flowers – Lessons From Nature

Do Flowers Have Feelings?

April 30, 2025April 30, 2025Tagged blog, flowers, love, mental-health, nature, writingLeave a comment

This basket of flowers was harvested from my own land. I had unlimited textures and colors to choose from. I picked grasses, flowers, berries, ferns, and ground cover. It was all free! The land hardly noticed I clipped anything. The bees kept gathering nectar below me, knowing I wasn’t threatening their food source. The bouquet turned out gorgeous! I would have easily had to pay over $100 for it at a Florist’s shop.

But do you see how I have to keep them outside on my porch? I do not use pesticides, and flowers come with tons of bugs. I don’t dare bring them inside because the pests will certainly take over my home and extensive houseplant collection. My wild bouquets didn’t last as long in the summer heat as they would indoors, but they made me just as happy. I changed the water every other day and would get at least a week out them, as opposed to the two or three weeks I would get from the pesticide ridden florist flowers.

I was employed as a Florist for four months. It was eye opening. It is not a sustainable or eco-friendly industry. The amount of chemicals and plastic waste that goes into it is sickening! I could not ethically work there – for the planet or my own health.

I also noticed a personality difference between the flowers. Could it be my own projection? Absolutely. But could it be real? Possibly…

There’s something primal about harvesting wildflowers. I never felt bad cutting stems because I left 200+ others in the field. I knew the others were going to continue supporting the ecosystem and that nature was happy to provide me with a beautiful bouquet for a week.

At the floral shop, the flowers I would receive in cardboard boxes from a Continent away seemed devoid of life or character. They are shipped in thin plastic buckets with minimal water to prevent spillage. The bucket is then placed inside of a plastic trash bag to prevent the inevitable spilt chemical water from ruining the cardboard shipping box. Then they are taped up and slapped with plastic straps on pallets. It was an ordeal to unload each box! I would get around 75+ boxes each week.

A lot of them are moldy from the dark, damp unpredictable shipping environments. Most come in dehydrated and sad looking. But what can we expect? I live in Midwest USA and our supplier shipped from Ecuador and Columbia.

Can you imagine growing strong in sunshine-filled fields on your mother plant in South America then being shrouded and crammed into dark, damp boxes for FOUR DAYS, then expected to live in who knows what kind of environment for two more weeks?

The longer I was in the industry, the more painful it became for me. My wildflowers that grow naturally are treated with respect and reverence. I don’t rush to cut them and they never travel more than ten miles back to my house. Each time I look at my personal arrangement, I picture the exact location I picked it from…a smile naturally forming on my lips. When they die, I throw them on my compost pile and they become useful to the Earth again. There is no waste in wildflower picking.

However – not everyone has access to acres of wildflowers, or the ability to form an aesthetically pleasing bouquet (it’s so much harder than it looks). Special events don’t seem complete or luxurious without flowers. There’s no better feeling than getting fresh flowers in times of celebration, grieving, or “just because.” It’s a timeless tradition that aims to bring nature into our lives to remind us that life is worth living, we’re not alone, and that Mother Earth will provide for us. She compliments our sterile homes and offices with her wild beauty and fragrant blooms.

Maybe we’ve become too advanced as a society? If you think about the logistics of it all, the floral industry is impressive. I was able to receive fresh flowers in Midwest USA that were cut in South America 2-4 days before. That’s insane! We should feel proud of our technological advances. It used to take days to travel one state on horseback 200 years ago. Now we can fly 3,000 miles in less than six hours.

But just because we *can* doesn’t mean we *should.* Maybe it’s time to take a step back and listen to the Earth? She is screaming in pain. We are overusing and abusing her resources. She can’t handle our pace. She deserves respect and rest too.

I think the world would become a much healthier place if we realized all living things have feelings. I don’t think flowers have the complex emotions we do, but I do think the environment does as a whole. When massive fields are being abused for one specific crop/flower, they deteriorate. Nutrients are depleted from the soil; soil erosion then becomes an issue, which continues on in a domino effect.

What’s something you’ve noticed that has been taken advantage of because of technological advances and is contributing to the deterioration of the Earth?

Caring Too Much Can Kill

April 30, 2025April 30, 2025Tagged flowers, gardening, houseplants, mental-health, plantsLeave a comment

I landed a job as an Interior Plant Specialist in 2022. It was a dream job, but it came with anxiety. I was given huge accounts by the most successful companies in my city. I would visit each location once every two weeks. I held my breath each time I parked, praying the thousands of dollars of plants didn’t croak. I was puzzled. How can plants go that long without weekly, or daily, care? There were tiny plants, huge trees, plant walls, and trailing vines that spanned stories.

