Plant Parenthood

A short review of Rebecca De La Paz's House Plants: For Beginners

Written By Nasya Jenkins

Photography By Nasya Jenkins

Have you ever looked for room inspiration on Pinterest and saw those cute boho rooms covered in plants? I wanted to be that girl so bad. I am currently 2 years into my plant mom journey and boy, do I still have so much more to learn. My grandmother was my first introduction to the green thumb club. For years my grandmother cultivated house plants, some would grow long and would wrap or drape along the furniture; others would stand tall and project huge leaves out the tops. It was like my grandmother was Mother Nature herself. At 23 years old I decided that it was now my turn to have an indoor rainforest of my own!

I had a pretty rough start, the first plant I ever purchased was from an Aldi supermarket. It was a Haworthia fasciata who is now named Spike! From the small plant run-ins I had in college I knew that succulents were a good place to start, mainly because they were harder to kill. After a few months of looking after Spike, I had realized that I was doing something right! I didn’t know what but at least he wasn’t dead. So I took this as my cue to buy another. This time I researched different plant nurseries in my city. While the place I went to was two trains and a bus away, the trip was well worth it. This plant nursery became a new safe haven for me and while I had no clue of all the things I was looking at, it made me curious to learn more. So I left and decided to come back after doing some more research on what my small room could accommodate.

Skimming and browsing on the internet, I got a misleading idea of what kind of plant I wanted to buy next. When I said research, I really mean I just looked at plants on Pinterest and looked up their specs on google; but I digress. So after another trip to my new favorite plant nursery, I bought my first Big Girl Plant; Lilo the snake plant. Lilo was the plant that showed me I do have a green thumb, after all, I just needed more discipline. When I first got Lilo, she had only two stalks, they were a rich ivy green and stood so proudly. For weeks she grew rapidly! I couldn’t believe it, I felt like I could grow anything at this point. So yet again I looked at pictures, went to the nursery, and met my match. The Croton was the most beautiful in-door plant I had ever seen. The leaves were a beautiful orangey-gold tone. I was told that the cooler you keep it, the more vibrant the colors would be. Big mistake.

As you can guess the Croton died, and in retrospect, many aspects contributed to its death. It was cold, not cool; but there wasn’t enough sunlight, I didn’t know a lick about soil nutrients, etc. Fast forward a year later, I packed up Spike and Lilo and we moved to my newest apartment. Upon moving, my grandmother called to check up on me. After talking about how much I hate moving, she asked me about my two plant babies. At this time Lilo is all grown up and has stalks galore. Spike on the other hand was still about the same size, but he’s the first plant I had ever repotted! I relayed all this information to my grandma and this is when the magic happened! Two to three business days later a surprise from my grandmother ended up in my mailbox! She had purchased me my first housewarming gift, a book entitled Houseplants: For Beginners by Rebecca De La Paz.

After reading this long antidote, I’m sure you’re wondering what the point of this article is. Well, I’m here to give you four takeaways from this book that have helped me learn the keys to Plant Parenthood.

LOCATION, LOCATION

I took a particular liking to the second chapter of the book, Choosing & Buying Your Houseplant because it offered me a new perspective on how to properly care for my babies. The two key things that have stuck with me are Window Placement and Room Atmosphere. These are very important factors to consider when buying a house plant because your setting may not be suitable for some of them.

Knowing if your windows face north, south, east, or west is very important because it dictates how much sunlight is let into your space and when! I'm sure I don’t need to explain to you how the sun moves throughout the sky, but depending on the direction your windows face, your plant may receive too much light or too little. The goal is to be able to provide even and sufficient lights for the plants you house.

Moving from a roommate situation to now living alone, I have taken a special interest in setting the Room Atmosphere for my plants. I can put my plants anywhere I like now. The second chapter talks a bit about humidity for plants; where it can be found and how to create it! The book says that the humidity on your weather app can be a good indicator to find out the humidity levels in your setting (Note: Humidity indoors is almost always lower than stated). You can also generate humidity by purchasing a humidifier, placing your plants in a bathroom, and something called transpiration?

Anywho, both these two things have turned my bathroom into a beautiful in-home greenhouse. My plants couldn’t be happier! Some honorable mentions of chapter two are Pet Safety Precautions and Knowing What Plants Accommodate Your Lifestyle.

BEYOND THE PRETTY POTS AND LEAVES

Throughout this article, you may realize that I refer to my plants in a very human way. Well, that's because they are in fact Living Beings! Something my grandmother always emphasized to me as a child was how your plants deserve respect just as much as you do. With the current state of our ecosystem, clearly many do not see it that way. Houseplants help you see humanity in nature. De La Paz states “If the plant is what you really love, you’ll be more willing to make changes to figure out what’s wrong.”

While the book doesn’t go into explicit detail about what I’m about to mention, it’s well known in the planting community. Taking care of your plants takes a certain kind of empathy. Answering Rebecca’s question of How Much Care Can You Give To Your Plant, my grandmother and I can offer this; caring for your plant means treating them how you want to be treated. My grandmother would always tell me about how she would sit and talk to her plants. While I do not have a daily dialogue with my babies, when I water them I whisper to them by name and tell them how much they are love! I’m conscious of the kind of energy I manifest in my home because I don’t want to kill their mood.

My plants mean the world to me because they are a daily reminder of why life is worth living. Grow into new beginnings, the transition from spaces, and pouring into different things is what life is all about. Plants are more than just house decor, they’re a part of you. If you don’t see it that way, sorry to say it but your plant might die.

THE SETBACKS OF A BEAUTY

As of August 2021, I had a total of nine plants thriving and surviving in my home! I would get so excited when I saw my sprouting new growth or when I could watch my plants reacting to the setting. But as my plants grew bigger I noticed that eventually, I would have to repot them, right? I had only repotted a plant once or twice at this point. I wasn’t fully sure of what I was doing. So I referred back to the book!

n Chapter Three, Bringing Your New House Plant Home, we’re introduced to the world of soil. I had purchased a small bag of Quick Draining soil from my favorite nursery before but I went back recently to buy Perlite, Coco Peat, and Orchid bark. To my surprise on my way home, I saw that my local Rite Aid plant fertilizer was in the seasonal section. My repotting arsenal was complete.

By the middle of August, I had noticed some strange happenings. All these little annoying flies started buzzing around. I didn’t think much of it until a new week later while watering my plants, that Lilo was growing mold! For days I was freaking out about what to do, after all, I had all my soil need but Lilo was huge! I had to find a pot to accommodate her. I quickly realized that larger pots cost SO much money, even locally. Thankfully, I found a FREE large pot at a local yard sale. I will be forever grateful for the guy that sat on his porch with a beer, bartering his personal treasures. This former umbrella holder was ceramic and didn’t have holes, but I used the perlite to help with drainage! This book has taught me so much and putting the advice into action is very gratifying.

IT’S ALIVE, WHAT NEXT

With all the information present, you may be thinking to yourself, “Hmm, I should get this book,” but before you go clicking on that Amazon Hyperlink, consider this. With it now being September I feel as though tropical house plant season is over in my city. So now I am stuck looking after the same nine plants until next spring. Now is the time to practice patients and disciple. In Chapter four De La Paz states “ Experience is the best gift to give yourself as a plant parent, so dig into each experience and learn as much as you can.” These last two years with my plant have taught me so much and have introduced me to a new community! As a working artist sometimes it’s nice to escape into a different world without using a lens. Whether you’re an empath, an impulsive hobbyist, or a workaholic I would encourage you to take part in the meditative experience of being a plant parent and if anything goes awry Rebecca De la Paz can help you along the way.