The presidential candidates may disagree, but you want to know who had the biggest moment in 2020? Plants! During the spring and summer months, quarantine-crazed Americans flocked to nurseries to upgrade their indoor and outdoor gardens and houseplant lovers on Instagram began to inspire even the most green-thumbless folks around to give it a go.
I was one of those people suddenly staring at that empty little corners of my home, playing interior designer for a day and wondering if a gorgeous houseplant was in fact what I was missing all along. I was enamored with all the Instagram plant moms and dads sharing their little green babies and how much they’d thrived in 2020, even when it seemed the outside world had not. Prior to this moment, I’d ruled out being a houseplant owner, because I’d managed to kill the little succulents we got as favors at my cousin’s wedding and I’d heard they were pretty much the easiest plant to own. I figured if I failed at that, with my busy lifestyle, anything that required regular watering, sun and TLC in my home beyond keeping my dog alive, was a stretch. Then the pandemic hit and I decided to give it a go.
As a first-time plant mom, I had a lot of questions I needed answers to before I got make my first purchase—or three! Which mistakes should a new plant owner avoid? Are certain plants truly foolproof for beginners? Is going big the first time a bad thing? One of things I learned was that if you’re looking to simplify plant parenthood, there are plenty of virtual nursery companies out there where you can shop for full or medium-grown houseplant (some already potted in cut pots) to be delivered right to your door with care instructions. Bloomscape is one of the top destinations for online houseplant shopping, so we asked their resident plant mom, Joyce Mast, to help us breakdown what every first-time houseplant owner should know.
