A piece shared by Ambassador Olivia Tati on how she expresses her love for the earth and the environment around her.
A few years ago, I picked up all of my stuff and moved from Denver to New Orleans, and what a change that was. I wasn’t quite ready to leave the mountains, and the years I spent in Colorado exploring the outdoors fueled my soul. For the first few months, I longed to be back out in the mountains. In a new home with new surroundings, I thought it was time to get creative.
If you’ve been to New Orleans (aka Nola), you know that it’s not just famous for Bourbon St and the French Quarter. Many neighborhoods and famous streets are lined with giant Oak trees and stunning greenery that makes you feel whole inside.
So naturally, my first order of business was to buy a tree. Yes, that’s right, a freaking TREE. I remember very vividly, heading to the nursery, with no clue what I wanted or needed. I just knew I wanted greenery. I spotted my dear Audrey Ficus (which I still have to this day), and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She was so majestic, and just what I needed to add some life to my new apartment. In my head, I thought, it just needs water and sunlight… How hard could it be?
Now to be fair, Audrey was a pretty easy plant to start off with. I didn’t really think about it too much. I travelled for work sometimes for a week or two, and honestly completely forgot about her. I watered her when I remembered and she generally did fine. Then suddenly Spring in New Orleans hit, and the plants around the city became ALIVE. This is when I knew I wanted to emulate the luscious greenery around Nola, inside my house.
What started off as one plant quickly turned into 60+… I know… Big jump. But I became obsessed. All I could think about were plants. I spent hours researching all the different plants I wanted. I wanted to make sure I was able to help them live their best life. Seeing my plant garden come to life made feel alive again – just like the mountains did. Nature, be it outside, or indoor potted plants, have a way of soothing the soul and putting the earths vibrations at ease.
Now I’m not saying you should go out there and buy 60 plants in a month like I did… Because let me tell you, it definitely came with it’s frustrations. There were a few casualties, a ton of pests, and a lot of growing pains. I think at one point I was close to 80 plants but I found out that 60-70 plants was where I maxed out .
But it’s completely different for everyone. To help other wannabe plant parents, here are 3 things to consider when delving into plant parenthood.
Pick plants that suit your lifestyle
Plants are REALLY fun and fulfilling to take care of…. IF they suit your lifestyle. It can quickly become a pain if you want to take a 2 week long trip but you’re too scared to leave your plants at home because they might die. Or if all your plants start dying on you because you picked plants that need to be watered a little bit every day.
It may take a little trial and error, but THAT’S OKAY! Sometimes you have to get rid of plants that make you stressed out are a little too high maintenance to suit your lifestyle. Some plants I love that are relatively low maintenance, and are perfect for fellow nomads, are Snake plants, Pothos, ZZ plants, and Dieffenbachias.
More is not always better
When I first got into plants I wanted more and more and more. Trust me more is not better. It get’s a little stressful trying to watch over 80 plants, and then you forget to water one and it dies on you, so you get sad and think you’re a terrible plant parent. Overall just a bad cycle. Instead, get larger plants.
They may be a little pricier but make much more of a STATEMENT. And you only have one plant to look after, instead of 5! Sometimes with larger plants, they also consist of multiple plants you can separate out into 2 or 3 of the same kind of plant, which helps save you some $$ too.
Group similar care plants together
Group similar plants together. Group similar plants together!! GROUP SIMILAR PLANTS TOGETHER. Trust me this is a game changer. If you group plants that need similar care together this will make you infinitely less stressed. You can water them all at the same time, and you won’t accidentally forget one. The most stressful part of plant ownership is watching a plant die. In general we all want our plant babies to thrive, and by putting the ones that need similar cares together you increase the odds of that happening.
Plant ownership is truly a beautiful thing. And if you love the outdoors and nature like I do, but don’t have as much access to it, owning plants is a wonderful way create a beautiful indoor vibe that keep your soul alive.
4 Reasons to Shower Your Plants
I think it’s time I explain the tree in the bathtub…I bring some of my larger plants to the bathtub to give them a shower. I know that sounds kind of crazy but bear with me,
There are 4 MAJOR benefits of giving your plants a shower in the tub
1. It keeps the leaves clean and clear of dust to help promote photosynthesis.
2. It helps prevents pests like spider mites which can quickly kill your plants.
3. It helps reduce excess salt buildup in the soil.
4. Plants love to be as close to their natural environment in the outdoors. Shower = getting rained on.
You don’t necessarily have to put them in a bathtub. You can shower them outside or in a sink. The bathtub is just easiest for me because I can shove a lot of plants in there at once and it helps keep any mess contained and easy to clean. Really I could go on and on about why showering your plants is super beneficial, but I will stop right there.
I promise I’m not crazy. I just want my plants to THRIVE!
Editorial and photography by Olivia Tati in collaboration with Gregory Mountain Products