A Tour of House Plants

Tis the season when I’m sick again. It’s been bitterly cold in Maine, and my cat has taken to crawling her way onto my arms and chest, while I try to work. During the winter, I’m comforted by mugs of hot tea and cocoa, fleece socks, and burning candles. My adventurous spirit lies dormant like a bear, waiting for spring to re-emerge into the wilderness. Until then, I try to keep my houseplants alive despite the darker days. My cat will beat me to them sometimes and chew the leaves of my spider plants before ripping them out of their soil. Exhaustedly, I replant what’s left of them and trim the dead tips from the leaves.

I don’t know what all the plants are in my home. The ones I’ve had the most luck with are pothos and spider plants, though many of those have perished to the cat or cold as well. I received one ivy around Christmas, have been regrowing some store-bought green onions the last couple weeks, and then there is my pride and joy—my ZZ plant, which has sat on my living room side table for over two years, and the only plant that has shown consistent growth.

I appreciate all my plants though, for as little or as much life that they breathe into my home. On winter days like these, any spot of green is something to be celebrated.