New Calming Hobby: Collecting Indoor Plants
It was in January that I started to collect smaller sized plants for my room. We have plants throughout the house including one my mom has kept alive since 2002. After a traumatic event 8 weeks ago causing PTS issues then a second trauma a few weeks ago I've gone from 4 to 12 plants in my room. I suppose it's a better stress response than a lot of other things. But I find so much comfort and calm in caring for the plants. I actually look forward to feeding and watering them and the collection has extended around the house. Orchids, bonsai trees, small ferns, succulents etc. I'm now excited to extend it to planting some things outdoors now that the weather is right. I grew some tulips and hyacinths from bulbs. I know really want to create a terrarium. The ones with all the moss and ferns look the most peaceful. I also want mom to be greeted by a lot of blooms when she finally gets out of the hospital. If anyone has any tips or advice for a terrarium my ears are open. I have had to limit myself to buying only 1-2 plants a week.
@ThoughtLight They sound great, do you name them at all? And do you have any pictures you can share with us please?
@MistyMagic I surprisingly haven't named all of them. An orchid and a bonsai tree have both had names for quite a while since I've had them the longest. I know I have many more plants to come. I will take a picture of the growing collection. It is mostly made up of smaller plants right now. And now I'm dying to have a year-round greenhouse. I went grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago but left with nearly $60 worth of plants from the floral department.
@ThoughtLight
Just an idea, I do the same but I am now trying herb plants and gathering and growing seeds from tomatoes, butternut squash, chillies and peppers, it's fun and cheaper and uses up plant scraps.
@MistyMagic It's always great to let nothing go to waste. We do tomatoes and cucumbers every year. Potatoes didn't do well last year. I'm going to attempt bell peppers this year. I have a tray of herb seeds that I keep in the garage with a light on a timer. A lot of herbs are good for more than just cooking. There is an Amish community where my family is from and they make and sell a lot of good medicine out of herbs, roots, etc for everyday ailments. My cousin buys they natural remedies more than things over the counter at the pharmacy.
@ThoughtLight That's great! I love plants! I haven't purchased any new ones in a while, yet I have several. I have a meditation table full of cactus's :)
@WellsFiction That sounds really cool. I'm thinking of buying this zen garden that comes with a bonsai tree which itself has a little pond beneath it. I actually enjoy the indoor plants more than the outdoor plants. We have a tree about 5 ft tall that grows little oranges on it. They aren't edible. But the white bloom that comes first sends a great fragrance throughout the house.
@ThoughtLight Oh yeah I love bonsai! I have one, but would love to get more. We have jasmine that grows over a part of our fence. It's really pretty and smells so good!
@WellsFiction I love jasmine. I've had that mixed with an iced tea blend before. I have morning glories growing up part of the house and I love when they bloom because purple is my favorite color. There is a real art to bonsai when it comes to trimming the tree. Mindfulness is a big part of it. I want to buy a weeping willow bonsai I saw. My future dream home not only has a greenhouse but is surrounded by big English flower gardens. And to be able to afford a gardener because my medications make me sensitive to a lot of heat. haha
Sounds great! i also love my indoor plants in my room. its such a calming hobby and i love to watch them grow. also love to take cuttings from plants from my parents, so i dont have to buy new plants:) for many plants its so easy to proagate
i have a small terrarium, some plants in a round glass with a cork lid. i have lava stones as a base, but i think also sand or soil works. i have Moss and fittonias(love how they look) and another plant inside und for now they are doing great!:)
@ThoughtLight I only have one plant. Well it's an indoor palm tree 😁. I named him kuana leaves😎
@Tinywhisper11 I ADORE it and now must have one. Adorable name. I gave a cute name to a cactus, but it insisted on biting me all the time. My bonsai is Sir Bonsai, and my first orchid is Javier. The other plants go by different types of ID. It was a very bad night last night with mom and one of the things I'm wanting to do right off is go buy something from the greenhouse at Lowe's, but my sister is a stick in the mud and won't take me. She doesn't understand. Sadly, mom can't have live plants in her room, and I refuse to buy an artificial one. I get my green thumb from her. Still keeps that plant from a funeral in 2002 going well. If mom were home, she would understand me and take me to wherever I needed to go to browse plants without complaint. She's really the only person who can read me like a book without me saying a word and understands all the peculiarities I have. Understands in the closest way anyone can. In my vast complex intriguing sometimes terrifying world she is the Sun itself. There's just loneliness with her in the hospital despite family around. But great people like you have made things a lot easier than the alternative. You get my highest compliment which is possessing great emotional and spiritual maturity. Everyone reaches the levels of physical maturity but are often stunted in other types of maturity. And I just remembered there is a bonsai palm tree a couple of feet tall at the Walmart by my house. I may have to trick or force my sister after we go see mom this afternoon. Doubtful she will be back awake but that's for the best for healing. When she recovers, she's in trouble for destroying both my central and peripheral nervous systems. I told her last night while she was unconscious because I know at some deep undetectable level she heard and understood me the entire 2 hours I talked to her.
