Confessions of a Plant Addict

In most areas of my life, I try to live simply. I strive to own just enough possessions that will comfortably fit in my Chevy Spark. But there is one area of my life in which I break my anti-materialism vows and where resistance seems futile. As much as gardening and loving plants give me joy, my obsessive plant collecting can easily slip into the pathological. Therefore, I'm beginning to acknowledge my "addiction" and implement strategies to avoid totally going off the deep end.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not currently out of control, at least I don't think so. Though I do see tendencies of becoming a future plant hoarder. Acknowledgment and acceptance is key to overcoming any addiction, and it is just as important to not feel shame in disclosing such a problem. All of us have our Achilles' heels, or weaknesses, especially when it comes to the trappings of our consumerist society. For some, it may be clothes, others books, but nearly everyone is a collector of something.

In the past, if I saw a plant I desperately wanted, I'd go ahead and buy it. Even if I didn't have a place in mind, I'd say to myself "I'll make a spot!". When my garden was young and there was seemingly endless space, I always made room, yet now I find myself with a "mature" landscape. Now I suddenly realize my garden is overgrown- too many shrubs, perennials, and trees too close to each other. In this next phase of my landscape, it is clear to me that I'll have to make some hard choices- what should I keep, re-locate, give away, prune. But this is a good problem!

Yet I will always be tempted to add new plants to my collection! Plant Delights Nursery, one of my favorites for rare and unusual, just released "some" of their spring catalog. Many of their offerings are one-of-a-kind treasures with captions like"probably won't be offered again in a very long time!", and of course, they specialize in my favorite genera: Trillium, Asarum, Lycoris, Salvia, etc... And with the average price being around $20 a quart, just imagine how poor I'd be if my tastes weren't so specialized and I collected even more genera! I guess I should be thankful that I'm such a plant snob and that I am biased to a handful of genera.

Much of what we find so irresistible is the actual looking and fantasizing. The experience of perusing a new catalog and making wish lists can be just as satisfying as the actual purchasing, owning, and growing of a plant. And when we delay our impulsive purchases, we often find that our initial longings become less intense. By limiting ourselves to a budget and making our purchases more like "special events" we will ultimately glean more satisfaction. And importantly, we won't feel so overwhelmed with all our new plants and the work involved in getting them in the ground!

But let's get real... retail therapy is powerful. Just like scratching off a lottery ticket, so too does clicking the "buy now" tab flood us with endorphins. Under no account would I tell someone to never buy new things. All I'm saying is that when we limit ourselves to fewer plant purchases (or any kind of purchases), we find that we value that which we already have so much more! All of us know this in our gut, but, if you are like me, we are still in need of constant reminders. I know going forward that I'll continue to fall off the wagon, especially when it comes to my Kryptonite plants, like Trillium. But I'm aiming to at least recognize my weaknesses and equip myself with strategies to avoid impulse buying.

If you find yourself with way too many plants to ever get in the ground, you can always give them away to people who might actually want and treasure them. Though it may be excruciating to give away a prized collectible, just think how good you will feel when, years from now, you visit your friend and see a plant that you gave them growing and thriving! It is well worth any temporary separation anxiety you might feel by parting with something treasured.