy plant lady, please know that while I do love my plants – I don’t personify them as much in real life – it’s all for fun! If you have never taken care of plants before – I highly recommend it! Like I said, watching them grow is so rewarding, and when you’re not allowed pets in your dorm room, they can make a great replacement (coming from someone who has never been allowed to have a pet)!
If any of you are crazy plant ladies like me, what’s your favorite plant? Like I said, I like Spike! Though all succulents are high on my list, too!
