“Houseplants - why I need them in my life”
There's a chapter in my memoir, Stepping out of Silence, that references the exact point where I intuitively know that I need houseplants in my life. It was as though deep inside me a switch had been flicked.
Prior to that time I'd had only the occasional flowering indoor plant and always struggled to care for them.
A holiday in a remote Devon village surrounded by woodland had prompted me to embrace the part of me that feels a deep connection with trees and plants. During that week I felt as though I'd been sucked into another world, one that my subconscious had longed for since my earliest experiences in nature. In this particular location I felt a sense of belonging that had previously eluded me.
My return to our urban home traumatised my nervous system. But out of this came the realisation that I needed to have green leaves in my domestic environment. When surrounded by foliage I am calmer and happier. I knew I didn't want flowering plants this time and I knew I needed more than just a couple.
The photo was taken in my office. There is another plant on my desk, a weeping fig which was the first plant I bought after that significant holiday. I nearly killed it in the winter with underwatering but with a better care regime it is coming back to life. These plants depend on me - as I depend on them.
Finding Sheffield Made Plants on YouTube gave me confidence to care for my plants and to get watering and feeding more suited to their needs. "Mr Sheffield" also provides a list of easy care plants so that's what I've been buying and as you can see, despite it being November in England, they all seem pretty healthy.
Plant purchase is on hold for the winter but I have a mind that our living room needs more greenery. My mission is to have at least one houseplant in every room if at all possible! When I'm in a room with plants I am more joyful, more at ease, more myself. The vibrant green of new leaves never fails to give me a boost of positivity.
6th November, 2025