When quarantine started, I had one plant: a fiddle leaf fig. I had seen occasional pictures of it on Instagram and Pinterest, and thought it would look cute in our apartment. Fast forward one year and here I am today, with 10 plants 11 plants (I bought another while writing this post)! While I originally bought my first plant because it looked cute, I’ve done a ton of research over the past few months and have become that annoying plant person that points out the name of each plant in the restaurant (sorry Tony).

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A post shared by Lauren Kortbein (@laurenkortbein)

I’ve also noticed that I’m certainly not the only one that has become a “plant person” over quarantine. So what is it about plants that has become so appealing while we’re all locked inside?? For one, it gives you something to focus on. Having a lot of plants is almost a full time job! You have to know when you last watered each one, and when/how to check if it needs more water, make sure each one gets the perfect amount of sunshine, and make sure your cat isn’t eating any leaves. There’s no time to worry about the pandemic if 100% of your thoughts are consumed by plants! You can also spend an insane amount of time Googling plant issues and why whatever you’re currently doing is certainly going to kill your plant. (It’s like WebMD for plants!) Plants have become popular decor as well, which is great because not only are they beautiful, but they have health benefits as well. They help purify the air, can reduce stress levels, and can even help you focus and be more productive!

For those who have also become plant people over quarantine, my one recommendation would be to get a grow light for the winter. While I was doing research on each of the plants I had, I learned that there are grow lights that exist that aren’t that horrible bright purple color. I figured it couldn’t hurt, since the weather had turned colder and less sunlight was getting to my plants. Almost immediately I started seeing a difference! My fiddle leaf fig has sprouted 2 new leaves, and the rest of my plants are looking very happy.

If you’ve become a plant person over the last year, do you have a favorite plant? Or if not, is there something you want to know about plant care before you adopt your first one? 🪴