Green Spaces
Before the pandemic, I lived a plant-free existence. It wasn’t an accident; it was a choice. I did not want to take care of plants, and I made no space for them in my home. And then the pandemic hit, and I wanted various herbs without going to the store. After much trial and error and many many many dead plants, I learned what grows well inside. I’ve kept a small indoor garden going for over three years.
My parsley plants died this summer after my self-watering system failed while we were in Montreal, flooding the plants. My basil plants kept going for a few more weeks, but they, too, experienced a quiet death.
My instinct was to replace them — most of our plants only last a half year or so — but Josh thought replacing them before college drop-off was a terrible idea. If I did it after, I would have weeks before I had to try rigging up the self-watering system again.
But it’s weird not having plants. I went from no plants to feeling like the colour is off in our home without plants.
3 comments
If you have a sunny spot outside, parsley will thrive. It doesn’t mind shade much either. And while they much prefer dill, swallowtail caterpillars will also eat parsley if that’s all that’s available.
It’s lovely that you are now a ”plant person!” I love having basil and other herbs in my kitchen in the summer, but don’t have plants in the winter. And it does feel a little weird.
Plants are great, but they’re a pain when you travel. I have just one plant at the moment, one that a former boss (who had a green thumb) gave to me. I forget when, but she was let go back in 2002 or 2003, so that gives you some idea how long I’ve had it…! I always water it well when we leave, and I’ve asked BIL to water it (pointedly left it in the kitchen sink…!) when he checks the house when we’re away, but he never has…! It’s droopy but OK if we’re gone for a week, but two weeks or more…. oy. But it’s always come back, eventually!