On March 10, 2020, I shared my first blog post on my new Well-Grown Home plant blog. I wrote about how I don’t like naming my plants and the millennial plant parent phenomenon. It’s been a full year since then with now 21 blog posts, 150 social posts, 250+ followers under my belt. I’m only excited to keep growing this journey (and my plants of course too!). Thank you for all your engagement and support!
Establishing My Blogging Roots
I had thought about starting a blog for a while and had dabbled gently years ago into some biweekly writing about what was happening in my life. Not that my life isn’t full of passion but it never really mattered to me to share it in this format. By spark of a two-term assignment, I found myself staring to the abyss of what to blog about. I have never been great at focusing at one thing, whether it’s going off on a tangent during a story or working on a hundred things at once. This is why a plant blog became a wonderful fit for me.
Plants became a front-runner of a blog theme due to their timeless ability to connect to all elements of life. Of course there is leisurely gardening but plants also connect to home decor, travel, mental health, cooking, medicine and more. I could write about the skincare uses of plants and flowers! Writing about plants has opened up my mind in so many ways to new possibilities.
Others in the Garden
My relationships and interactions with other plant lovers has also grown. I’ve joined many groups on social platforms, signed up for newsletters and read the works of others both digitally and in print. More and more frequently I’ll get messages from friends and even strangers. This always brightens my day as I’m able to share what I have learned and see where someone else’s plant journey takes them.
On the other hand, one thing I’d like to note is that you don’t need dozens of plants to be a plant lover. Your appreciation for living things is enough. Despite so much positivity in the plant fanatic networks, there is seemingly so much pressure to expand one’s plant collection. Especially with the year it’s been, this demand is difficult to see. I see so many people of all ages posting in forum-style groups about where to start. Research is valuable but just pick something within your budget and try it out. Plants want to grow!
My advice to anyone interested in learning about plants is to develop connections with other people and just give it a go. Learn from each other, be it by the losses or the successes.
Where to Grow Next
I’m excited about helping plan what to grow outside this year in my family’s garden with my mom. It’s been extremely rewarding and inspiring to have a backyard garden to explore again. After living in so many student apartments, I have been enjoying this outdoor space. Right now, I can only feed the birds with the few feet of snow still lingering. I’m also looking forward to incorporating more of my indoor plants into this home. When moving back to Barrie just after starting this blog, I had plants scattered wherever they would fit between my mom’s. They blocked many doorways and walking paths across our kitchen, dining room and living room. The mantle is my next place to organize… and take over with cascading plants and vines.
I hope to post more frequently this year, as I’m sure most bloggers do. When originally planning for my assignment, I thought I could post four times per week… wow did I ever underestimate the work that goes into it all plus how much free time I’d actually have. Even if it’s just one more post than last year, that will be sufficient for me.
I’m thankful to have this plant journey and to be able to share it with many others. If you’ve read this far, please know that I appreciate your time and interest. Your support has been incredibly generous. I hope to continually engage with you and inspire an increasing love for plant life.
Here’s to many more years of Well-Grown Home and to ever-vivacious plants!
Well-Grown Home 