There are crazy cat ladies, crazy dog ladies (if you knew about the number of dogs I try to rescue on the daily, you would think this was me lol), and I’ve even heard of crazy coupon ladies. Well, what about crazy plant ladies? Do those exist? The answer is yes. Yes they do.

Those of you who know me, or have been to my house, know I love my plants. At the moment, I have a total of 17 house plants in my cute little 3 bedroom rancher. You know you’re a crazy plant lady when you think, “ONLY 17…I definitely need a few more. An even 20 seems better, right?”

Well, today I am going to show off some of my plants + share a little more about how + why I love them so much.

I got my first house plant when Eric + I bought our house in Gloucester back in 2013. My in-laws came to visit to help us get settled. During their stay, my MIL + I went shopping for plants because they were going to help us with our flower beds outside. We looked around, found some gorgeous knock-out roses, a crepe myrtle, some hostas, and liriope. While we were shopping for the flower beds, I asked Connie for some house plant wisdom. I knew some greenery would really make the house feel homey + she is the plant expert.

When I say she is the expert – I mean it. I have learned my skills, which are small in comparison, from the master. Connie far exceeds my crazy plant lady status, but I aspire to reach her level one day. She has a total of 38 house plants. Now that’s what I’m talking about!! I do think I need to get her two more so she can have an even 40 lol. Mother’s day is right around the corner. Connie can take the smallest little dying plant + bring it back to life. She can make anything grow. She is even growing an PINEAPPLE as we speak. She has a hibiscus tree from my wedding in 2012. She even has a schefflera plant from when Billy (my FIL) was in college!! Her green thumb reminds me so much of Cheryl, my stepmom, who passed when I was in college. Cheryl also had a green thumb + I swear she could make a stick grow. Our Florida room (aka: sun room) was filled with plants. I always loved the hanging plants she had in there. She also had a Christmas cactus that would bloom 2 and 3 times a year. Then let’s not even get started on the flower beds. You’ve never seen hostas + azaleas that big. She was constantly splitting the hostas and giving them away to people who were dying for a piece of her garden. I’m slowly but surely working my way up to their green thumb level!

Okay, back to my very first house plant. Connie suggested that I start with a pothos plant. This plant is GREAT for beginners. It’s very easy to grow + hard to kill! It loves sunlight and it will grow long vines that make it a beautiful plant for your mantle, on top of cabinets, or anywhere it’s vines have space to grow.

I still have this little guy! Only, it’s not so little anymore!! It started off as a small plant that had no vines no bigger than the pot. Now, it is HUGE with vines that are over 7ft long! Over the years, this plant has survived 4 job changes (between Eric + I), 1 move, + 1 puppy. Watch out! These guys are poisonous to pups, so make sure you keep them away from your fur babies! Puppies chew on everything, so we kept ours on top of our kitchen cabinet when Macy was a baby to ensure she never messed with it.

(P.S. that built in hutch was once the color of the shelves! This was one of the first DIY reno projects I completed in this house + it turned out GREAT! I kept the original hardware + painted them black. Leaving the shelves their original color really added a warm pop of color.  Also – the wooden framed sign you see – my awesome sister + BIL made it for me for Christmas! They’ve got skills!)

I love that this plant reminds me where Eric + I started and how much we’ve grown. A lot has happened in the last 5 1/2 years – we got married, bought a house, learned how to manage a budget together, rescued a puppy, changed jobs, moved, turned our house into a rental property, started a business, started investing…really – adulting is what has happened over the last 5+ years. A whole lot of adulting! My little plant reminds me of it all + I LOVE it.

Now that you know what sparked my crazy plant ladyness – I’ll share some perks to having house plants + a few tricks of the trade that will set you up to care for you own.

Let’s start with some perks!

1. Plants reduce stress!
   • Being close to greenery makes us feel more at ease with our surroundings. We experience less stress when there are plants around us.
   • This is part of the reason I chose the name I did for my business! Greenery has a grounding + calming effect. It is soothing, comforting, + helps to relax us. Which is exactly what I strive to do when planning your wedding!! Keep you calm, grounded, relaxed, + focused.
2. Plants help you breathe easier + purify the air.
   • We all know how photosynthesis works, but two big perks of having house plants are that they increase the oxygen levels + decreases the carbon dioxide levels in your home.
   • They also increase humidity in the air, reduce the levels of certain pollutants, reduce airborne dust levels, + even help to keep temperatures cooler!
3. Plants help to improve health + sharpen focus!
   • You can check out the research for yourself, but plants can better your health! Adding plants to office settings has been found to decrease fatigue, colds, headaches, coughs, sore throats and flu-like symptoms. This is why my in-home office has 4 plants in the room lol.
   • Studies have also found that students demonstrate 70% greater attentiveness + higher attendance rates when they’re taught in rooms containing plants. This is why I get so much done when I work in my office, right?!?
4. They look pretty!!!
   • Okay, I added this one in…but it’s true! I feel like a room is 100% more cozy + homey when you add a plant to the space.

Now that you know why house plants are AWESOME – here are few tricks of the trade; most of which I learned from my amazing MIL, Connie.

1. Have a watering ritual.
   • Connie taught me about the importance of watering on a schedule.
   • Connie waters on Friday’s. However, I picked Wednesday’s – Water Wednesday was easy for me to remember!!
     • Regular watering keeps the soil from drying out, which can be a cause of burned tips on your plants from salt build up
   • Of course, some plants might need more or less water, but this rule of thumb will get you started + on the right track!
   • Do be careful of over-watering your plants, which can kill them!
     • Feel the soil – you want it to be moist, not soggy. Don’t let water sit in your saucers, either!
   • One other watering tip – if you start to see a white crust on your pot, you may need to clean it! The crust comes from salt + mineral build up that can be potentially harmful to your plant. Just remove your plant + give the pot a good scrub.
2. Don’t be afraid to move your plant.
   • You might get your plant home, be consistent with your watering, but find it’s just not doing well. That might mean it needs to be moved to a different spot in your house. It might need more or less sunlight + sometimes you just have to move it around until you find the spot that makes it happy.
   • Believe it or not, plants can get sunburn! If you see brown spots surrounded by yellow on your leaves, that’s sun scorch! You’ll want to move the plant out of the direct sunlight it’s getting, cause it’s too much!
   • Also – don’t be afraid to re-pot your plant! You may start with a small baby that grows to be too large for the pot it started in. Be sure to use fresh soil when re-potting because the old soil is likely depleted of its nutrients.
3. Groom + Feed your plants.
   • Be sure to keep your plants pruned. Remove dead or yellow leaves + spent blooms as necessary.
   • Feed your plants with some yummy plant food + they will be SO happy with you. Giving your plants a little something extra every few months will really help it thrive.
   • I tend to only fertilize a few times a year – once in the spring, summer, + fall.

(This is an example of the white crust! I gave this guy a nice scrub after I took this picture, even though it does look pretty cool with the white residue lol).

Now that you know I am a crazy plant lady, how I came to be one, and learned a few tips + tricks to get you started on your own journey to being plant obsessed- I will leave you with a little metaphor because there is a metaphor to life in almost everything, right….

Caring for plants is much like caring for your marriage. You need to water + nourish your plants regularly if you want them to thrive. The same is true for your marriage – you can’t just sit back + expect your marriage to flourish on it’s own. Just because you said I do, doesn’t mean you’re done. There are times when you need water more + time when you need to water less. Times when you need to give your pot a good scrub to get it to shine again. You get the picture – you’ve got to nourish your marriage regularly if you want it to thrive.