Taking care of household plants is a simple, comforting gateway to the outdoors. Not only do plants give us hints of color within the confines of man-made walls, they remind us of our natural roots.
I’ve always had plants in one way or another. Watering raspberries along the front fence, picking tomatoes in my backyard, and planting spinach, kale or carrot seeds depending on the summer are some of my favorite memories. They remind me of wholesome meals and lush green land, even in the desert.
Last summer, a friend gave me a gift card to a local plant nursery. I’m more accustomed to Albuquerque’s cottonwoods and the riverside bosque ecology near where I spent most of my life. After moving to Santa Fe, I discovered a more alpine blend of evergreen trees such as piñon, juniper, blue spruce and ponderosa pine trees. Thus, I was excited to unearth what the local greenhouse had to offer.
Strolling around the nursery, I knew I wanted to buy a large, indoor, hanging plant. I decided on a lively, refreshing mint plant, which I hung up in my room later that day.
In the weeks and months that followed, seeing the light of the window frame the mint’s flourishing leaves was a calming and inspiring change of scenery. Especially when caught up with homework or experiencing writer’s block, the mint was a tranquil addition to my household space.
Even for novice horticulturalists, a variety of plants exist that are easy to care for. For example, the snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata), spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), and pothos plant (Epipremnum aurem) are great jumping-off points. Relevant to our dry landscape. The Albuquerque Florist recommends these plants for their ability to survive without water for weeks on end, along with the jade plant (Crassula ovata) and the peace-lily plant (spathiphyllum).
I’m sorry to say the mint plant died this winter. My mediocre plant caretaking skills definitely killed it, yet the inspiration I draw from plants is still very much alive. I hope to become a better indoor plant connoisseur, and my parents and I are planning a rainwater catch system to water the backyard this spring.
Despite their sometimes-high water demand plants give me peace.
We forge a connection with plants as we work to care for them — that connection helps us as well as the plant. Even the simple grasses and bushes growing outside not only give us peace of mind, they protect against erosion.
As spring brings fierce wind across the desert, caring for our precious New Mexican topsoil, which allows seeds to germinate and root systems to take hold, is critical. A soil’s health relies on its nutrient profile.
While a typical New Mexico’s simplistic landscape elements — rocks and grasses, occasional patches of lawn and potted plants — aren’t exactly major ecosystems on their own, in tending them we become much more aligned with nature.
In the face of climate change, we must look outside our little bubbles and turn our attention to the threats facing the environment. And hey, imagine starting with a houseplant! Soon your care for the plant will blossom into a perennial passion for the climate because it’s the only one we have.
