Like all the best stories, my relationship with plants started with love. Once upon a time, I could not keep plants alive. But my past partner, P, a plant lover himself, kept bringing me flowers. It seemed a shame to keep buying ones that had already been cut so I’m sure you see where this is going. I had 50 plants before you could say “green thumb”.

But hear me out! Plants have so many benefits, they are definitely worth developing your own green thumb.

In a 2018 study of nearly 600 people, access to green spaces significantly reduced psychological distress – up to 54%. (source) That’s a massive difference in improved mental health. Other known benefits include:

• Reducing stress through lowered cortisol levels and reduced heart rates
• Increasing productivity with better focus increased attention spans
• Improving air quality by boosting oxygen levels and reducing air pollution
• And my personal opinion – shifting your mindset by surrounding yourself with growth – plants aren’t just about immediate results, they keep growing for the long-term.

Now if you’re like me when I started, you might need a little encouragement. Let me take you down the rabbit hole! Here’s what I recommend for beginners:

Get your green thumb

There are a bunch of beginner-friendly plants out there! Some are easy to care for, some don’t need a lot of light, and some will come back to life if you forget to water them… not that I’ve ever done that. I highly recommend:

• Spider plant
• Snake plant
• Pothos
• ZZ plants (aka Zanzibar Gem)
• Money tree
• Wandering Jew

Get your setup

You don’t have to go big or fancy, but these definitely made a difference as I was growing my collection:

• Grow Light (link) – especially in the winter months, these things are a literal life saver for your plants. In general, unless you have low light plants, you will find that they tend to struggle in the winter months, but especially if you’ve gone for tropical plants, you will probably need to supplement the sunlight.
• Terracotta Pots – if you’re a beginner, you’re probably going to want to stick with terracotta pots. They usually aren’t the prettiest, but other pots tend to hold in the moisture, and depending on the plant that can lead to root rot and other problems. There’s a reason these are the classic!

Get inspired

• The Bearded Plantaholic (link)
• Sydney Plant Guy (link)
• Tanner the Planter (link)
• Plants with Krystal (link)
• ZTY Palm Care (link)

Get the actual plants

My favorite place is a local pop-up shop in a parking lot called Second Chance Plants – it sells neglected plants at a marked down price. You can also get plants at grocery stores, plant events, Facebook groups, and botanical shops like mine!

A final tip – I don’t know about you, but where I live it is currently in the 30s and one of our snowiest winters in years. For those of you trying to keep your plants alive through the winter – don’t panic! If your leaf tips turn yellow or brown, or you see spots on the leaves, don’t prune, don’t trim, just wait until the temperatures warm up. New growth happens in the spring – leave the “ugly” leaves until your plant is ready to start growing again. A little love, a little patience, and a little sun and you and your plants will live happily ever after.