Happy New Year Plant Lovers!!! I know you are excited and bursting with energy and are ready to transform your life in amazing ways. Is one of your strategies to get a fresh start by cleaning up, throwing out, and getting organized?
If so, you are probably already feeling pumped as you clear the clutter and make way for a simplified life in 2020. However, if you’re four days into your New Year clean-up, you may have stuff everywhere and be feeling regrets. 'Why did I start this project’?! 'Will it ever end?!' 'Maybe I should just stuff everything back where it was.'
If that’s you - here’s a little encouragement. If you carry through, you will spend the year saving time, and being less stressed, by having less clutter. And - your plant life can also get a boost. Read on to learn what to look out for during your cleaning process.
Don’t miss these easy opportunities to boost your plant life during your "New Year Declutter Like A Boss Challenge". (Or whatever inspirational, instagramable term is trending this year).
#1 Accessible space for more plants and stress free plant care.
Open up some great opportunities to enhance your plant life as you organize. Free up space for more plants and make your physical path to plant care stress free.
If it’s a struggle to get to your plant containers, taking care of your plants won’t be very fun. If reaching your plants is a challenge you make not give your plants the best care. Or, you may start to feel that you don’t like having plants. This likely isn’t true at all.
While you are reorganizing your space this year, consider the physical path to you plants. Is there anything blocking access to your plants? If you have furniture in front of windows, this may be the case. Consider shifting furniture away from windows. Or, make space between furniture so you can reach the windows.
Not only will this simplify your daily plant care, it can also allow more light into your space. With more light you can grow more plants. You can even grow a greater variety of plants to include flowering and edible varieties. This can be fun, but that’s not all. Science shows that growing a greater diversity of plants is good for our health. Learn more in this previous post: More Different Plants.
#2 Find materials to upcycle for plant life enhancement
As your ‘get rid of' pile grows taller - consider secondary uses for items that would otherwise end up in the trash. Don’t forget that before recycle comes reduce and reuse. Reduce future purchases by reusing what you have.
Baskets, bins, bottles, buckets. These can all be used as plant containers. But that’s not all. Planters came be made from everything. Old teapots, soccer balls, wine corks, boots, kids toys. There are no limit!s!
Clothes.
You may not think clothes and plants go together but fabric from old clothes can be a great plant life enhancing tool. Use old fabric to add some personality to your plant containers. Fabric can be used to cover your existing planters. It can also be a tool for upcycling the containers mentioned above. Check out the fashion pots in the Hortiki Shop for inspiration. Fabric can also be turned into rag rugs which you may want to place under planters to catch spills. This is a project I’ll be working on this year.
Bonus tip - If you will be throwing things out - do a quick search about how to recycle. Some office supply stores will accept and help you recycle electronics and printer ink cartridges. Your city may also have a special drop off for large or unusual items. If you are based in Washington, DC you can find more information here: DC Special Waste Recycling Options.
Sound like too much work? Treat yourself to a reward (say… a new plant) for taking that extra step to show the planet a little love.
#3 Identify Missed Opportunities for #PlantMoney
Pay attention to what you are getting rid off and why you are letting go of those things. Look for common trends. If you are getting rid of a lot of clothes - ask yourself why? Is it that you shop more for entertainment than need? Is it that you buy things online but don’t return them if they don’t fit?
Pay attention to patterns you can break and the amount of money you will save if you change your routine. Instead of shopping for fun - invite friends over for a clothing swap. Add the money you save to your plant budget or another goal you are saving for.
If you are getting rid of lots of electronics - why do you have so many? Are you buying to try out the latest gadget and not because you really need it? What would a shift in perspective mean for your finances in this area?.
As you clean the clutter - consider the cost. Add those numbers up and commit to purchasing less of those things and more of the things you do need. And trust me - you (and the planet) definitely need more plants. Use this plant budget spreadsheet to make your plan. Find the spreadsheet in this previous post: 25 Ways to Fund Your Growing Plant Addiction to make your plan.
Okay, Declutter Boss. Continue on your journey to a fresh, energetic, simplified 2020. Use these tips to take your efforts one step further and give your plant life a boost. And let us know, what are your other 2020 goals? Hortiki and I would love to cheer you on in the year (and the decade) to come.
Happy New Year!
Victoria LeBeaux, PhD
Founder, Hortiki Plants
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