The Plant Diaries Part 1

Since late last year, I decided to reclaim my corridor space. While I worked overseas, my mum had made an effort to take care of seven plants. I decided that I wanted to create a lush garden despite the light and space constraints. I'll update this from time to time, but for the moment, (bear with me if you already knew this), I have this to share. 


Plants respond to you. Give it what it requires--light, water, fertiliser, kindness etc, and it will respond beautifully by blooming, blossoming. If they aren’t important to you, or you are stupid and lazy about caring for them, you can expect unsatisfactory outcomes.


Isn’t that very similar to life? Give the things and people you love your attention, working at the relationship or learning continuously, and you will definitely see results. If i had taken the same care pruning, caring for and worrying in my life, I would have done so much better.

Some planning goes a long way. Some plants require strong sunlight to bloom, while others do better in shade. Basil needs plenty of water, whereas catmint isn’t a fan of wet soil. Many blooming flowers enjoy fertiliser, but cosmos seems to do well in poor soil. It’s easy to buy lovely specimens from nurseries, but it’s the planning and care that you must do thereafter that will determine whether your garden is neat and blossoming.

I can spend hours obsessively researching, reading up and thinking about plants. But for my own business or my own home, i don't make as much of an effort. This is, if you think about it, unacceptable. Chucking things aside or into cupboards doesn't make them go away. There must be genuine effort in the things that matter, be they plants, pets, relationships or houses.

I'll end with this lovely quote that is inspiring and incisive on so many levels.

“We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt.

That peace and abundance may manifest for all.”

Dorothy Day