I tended to plants in windowless hospital basements, trees in 50 ft floor-to-ceiling windows, and everything in between. I loved my job. I did end up killing numerous plants, yet my supervisor gave me grace. It comes with the territory. People have a hard time keeping one houseplant alive, so keeping hundreds of thousands of plants alive is a feat.

She would always tell me, “You’re overwatering! Stop babying them so much. They’ll be okay.” I had a hard time trusting her. If I didn’t water a plant during my bi-weekly visit, then that means it wouldn’t get water for an entire month. Fear coursed through my veins. My way wasn’t working, so I decided to scale back on my watering. It worked! I really was loving them to death.

The less I watered, the more they thrived. I relaxed, so they relaxed. Plants need oxygen just as much as they need water. I learned that plants are forgiving. If I drown them in water, they’re dead. If I skimp on water, they might droop, but they always pop back. Plants are old as time. They have intricate root systems and complex survival mechanisms.

Did you know houseplants can sense their owners from over a mile away? They lack nervous systems, but they react to light/sound/touch/vibrations. They can alter their growth patterns based on human presence. Plants feel us. They’re ancient. I came to know and love all my charges. They were just as real to me as any human.

I had to leave this job because I moved. It was heartbreaking. I’ll never forget my first week of work. I shadowed the man who was in charge of the accounts I was taking over for two weeks. He was 6’ 4” and very masculine. He was kind and shy. On the last tree of his last shift, he broke down in tears, his shoulders moving up and down in jagged movements. I froze. I didn’t know how to interpret the situation. I looked around embarrassed at the people staring at us. When I turned back to him, he was hugging the tree and petting it. Yes. He was hugging it. I was mortified.

He apologized for getting emotional. He said these plants got him through his divorce and he grew fond of them. He said he talked to them and didn’t know how he was going to get through not taking care of them anymore. I don’t even remember what I said, but I thought he lost his mind. Little did I know, I would be doing the same thing a year later…

It’s hard work keeping plants alive. I grew fond of some and hated others. I took pride and ownership of them. I cared deeply for them. It’s been over two years since I worked there and I still wonder about them. Did the next caretaker give them the love they needed? Did they die? Do they miss me as much as I miss them?

In my opinion, caring for plants is a mirror to our interpersonal style. I loved my plants so much that I killed them. I thought more about ME than I did about THEM. I didn’t want to get in trouble for neglect, so I covered my bases by overwatering so my boss couldn’t say I didn’t try. Once I stepped back, I could see I was being selfish and wasn’t attuned to the plants needs.

I started learning their preferences. Two identical plants, sitting mere inches from each from one another, have different watering needs. It was my job to learn that, and overtime I did. I took a cautious approach and trusted that they would tell me what they needed. I observed them objectively and noticed subtle differences in their growing patterns and leaf distribution. Once I started thinking more about THEM than I did ME, they thrived.

I learned so much about relationships through plants. They were like a Freudian Psychotherapist reflecting my projections. I started to see that there were times I was smothering my husband to death even though it was veiled in love. I was thinking more about myself than his feelings, needs, and preferences. Sometimes I wanted to process everything down to the most minute detail with him, but I found that he likes space to breathe and reflect alone until he forms an opinion.

Sometimes all we need in life is a reminder that we’re coexisting with everything…plants, people, jobs, houses.

The Peace Lily and the Power of Stillness

April 30, 2025April 30, 2025Tagged flowers, garden, gardening, mental-health, nature, plantsLeave a comment

A Lesson in Quiet Resilience

If you’ve ever been to a funeral, you know exactly what a Peace Lily is. It represents the rebirth of the departed soul from the physical world to a more peaceful place. They’re striking with the dark green leaves and bright white blooms. I have been to many houses that have that single houseplant and they speak reverently about who passed and how they’ll never get rid of it or let it die.

I love Peace Lilies. They’re upfront about their needs. They love bright, but indirect, light. It throws a tantrum when it’s distressed by dramatically drooping its leaves. They reward us with graceful white blooms when we care for them just so. It’s imperative to create a relationship with this plant. They’re like an easy baby; as long as you follow a schedule and give it what it asks for, it’s happy.

