For the Love of Plants!
Updated: Sep 12, 2021
The love is real, and here is the story about how it started!
Hi everyone! I hope all is well. If you follow me on IG, you know I love plants! I get my love of plants from my grandma Ruby. I remember growing up with flowers all around my grandmother's yard. The fragrant smell of oriental lilies in the evening that invited you into our home. I loved that smell! I remember the sunflowers made me feel like I was jack in the bean stock. As a child, they seemed like a world of their own. They were so tall! (They can grow to 14ft). I would often lay in bed staring at the sunflowers that grew outside my window. I would concoct tales in my mind of being a sunflower queen riding the buzzing bees and claiming the sunflower realm for myself. Staring at those sunflowers was my happy place. Sometimes I helped her in the garden. She planted many things! Flowers, oranges, mangos, aloe, and herbs. My grandmother always started her day with a cup of tea with fresh mint from her garden. I suppose she is also the reason I love tea so much. She also knew the medicinal properties of every plant and herb she grew.
As you can tell, my love for plants began very early. After moving to the city, I forgot about plants' beauty and practical/medicinal uses. I went about my busy city life working and living. I began to know myself again after becoming a mother. I had the opportunity to be a SAHM(stay-at-home mom), and it gave me a chance to slow down in a way I wasn't able to before. I began reflecting on my childhood and considering what I wanted for my daughter's future. So we moved into this cute tiny home with a yard when she was almost two. It was the 1st time since I was 14 that I lived in a place with a yard. We began getting out into nature more, and I yearned for living things in my home.
I started with an aloe plant, also known as single bible by my Jamaican grandma. I knew it was suitable for many medicinal needs because she used them with me. Then I picked up some seeds to start an herb garden, and every time Ari and I planted something, it began to grow; it filled us with such delight! So it began. My husband started going to our local flower shop and getting whatever caught his eye or what he knew I wanted. Now we have multiple plants in every room and on every single step on our staircase. I am happy that I have successfully learned to propagate several plants through cuttings and by division. I've also gained knowledge about the health benefits of new herbs.
Adding plants to our lives has been beneficial in many ways. Many of them are great filters and can remove toxins from the air. The air quality in our home is substantially better than before. They are also a great addition to our homeschool room; Aria knows all the plants by name and some of the medicinal purposes of the herbs. It's also a great way to teach her about the life cycle of plants. And how to care for living things. Caring for plants is meditative and fosters patience in a world bombarded with instant gratification. It teaches us that sometimes the best things take time, love, care, kindness, light, and darkness to thrive. I hope that I can create the magic I felt amongst those sunflowers for my daughter.
I love my plants, and someday soon, I will create my very own secret garden. Until then, enjoy these pics, and thanks for reading!
