All About Plants

In Alabama my husband and I had two plants and they both had names. Allie and Audrey both survived the move--amazingly--and have since been joined by quite a few other plant friends, too many to even name. Our new house just begs to be filled with fresh green plants. The street we live on has these incredible old trees and wild day lilies that spring up out of nowhere and there's lots of thick foliage surrounding us. Our neighbors' houses are positioned pretty close by but our house and yard feel private because of all the greenery. Even though we live five minutes from downtown, in the heart of Charlottesville, we lovingly refer to our home as our little cottage in the forest. It just has that feel.

Anyway, I guess my environment has been inspiring me because I've been on quite the plant kick. Our porch has several hanging plants that drip and drape beautifully and provide some extra privacy when we're chatting or having dinner out there. We potted a dracaena tree that has the most exquisite magenta-tipped spiky leaves. This bushy fern-like plant (not sure of its exact species) is our newest. I love how narrow it is at the base and how voluminous it is at the top. And I'm working on a homemade plant stand that I can't wait to show you soon. I told you I have plants on my mind!

I don't have a born knack with plants but I'm learning that most houseplants are fairly forgiving. I always err on the side of under-watering and try to notice how much light each one is getting. And did you know that plants help to filter and clean the air? That's a very cool added bonus.

In the past I was always a cut-flowers-in-a-vase kind of girl, but these days I'm loving the wild, fresh, earthiness of green leaves and stems and branches sticking out of dirt. It's fun to nurture each one and watch them grow and we so enjoy the natural liveliness they bring to the rooms they fill.