Lately, I’ve been thinking about the idea that beautiful, perfect plants are rarely an indication of someone who has been growing plants for a long time.
The plants we see as beautiful when we are new to growing houseplants are often the ones that are freshly delivered to our local greenhouses and plant shops.
They have a distinct look from growing in ideal conditions, which is hard to replicate at home. Homes inevitably have lower light, humidity, and care levels; after all, no one is being paid full-time to watch over the plants.
Most of the plants we buy at our local plant shops are relatively young.
Whether they are rooted cuttings combined to make hanging baskets, tissue-cultured plants, or offsets from a mother plant, it’s highly likely that we aren’t buying a plant specimen that has been around for years.
The look of a newborn plant is different than an aged plant, sometimes so dramatically different that they are unrecognizable.
Particularly when we are first starting in the houseplant hobby, we can mistakenly believe that someone is a knowledgeable grower because they have a lot of plants that look fresh from the greenhouse.
But the reality is that anyone who can afford to buy them can fill their house with beautiful plants, let them die like cut flowers, and then replace them again.
To some of you this is unthinkable, I’m sure, but I know for a fact it happens. I used to work in a huge office building and would watch the plants slowly decline in the larger building and in my specific office.
Then, workers would show up one day and pull out all of the current plants, replacing them with beautiful new ones. I’m not sure whether they took the current plants back to rehab and reuse, or if the plants were done for at that point.
My guess is that they were done, but I have no idea.
I, myself, was already in love with houseplants in college. Nowhere near to the extent I am now though. I lived in a dorm with three other girl friends and I was the only one who consistently needed to have both houseplants and a fish tank. I bought a money tree (Pachira aquatica) and a lucky bamboo (Dracaena sp.).
The bamboo tolerated my ignorance and neglect pretty well, but the money tree didn’t, and it slowly declined over time. I gave it almost no light and very little water.
It was treated more like a decoration than a living thing.
As soon as it wasn’t pretty, I would just go buy another.
I’m not proud of it, but it’s true.
If someone didn’t ask me about it, they might have assumed I was doing a sufficient job of caring for it…
But in reality, I was doing a great job of replacing it.
The true houseplant gems are plants that look like they’ve aged in a beautiful, unique way.
When you see old, wonky plants that look like they’ve been growing in the house for years and years with their owner… that’s the growers to talk to and pay attention to.
I’m not necessarily talking about the plants that look leggy, uncared for, and unhealthy. But rather, aged, healthy, and grown over time.
Eventually, you will know them when you see them. It’s worth a second look when you do.
If you can keep houseplants alive for many years or decades and they have their own architectural groove, health, and vigor… ask these people what they are doing to keep their plants going strong.
Disclaimer
This advice may not work for every houseplant grower, but it works for me and my plants!
If you do something different that works better for you, share it in the comments below!
That’s how we learn and grow as a community.
Related Posts
Recap 2025: The Joy is in the Journey of Growing Houseplants
Decluttering Your Houseplants Will Make You Love Your Plants More. Here’s Why.
Exposing My Simple Pest Management System I Wish I Started Years Ago!
0 Comments