Green Dreams

I shifted to a new home about two months ago, remember? Since then, I'm slowly decorating and styling the place, under budget. From day 1, the aim was to achieve a cozy and calm ambiance. Although, I'm not that eco-conscious but I love to be surrounded by plants and what could bring more calm to my little lodging than those green beauties?

I have probably inherited this love for plants from my parents. But that love dangles when it comes to caring for them. I can whole-heartedly admire a plant, and feel great around them, but when it comes to their maintenance, I'm a noob, or shall I confide in my darkest secret?

I'm a plant-killer.

Keeping this in view, I have refrained from taking the sole responsibility for anything green for years. Once, I motivated myself and planted sunflower seeds on my balcony. It was so satisfying to see the little stems and leaves shooting from the soil, but then, after 2 weeks, I forgot to water and the plant died. I tried again multiple times but the plant always died before bearing any flowers, just because I always used to forget about it after some days.

Then I came across a post about self-watering plants by @stef1, and I was like, this is what I need. I don't exactly remember the mechanics of her plant watering system, but as far as I remember, it involved a timer or something. Such a system is not available in my country or is too expensive, so I skipped the thought of buying one.

However, a few weeks ago, my husband found an online shop selling self-watering plants. There was no electronics involved but a simple capillary action was employed to water the plants. It's nothing new and just plain science, but I hadn't thought about this natural mechanism for watering home plants before.

Long story short, we ordered those plants and they arrived a few days ago. I was a little skeptical about their survival. But to my surprise, the plants came in perfectly designed packaging; there was a hole in each box for the plant to breathe, and despite that opening, the pots were neatly secured in the boxes without any stress on the plants.

I was happy to see a leaflet inside with instructions about plant care. According to it, this capillary action would help to maintain a consistent water supply. Since I ordered indoor plants, they don't need much water, and there's a great chance of over-watering or even under-watering them, especially if they are under the care of someone like me.

The leaflet says to check the water reservoir only once a week. That means I shouldn't worry about these plants if I'm traveling for a week. I haven't yet thought about what to do for extended periods, I will probably request someone trustworthy and responsible to water them once a week...

Plants are known stress relievers and are said to enhance focus. I'm confident about the stress fact because these cute little pots are a soothing sight. Will update you about my focus abilities later. I was rightly sold on the aesthetic appeal. Although I have yet to change the look of this fireplace, the plants have already brought some life to it.

A little sneak peek of the whole fireplace, which is not so good at the moment. There are some stubborn stains, my prayer mat, which will go into a wicker basket (once bought or DiY-ed) to match the vibe, and this bug spray will also move back to the store once I have a better solution for termites in the door which appear every 3 days.

And yes, there's another plant, maybe more, a lot more, not even self-watering... What have I gotten myself into? Stay tuned for the big reveal. 🫣