House plants.

I am as far as it gets from being green-fingered. In the past even the most resilient of plants passed away in my care. This is why I've kept to cut flowers to brighten up my living space: they are supposed to die within a week, so no guilt involved.

Bu now that I have my own little place, I really wanted to give plants another go. Plants can purify the air, they look pretty and generally make the space feel so much more put together. I'm proud to report that some plants are with me for almost 6 months now and all are alive and well.

Since I can be a little forgetful, I prefer plants which are forgiving and can cope with long periods without water. 

Devil's Ivy was my first purchase and I've managed to keep it going since summer. It doesn't need that much light, can be watered roughly once a week (in practice I water this beauty less frequently. Allow soil to dry before watering again). I love the hanging stems and heart-shaped leaves. My plant has gained quite a bit in size, so it will need to relocate to a higher spot soon, but for now it is a wonderful decoration in the living room.

I bought Zamioculcas on my sister's recommendation. It is a plant which is so low maintenance that you an virtually forget about it for weeks and weeks. Mine lives in the bedroom, a rather dark room and it is doing fine, it actually grew a few new shoots since I bought it in Novemeber.

Apart from these two that are my absolute favourites, I also have Anthurium, decorating the entrance corridor to my flat, Aloe Vera which currently lives on the dining table and some roses, but these seem not to enjoy my house environment and I am waiting for them to go beyond the point when I could still save them any day now.

I didn't know how beneficial having plants around me would end up being. But I love looking at them and they make me feel better. After a long and difficult day at work when everything seemed to be going wrong I can come back home, sit in my favourite armchair and admire my plants for a few minutes, thinking about how much they have grown, about different patterns on the leaves and any plans to move them to bigger containers in the spring. It might sound silly, but it allows me to switch off completely and just appreciate the simple things.

I will finish with the words of Peter Zumthor, a Swedish architect:

My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer.

They make me quiet; I like to be in their company.