The Art of Letting Go (of plants)

Imagine a summer day. No clouds are in the sky, the temperature is in the Upper 70s, the sunlight dances on your skin and there's a gentle breeze across your back. The pavement is just getting warm. Now imagine you feel all of that, but it's about 45 degrees outside. That was the tropical plant room.

Variegated Hoyas aren't that unusual but they're beautiful

Hoya carnosa, also known as wax flower, might be my favorite houseplant. Mine came from a cutting of a Hoya at the University of Illinois. Originally the cutting was variegated (white on the edges), but as it grew, it lost that variegation and became an attractive jade color. For about 6 years or so, it lived at my parent's home, then came with me to my dark, north facing office, then to my southwest facing apartment, and finally, my parents' home again. That 2 inch cutting I started with became a plant that exceeds three feet and thrives. Hoyas love warm temperatures, bright light and some moisture, but they'll tolerate dark dry rooms as well as bright humid rooms. The flowers are beautiful but I've only seen them bloom under greenhouse conditions.

When I started running out of space on my windowsill last week, I knew it was probably time to drop off some of the kids with the grandparents, so to speak. My mom nearly always has room for another plant, though I don't know for how much longer. Whenever they decide to move, I won't be able to rely on them to take care of my plants and I'll have to learn true restraint. Which brings me to the topic of the day:

Learn to let go

I'm not sure if you've heard of the 5 Rs of Recycling, but it's an idea you should take with you beyond the trash bin.

Refuse
Reduce
Reuse
Repurpose
and Recycle


Refuse - I've been called a plant hoarder in the past, but I almost never take a plant if I know I don't have the room for it. I may try to make room, but most of the time I just abandon the idea. Think about exactly where that plant is going to end up and how much time you're willing to spend taking care of it before you take it home (whether it's free or not). If the plant is in the store and you have other business there, finish the rest of your shopping first. If you still want the plant when your basket is full, then get it.

Reduce - Sometimes you just find a plant you love and you can't imagine living (or leaving) without it. Sometimes you find 20 plants you love and can't imagine leaving without them either. If you find yourself with an armful of plants, look through them a few times, decide where they'll go and if you need so many. If you're trying to fill a hole in your life, your garden or on your window ledge, realize that your plant is going to grow and if you need to divide it next year, you're going to have to figure out what to do with another half of your plant!

Reuse - Let's just call this one ...
(Re)Move - Sometimes those houseplants make great summer annuals. Look up the hardiness of your houseplants and keep an eye on temperatures if you're planning to bring it back inside. If you need to divide your house plant, consider putting half of it outside for the season and letting that half die over the winter. You'll still have your house plant, but you'll have a little more variety in your garden bed  too!

Repurpose - And this one we'll call...
Relocate - Find a friend or make a friend that wants a house plant. Split an old one or give away one that you no longer want to keep but don't want to throw away. College students often like houseplants. You might think I'm crazy, but having a plant can provide a sense of release and calm. It also provides an opportunity for a less experienced person to be responsible for a living thing. Make sure you tell them basic care instructions because a lot of people don't know how to care for plants. If you can't find someone to take your plant, you can always put a curb alert out on craigslist.

Recycle - I regret to suggest this option, but when it comes down to it, sometimes you just need to throw a plant away. Before you do throw that plant away, first...
Reconsider - If you're particularly attached to it, can you take cuttings or divide the plant to save space? Can you give the plant to someone - a friend, coworker, random stranger? Maybe you could press a leaf or flower and make it a part of an album of your former plants. How about you compost it, or, if you don't have a compost bin, ask someone that does. If you don't have any other options left, throw it out, but save the pot and the extra soil. You might be able to reuse those in the future.

Speaking for myself, it's really difficult to get rid of houseplants. They can help clean the air, provide a bit of relaxation, a sense of duty, a sense of nature, or a pleasant scent around the house. When you've had one for a particularly long time, it can certainly provide sentimental value, but sometimes you just have to let go and hope for the best.

It's much easier knowing that I can my visit my plants almost whenever I want than knowing that I had to throw them away, never to enjoy them again. It's more difficult than the accidental deaths that have happened in the past. It's harder than having to restrain myself in the first place.

So, let go. Give a good friend a plant that means something to you. They'll be more likely to think of you when they see it and you can rest easy knowing it lives on.