With a submission like this, how could we resist this month’s Real Life Plant Parent, Sarah? Keeping over eighty plants in a small two-bedroom apartment, she’s a master at maximizing green in a small space, and she is committed to a green thumb lifestyle! She just gets us. 

We first “met” Sarah on Instagram when she posted an unboxing video of a Wild Interiors® plant she purchased on Amazon. We got in touch to thank her for sharing and became fast friends, so we were happy to invite her to fill out our Real Life Plant Parent form for a feature. 

Most of my free time is spent with my hair in a high ponytail, soil under my fingernails, playing with leaves. I’m thankful for the person my plants help me become by teaching me to care for something that cannot communicate with words. 

Plants with Personality

We asked Sarah how she got started as a plant parent, and it turns out she has a lifelong love of nature that brought the outdoors in! 

Being outdoors has always been when I feel most “myself.” So being able to surround myself with gorgeous plants, and not only keep them alive but help them thrive, is such a gratifying experience. I help them, and they help me. Also, it’s just cool learning about different plants and how they will communicate what they need from you. It’s kind of funny how each plant has its own little personality.   

Sarah has been keeping indoor plants for only a couple of years, but she’s an avid outdoor gardener as well!

I’ve gardened outdoors every summer for the past five years. I plant various annual flowers and herbs. As far as indoor gardening goes, I started in late 2017.

A Healing Pothos

Sarah has an interesting story about her first indoor plant. She brought a Pothos to work to help cut down on a stuffy office environment and this is the plant that started it all. So when we asked, “Do any of your plants have a story?” Sarah was prepared to answer!

I would say my golden pothos as it was my first indoor plant. It really was the plant that fueled my indoor plant addiction. The motivation behind getting it was that I had just started a desk job in an office that got zero sun and could at times get stuffy with so many people inside. When one person got sick, EVERYONE would. I stumbled across an article about NASA’s clean air study and decided to get a pothos because it was a plant that did well in purifying the air. I thought why not add more greenery to my desk, while potentially improving the air quality near me. I honestly did notice that I was able to battle office sinus plagues easier, or at least they wouldn’t last as long. I learned from this experience that I was CAPABLE of taking care of plants indoors. Also… who knew LEDs could be used to replace actual sunlight? I sure didn’t at the time and that was mind blowing to me. I still have that pothos to this day. 

It’s true! While bright, indirect sunlight is best for plants, they can also live long and vibrant lives in an office setting. 

Win Some, Lose Some

With over eighty plants, it seems like Sarah is a certified pro at this plant thing. But we had to know: did she have any plant skeletons in her closet? Had she ever lost a patient? 

Absolutely I have. Succulents are usually the victims. I just don’t have much luck growing them with the sun I get in Ohio. Even supplementing with grow lights isn’t enough. But I still try.. they’re just so cute. I can’t help myself!

Advice for Newbies 

Sarah has some great advice for new and aspiring plant parents (or even those who have been keeping plants for years - it’s never a bad time to take some solid advice). 

Something important I’ve had to learn as a plant parent is… not every leaf can be perfect! It doesn’t mean you’re a bad plant parent or that your plant is even going to die. Assess the situation, do your research and thank your little plant for trying to communicate what it needs from you. Also, the internet has so many resources. A little bit of googling can go along way in your plant’s life!

Sarah has become a bit of an internet resource for plant parents herself! We asked if she has inspired anyone in her life to become a plant parent and it turns out that she has made a splash in the plant world on Instagram. 

I get occasional messages on Instagram saying I inspired them to get plants. I also had a girl come up to me in a bar telling me she follows me on Instagram and got an aloe plant because of me. I exchanged some tips with her and we became friends over it. It’s a really great feeling when I can inspire people to connect to nature.

You can follow Sarah on Instagram too! Check her out at @sarah__grows (double underscore).

Submit your own Real Life Plant Parent story using our form.