Love & Posterity through Plants

I’m really getting into my groove with nature lately. I can’t stop remarking over beautiful flowers and the changing of the seasons, and anyone who has walked around Portland, L.A. or New York with me recently can attest to the fact that I am constantly stopping to take pictures of it all!

It’s well-known that having plants in your home is as good for your health as your happiness, but up until recently, I’ve mostly bought cut flowers for my desk. I decided I wanted to upgrade and buy some plants to put in my office, but when I walked into my local garden centre, I was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t know what was what, I didn’t know how to take care of anything, and I didn’t know if they would be suitable for a novice gardener like me!

Rather than buy something that I might immediately kill, I decided to come home and do a little research on great, easy-to-care-for plants that thrive indoors (since if you’re anything like me, you live in an apartment with absolutely no outdoor space!). I’ve also chosen to focus on plants which bring good energy into your space. Why not kill two birds with one stone?!

Additionally, to help save you time and grief, I’ve supplied links to the plants on Amazon. I know this might sound bizarre, but I have bought several potted flowers through Amazon with fantastic results… So if you’re nowhere near a garden centre, these links will help you out!

Bamboo
Bamboo is known for attracting joy and wealth. It offers protection and luck, can break hexes and grants wishes! Bamboo is said to help increase mental flexibility, aid in spiritual growth, help people to develop artistic talents, and encourages good health. If you’re depressed, bamboo is a great plant to have in your home, as it can help you to feel less stuck.

P.S. Mystic Medusa wrote about bamboo yesterday!

Buy: This is a pretty and simple arrangement of Dracaena Sanderana. If you’d prefer a spiral display, this one comes in a circular vase, and is very popular (check out those reviews!).

Basil
Basil brings love, passion, wealth, luck and beauty to your home, and we could all use a little of that! If you grow your own basil and use it to flavour your food, it’s said that you’ll awaken passion in anyone who eats it. Ooh la la! Basil is known for being an antidepressant, antiseptic and antibacterial, too.

There is a lot to learn about the magical properties of basil!

Buy: You can get Profuma di Genova basil in a 3” pot. You can also buy organic basil seeds if you’d prefer to do it yourself!

Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle brings money into your home and offers protection. Some people believe that crushing the flowers and placing them next to your forehead can boost psychic powers. The smell of honeysuckle sharpens your intuition, too. In addition to smelling absolutely incredible, honeysuckle also has a delicious edible nectar. When I was about 5 years old, it grew on a trellis up the side of my school. I remember eating it all the time!

If you’re keen to know more, here is some additional info on honeysuckle’s many uses!

Buy: This Hardy Favorite Hall’s Honeysuckle Lonceria Japonica has a super-strong fragrance and is easy to grow. It grows well up a trellis or some other kind of support, so consider growing it up a wall!

Jasmine
Jasmine attracts love and money into your home, and encourages prophetic dreams! Jasmine oil is known for being one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs, so this is a fantastic plant for single babes or anyone wanting to keep the romance alive! Jasmine flowers are often worn by high priestesses. Incredibly, jasmine flowers open at night, which, to my mind, makes them even cooler.

Buy: The Arabian Tea jasmine plant in a 4” pot is very fragrant and easy to grow.

Lemon
As well as being bright and happy, lemons are a fantastic thing to have around the house! They symbolise purification and friendship, and it’s said that if you wear diluted lemon oil during the full moon, it will help you attune with its energies. Plus, how great would it be to have your own lemons for making drinks and salad dressings?!

Apartment Therapy has a cool guide to growing lemon trees indoors. Here are some of the many uses of lemon.

Buy: Meyer lemons are the best kind — they’re delicious, sweet, and easy to grow. Try this Meyer lemon tree in an 8” pot!

Lavender 
Lavender is one of my favourite plants: it smells wonderful and is known for its mood-elevation and calming properties. A dab of lavender oil on your pillow will send you off to sleep in two seconds flat, it brings a sense of inner peace, and it’s great for alleviating headaches. The scent of lavender is said to attract men, and will allegedly help you see ghosts… ! Either way, I think it’s one of the most relaxing scents in existence.

There are a lot of different varieties of lavender with their own pros and cons, so do a little research before you take the plunge. Here are some tips on growing lavender indoors.

Buy: Munstead lavender is ideal for growing indoors. It comes in a 3” pot, smells great, and grows quickly. You can also sow your own seeds if that’s more your speed!

Miniature roses
Roses are said to have the highest vibration of all living things. Not too shabby, huh? They attract love, healing and luck, offer protection and healing, and help with divination of all kinds.

Full-size roses are a little ridiculous to grow inside, but miniature roses are quite hardy and just as beautiful (if not moreso!). It can be tricky to find a miniature rose plant, but I found some on Amazon (and they’re gorgeous!). You can have them inside for a while, but eventually they will need to go outside for more sun. In a very New York twist, I’m going to put mine on the fire escape!

The colour of your rose has a meaning, too. White: Purifying and healing, positive energy. White with red details: Devotion and passion. Peach: Peace, spirituality and friendship. Pink: Romantic love, sweetness, fun and play. Fuchsia: A lust for life, radical self love, deep love and acceptance of your physical body. Lavender: Spirituality. Red: Passionate, deep, true love.

In terms of care, here is the dummies guide and some other tips for making the most of your miniature roses.

Buy: I adore these pink miniature roses in a good-lookin’ pot. I think they’ll do quite nicely!

Orchid
Orchids are one of my favourite flowers, not only because they are beautiful, but also because they are so easy to take care of! Orchids represent love: they attract love, soothe the soul, and deepen friendships. The ancient Greeks associated orchids with fertility and virility, which makes them a great gift for new parents!

Buy: This bubblegum pink Phalaenopsis orchid is so sweet, but if you’d like to buy a few at once, here’s an assortment of 5. (Some anonymous gem bought us 5 Phalaenopsis orchids as a wedding gift, and they are still thriving on our windowsills! They are so hardy and gorgeous.)

Rosemary
Rosemary increases your brain power, can help you get a good night’s rest, and keep you youthful (well, so they say)! This herb attracts love and encourages lust, has properties of protection and purification, helps with healing, and can even be used in exorcisms. (I know, I know, a herb which helps with exorcisms is totally on your shopping list!)

One of the best things about rosemary is that you can snack on it whenever you please! It improves memory and mood, relieves pain and freshens your breath! Again, it’s lovely because — just like basil — you can use it in your cooking. Here are 16 health benefits of rosemary!

Buy: This 17” rosemary topiary is elegant and would look so great in a kitchen.

Sage
Sage is well-known for its qualities of protection. It also represents immortality, longevity, wisdom and the granting of wishes. Of course, if you grow sage, you can make your own smudging sticks... And cook with it, too!

Buy: You can snap up a little 3” pot of sage for under $5. Totally worth it!