I think this plant is a wise teacher. It draws parallels from the plant world and our lives. It reminds us that humans need gentle environments, emotional attunement, and patience in personal growth too.

Sensitivity isn’t a weakness. The Peace Lily thrives in soft light and wilts when neglected, much like sensitive people who need mindful surroundings to flourish. Instead of labeling sensitivity as fragility, this plant shows us it’s a strength that demands deeper care and understanding.

A prominent lesson is that signs are subtle, but honest. A peace lily doesn’t scream when it needs water—it droops. Humans, too, often give quiet signs of burnout, sadness, or stress. Learning to recognize these subtle cues in ourselves and others is a practice in empathy and emotional intelligence.

I’m a natural empath and people pleaser. I can be the Giving Tree. However, I have learned my limits. I used to burn out by giving so much of myself to others that I didn’t have anything left. I get a short fuse when I’m emotionally depleted. I start resenting people and start to isolate. It took a long time for me to look inside of myself and set boundaries. It felt awkward telling people no and I was ridden with guilt for a couple years. However, I have noticed that I’m much happier now that I learned to strike balance.

I recognized that blooming takes time. The white bloom doesn’t appear overnight. It comes only with sustained attention and the right conditions. Just like healing, creativity, or growth—it can’t be forced. You can’t rush a Peace Lily into flowering, nor can you rush your own transformation.

I started to understand that I need to take care of myself first to be useful to others. If I’m operating from a place of obligation, it doesn’t feel good to me or the people I love. When I’m attending to my needs, I naturally want to help others bloom. I feel a lightness about me when the conditions are right. I can’t operate at full capacity 24/7. Just like plants need darkness to recharge, I do too.

The peace lily is a cleanser of air and calmer of spaces. Peace Lilies are natural air purifiers. They silently cleanse what’s unseen—just like how certain people calm rooms with their presence, or how stillness itself can detoxify the chaos in our lives.

In a world that prizes speed, noise, and toughness, the Peace Lily invites us to embrace softness, slowness, and care. It reminds us that peace isn’t passive—it’s a powerful, living thing that must be nurtured.

Lavender Remedies for the Soul

April 30, 2025April 30, 2025Tagged flowers, garden, gardening, grateful, mental-health, nature, springLeave a comment

I was hiding in the cold garage, berating myself for smoking. It’s a naughty habit that I only succumb to in times of immense stress. I was hurling the most vile insults at myself. I felt like I couldn’t breathe as the panic started to hit my chest. The plumes of smoke became too dense to find oxygen.

Even though I’m allergic to the sun, I ran outside unprotected. I needed fresh air to level my head out ASAP. I walked to my dinky garden, which never got finished since I was in the throes of figuring out my blistering skin disease this summer. There were only a few wildflowers that were strong enough to survive complete neglect and clay soil that had never been amended. I couldn’t help but be embarrassed of it. It was another reminder of my failures.

I hung my head low in defeat. A bit of royal purple caught my eye. It was the last remnants of the sugary sweet butterfly bush flowers and lavender. They were releasing a mesmerizing scent. I stopped and picked the mostly dead flowers to enjoy before the freeze.

The scent soothed my angry heart.

As I took deep breaths of nature’s perfume in, the negative self-talk was pushed out.

My mind stopped racing. I was able to feel the warm Fall breeze blowing my freshly cut hair. I noticed how comfortable the river rock wall was beneath my bum. I felt the strong Autumn rays connecting with my born-again virgin skin. I saw my beautiful dog rolling in the green grass to scratch his back, bringing a smile to my lips.

Each time I put my nose in my hands, which were cupping the fragrant blooms, my mood improved. My internal dialogue ceased and nature commanded my full attention.

All I thought about was lavender, honey, green grass, and clear blue skies.

I filled my lungs with the cleanest air.

It felt like Nature was giving me CPR.

I realized that whatever state I’m in, I’m beautiful and whole. I cycle just like plants do.

The nearly rotting flowers were ugly, but their scent made up for their appearance. The end of October is not their time to shine. It’s a time of preparation. The plants know to let their exposed parts die off because they won’t survive the cold, harsh elements. They focus on retaining sugar in their roots to act as an anti-freeze so they can have the energy to withstand the Winter and be ready to bloom in Spring.

Unlike humans, plants trust their instincts. They have observed their environment and know which steps to take. They have patience and resilience. They accept imposed limitations and give it their best shot, no matter what.