The Trio & Me

16. Keep a plant alive

When I first wrote my list, I was thinking about all the things I wanted to experience, the things I hoped to achieve, and even the things I had never quite managed to do. Some were big, life-changing goals. Others were much smaller little victories that, for one reason or another, had always escaped me.

Keeping a plant alive fell firmly into that second category.

I’ve always loved greenery. There is something about walking into a home filled with lush foliage that instantly makes a space feel calm, welcoming and alive. I wanted that feeling in my own home, but no matter how many times I tried, my plants never seemed to survive.

I’d start with the best intentions. I’d water them, admire them and imagine my home slowly becoming an indoor jungle. Then life would get busy. I’d forget to water them, lose interest for a while, and before I knew it they had outgrown their pots, been neglected for too long, and there was nothing left to rescue.

Eventually, I gave up.

Instead, I filled my home with artificial plants. They looked beautiful, required no effort and, over the years, I spent a small fortune collecting high quality ones.

Then, two of my children began struggling with constant allergies. We focused on treating what we thought were seasonal allergies before eventually discovering they were reacting to dust. They started on allergy desensitisation, and are getting monthly injections. What I hadn’t realised was just how much dust all of those fake plants were collecting, and whilst I was treating the allergies, I unknowingly was neglecting the actual cause. 

No matter how often I cleaned them, they were impossible to stay on top of. Every leaf, every stem and every arrangement seemed to trap dust. As much as I loved how they looked, they were making our home less healthy, not more.

Determined to find another solution, I bought a propagation station and started with cuttings and bought a couple of mature plants. I intentionally chose varieties that could grow happily in water or were forgiving if I forgot to water them—something I knew I needed to account for with my ADHD. And surprisingly… it worked.

A couple of plants became several, and then dozens. 

Now my home is slowly filling with real plants that I’ve nurtured myself. I’ve researched varieties that help improve indoor air quality and are well suited to households managing asthma and allergies. More importantly, I’ve kept them alive.

Every new leaf feels like a tiny achievement.

To anyone else, “keep a plant alive” probably seems like an odd thing to include on a ‘bucket’ list. It isn’t climbing a mountain or travelling the world. It won’t make headlines. But sometimes the smallest goals become the most meaningful because they represent growth in ways that only you truly understand.

For me, these plants represent consistency. They’ve taught me that I can build routines, learn from past failures and create an environment that brings both beauty and wellbeing to my family. More than that, they’ve helped transform my house into a home. 

🤍 K