Plants are Healers 🌿

They feed and nourish us, they protect and heal us, they calm our souls and bring joy to our hearts. They are the manifestation of Mother Nature.

The healing magic of plants 

I’ve always been drawn to plants, but living in a city has rekindled this deep love I’ve held since childhood. 

The fact that lockdown has drawn people to buy plants or start gardening comes as no surprise. We find solace in the fact that plants steadily grow and change with the seasons, regardless of what is going on in the world. The beauty of full blooms reminds us of the transience of life itself, but also the generous abundance it offers. Starting an urban garden from seed, which then provides food by just adding time and water, is satisfyingly empowering and connects to a primordial part within us. 

If you want to invite plants into your home, here are some ideas to get started:

Potted herbs instead of packaged

If you usually buy cut herbs, consider buying a pot instead or, if you’re feeling adventurous, grow them from seed. This way you have constant supply and can harvest as you need them instead of worrying about having to use them up. 

Growing them from seed is surprisingly simple, and the season is ideal right now. 

Easy houseplants

If you’ve never owned a plant before, start with plants that are not particularly fussy, such as pilea peperomioides, inch plants (tradescantia zebrina) or succulents (echeverias, burro’s tail or aloe vera). If you have small children or pets, be mindful that some popular plants can be toxic if ingested, so make sure to check first. 

Grow your food

Now is a perfect time to grow vegetables, even if you only have a windowsill. Use terracotta pots where possible, as they retain moisture, don’t fall over at the slightest of winds and don’t contribute to plastic waste. Lettuce, carrots, radishes, courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, peas and squash are easy and fast growers – you’ll be amazed at how simple it is and watching them grow makes it even more rewarding to eat. 

Healing plants

Many plants right in front of us (often overlooked as ‘weeds’) have powerful healing qualities, such as nettle, yarrow and mugwort. For your home herbal garden try rosemary and thyme for your nervous system; sage for balancing your energies; lemon verbena as a stress reliever and digestion aid; fennel for digestion and relieving bloating, echinacea to reduce inflammation and aloe vera as a face serum and for wound treatment. 

Finally, if you don’t feel quite ready yet to take care of a plant, having a bouquet of fresh flowers works wonders on lifting your spirits.

My current favourite is Freddies Flowers, and with the code MarikoP6827 you can get the first box free of charge. 

I hope you feel inspired to invite some greens into your home! 

Love,

Mariko xx