Some time ago I had a simple realisation. I have maintained plants at home for over a dozen years. I enjoy the days I spend taking on planned gardening tasks, often losing track of time.
But it’s the daily maintenance – watering, rotating, trimming, spraying – that takes up most of my time. I scheduled this during my mornings, multitasking while getting ready for the work day.
I resented mildly having to keep track of plants that needed more or less frequent watering, at having to slide my windows to reach plants in the corner. I resented those plants that had ant or big infestations no natter how early I caught it. Because I was distracted and hurried, I poured water from a tumbler into my pots instead of sprinkling it, causing the characteristic depression you see around stems.
One day, having to spend time spraying bug repellent on a plant it dawned upon me how I had turned something I loved, a hobby, into a daily irritant and a mild annoyance.
I quickly asked myself if tending to my plants was something I liked doing, or if it was the end result, healthy balcony gardens, that I was interested in. If it was the latter, I’d be better off delegating daily maintenance to someone. But I did like the process. More than the outcome, in fact.
I also happened to read about the extraordinary ecologist and model Summer Rayne Oakes who has hundreds of plants in her apartment.
Watering the plants takes “about a half an hour every day, which I view as more of a meditative experience,” Oakes says. “And then once a week I probably spend a good hour, hour and a half doing composting, clipping back, that kind of stuff.”
That gave me some perspective. I don’t have as many plants, but they are a significant number. I should expect to spend more than a couple of minutes every two days with a bucket.
Since then I have made adjustments to my morning schedule so spend a lot more time with the plants than earlier. I probably do more regular work on ridding them off bugs, but it makes me feel better than resentful. Doing this consciously has changed not just the plants’ health but my relationship with them. The garden is exactly the same but it is now a small source of joy and curiosity, instead of of irritation and anxiety.
This change probably sounds trite. But it’s helped me be more deliberate about a few other everyday things I took for granted or did on autopilot.