@ThoughtLight hugs you tightly ❤❤ I'm sure she can hear you talking to her to 🙂 miracles happen all around us everyday, so don't give up on hope ok? I'm not a listener, but I'm just a tag away if you ever need me. I would take you to the garden center, if I could ❤ I would probably spend lots of money on plants and ornaments and things too😁❤ your a very interesting person 🙂 gives you a giant tiny hug ❤❤ sends healing rainbows to your mum and you 🌈🌈
@Tinywhisper11 But today I really enjoyed feeding and watering my plants. And I can see myself buying a lot more here very soon. One thing I've learned is to check the label for the type of sunlight it requires. I'm still loving this new one with the crazy hair do. You almost smirk just by looking at it. Our older neighbor who is huge into gardening wants to help. I'm just glad I've kept my orchid alive. Caring for an orchid is a whole different world.
@ThoughtLight there's something quite special about having plants. I hope you talk to them, even sing to them. King charles (UK king) always tells people to talk to plants it helps them gro w ❤❤
@Tinywhisper11 I've met people who play classical music for their plants. My plants get plenty of music. My sister got me a new bonsai tree and I bought a potted plant that resemble sweet potato vine a couple of days ago. My sister said she got me another plant, but I haven't seen it yet.
@ThoughtLight aww that's nice of your sister ❤ looking after your plant babies, gives you something positive to focus on How many plants do you have altogether now? Do you have any favourite plants?? You listen to a lot of music? I have music on at all time.
@Tinywhisper11 that sister bought me another plant today and wants to get me a big orchid too. And my other sister bought me a plant I have a feeling you would love. It is like a pineapple in many ways. The hyacinths are in a clear glass case. So, you can see the bulbs and everything. I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. I don't care much for the new stuff coming out. Love classical and opera. Renata Tebaldi is my favorite. I love music from the 50s through the 70s a lot. I like soundtracks from certain movies. Have you ever watched the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch?
@ThoughtLight wow😍 you have quite the collection of flowers and plants😍 I bet you have the best looking and best smelling house and garden evvvverrrr
I have never watched tv, hopefully when I get a little bit better mentally I can start watching stuff, at the moment it just confuses my brain and triggers flashbacks. Not the biggest opera fan, I like josh groban and charlotte church. I listen mostly to country music, or listen to relaxing just instrumental songs
@Tinywhisper11 I don't watch TV either. It bores me. I just keep a Netflix account and view it on my laptop. Maybe half an hour a day. I prefer books. The hyacinths have got to go outside in the ground soon, I think. Well, you plant the bulbs the previous Fall. I'm not sure if these are meant to be able to just stay like this indoors or not. Mom planted lots of flowers outside every year. Our Mother's Day present was trays and trays of flowers. I think our neighbor we've known for ages is wanting to do it for us. I prefer the indoor gardening but I'm still going to put some stuff outside too.
@ThoughtLight do you have a nice size garden?? I'm not so good with plants, my palm tree isn't look to great, I think I possibly over watered him😟 here at the nursing home we have our own gardener, we have a huge enclosed garden here with fruit trees lined along the one side, willow tree in the middle of the garden and lots of flower beds, sometimes he lets me help him with the gardening😁❤
@ThoughtLight I bet your hyacinths will grow just as beautifully.
@Tinywhisper11 I got a new plant today. It's tiny with tiny pink blooms. With the pot and all I can hold it in my palm.
@ThoughtLight a beautiful tiny plant, a life you can hold in the palm of your hands ❤❤ and a pink flower on it 😍 I think this one is a little special one 🤔🤔 maybe you can call her pig.
@Tinywhisper11 so beautiful! My newest plant looks as if it's from Mars. I got paid yesterday and I already am itching to go buy a couple. I have decided to put up one of those summertime greenhouses this year that you assemble yourself. Now what to fill it with. It will be in a spot that gets direct sunlight all day long.