Growing plants allows us to develop other facets of our personality: we are talking about constancy, observation, respect for nature’s timing, patience, small achievements and the improvement of our self-esteem, among others. And that is the basis of plantfulness, which refers to those moments that we dedicate to our plants, that is, the moments of watering, cleaning, pruning or contemplating the new shoots, because these activities require that all our attention is put on it.
In our modern world, characterized by digital workspaces and smartphone notifications, it is all too easy to become disconnected from our natural surroundings. Our overstimulated brains are prone to run away with our thoughts, always planning for the future or dwelling on memories, without paying much attention to the present.
Plants, however, are the perfect living elements for mindfulness practice. Their calming presence makes it easy for us to reconnect with nature and rediscover a sense of peace and stillness, and that’s what plantfulness is all about. That is, when our thoughts begin to spiral, they can trigger worry and anxiety among us. When this happens, it is helpful to have a plant in front of us to bring us back to the present and center our thoughts.
Mindfulness is the basic ability we humans have to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is happening in our environment.
Plants live in a state of constant presence, leaning toward the light, photosynthesizing and growing quickly or slowly following their natural tendencies. “What would the plant do?” we may ask ourselves when we feel our brain becoming oversaturated with information. The answer is there: plants remain calm, present and focused on the current situation. We can learn a lot from their attitudes.
Plantfulness: effortlessly cultivating our inner self
When choosing a houseplant, of course, it is important to take into account the environment in which it will live:
- Is it sunny or shady?
- Hot or cold?
- Is the air humid or dry?
- Is the space large enough for a tree, or would a small succulent fit better?
However, plantfulness also encourages us to think about our own habits and build on them. Are you one of those people who love to overwater? Then a bamboo plant would be an excellent choice. For those of us who are busy and often away from home, it is advisable to choose a hardy plant such as a sansevieria or a cactus.
If you know what’s good for developing a routine, you’ll find plants like banana or fiddle leaf fig require extremely rewarding routine maintenance. With plantfulness, we give ourselves permission to lean into our core tendencies and celebrate ourselves.
Having said that, the main benefits of plantfulness include:
- Cultivate patience, because the rhythms of nature are not as we want them to be.
- It helps to be present.
- You disconnect from the problems.
- You rest your eyes.
- Promotes creativity.
In order to take the first steps in plantfulness, from ROOTS we recommend these five beautiful plants:
- Stromanthe triostar.
- Maranta leuconeura fascinator.
- Scindapsus pictus.
- Oxalis triangularis purpurea.
- Ficus elastica tineke.
Now that you know what plantfulness is and how it helps us to put mindfulness into practice, we invite you to subscribe to the newsletter specialized in garden and plant care in garden and plant care, in which you will find gardening tips, ideas for decorating your home and much more from ROOTS. In addition, enjoy the rest of videos of our garden center in Tenerife we have prepared for you.