Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants: Cultivating Personal Growth and Authenticity

By Becca Powell

Life is a journey and finding our place in that life can feel overwhelming. Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I cultivate a life that makes my heart happy?

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ― Lao Tzu

While there are many books written on self-discovery, Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants is unique in its approach by using the growth cycle and care of houseplants to impart wisdom and essential life lessons for living an authentic life.

Throughout the book, the author’s own journey of personal growth unfolds alongside practical information and care tips for raising happy, healthy houseplants. While this little book tackles some tough topics, such as her struggle with depression and experience in an abusive relationship, it is done with a lightness and humour that makes you feel like you’ve known the author for years.

This book will leave you feeling inspired and ready to change and improve your own life, as well as those of your houseplants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035825943

Becca Powell

Becca Powell is a forty-something woman with enough lived experience to have a bit of hard-earned, practical wisdom to share.  As a self-professed pluviophile, she lives happily in Portland, Oregon where she works her small interior design business from home surrounded by her beloved (and numerous) houseplants and two even more beloved Vizslas.  She is passionate about reading, warm tea, and meaningful conversations.  Her favourite outside-the-house activity is hanging out with her grown kids-turned-friends and visiting a busy dog park on a warm day. Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants is her first written work.

Book preview

About the Author

Becca Powell is a forty-something woman with enough lived experience to have a bit of hard-earned, practical wisdom to share.  As a self-professed pluviophile, she lives happily in Portland, Oregon where she works her small interior design business from home surrounded by her beloved (and numerous) houseplants and two even more beloved Vizslas.  She is passionate about reading, warm tea, and meaningful conversations.  Her favourite outside-the-house activity is hanging out with her grown kids-turned-friends and visiting a busy dog park on a warm day. Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants is her first written work.

Dedication

To my inner circle…you know who you are.  With all my love and gratitude for sticking by me through the dirt and the sun.

Copyright Information ©

Becca Powell 2023

The right of Becca Powell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, experiences, and words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035825929 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035825936 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781035825943 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

Thanks to my friends turned editors, Lisa and Meagan for helping me bring this dream to a reality by painstakingly weeding out a lot of spelling errors and typos.

Introduction

"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes

I made while learning to see things

from the plant’s point of view."

—H. Fred Ale

I did not set out to become a green thumb. I do not even hail from a long line of green thumbs. In fact, I would say I was first drawn to plants because of the beautiful pots. However, it turns out that you are looked upon as odd if you continue to buy pots without putting something in them. So, I began to dabble in houseplants. I started with a few sturdy snakes and succulents. You know, the types that are the easiest to keep alive. As the years progressed, my fascination (read: obsession) began to take root, and to date, I have 115 happy houseplants. I love the unique shapes of the leaves, their diverse colours, and their individual personalities. Having a plant (or 10) in every room makes the house feel vibrant and alive with energy. I’ve learned a lot from caring for all my plants over the years and I’ve written this book to share those insights with others. Whether you have one plant or 200, a green thumb or not, I hope you enjoy hearing about everything I’ve learned about life from my houseplants and how it translates to us living our best lives too.

Chapter 1

Starting Strong

"When a flower doesn’t bloom you fix the environment

in which it grows, not the flower."

—Alexander Den Heijer

There is an old, probably well-meaning adage that says, Bloom where you are planted. While I do love seeing a persistent daisy growing through a crack or a courageous English ivy pushing through a forgotten stonewall, I believe plants should not have to make do under such difficult circumstances. A firm foundation of suitable soil is the secret to raising healthy and carefree plants, and so it is with people as well.

For humans, I equate our environment to our soil, our foundation for life and our personal growth. Our surroundings contribute greatly to our stability, comfort, and sense of well-being – or not. Just as you would not try to grow a water-loving lily in the dry, sandy soil meant for a succulent, you should not expect yourself or anyone else to thrive in unsuitable conditions for who they are. Therefore, instead of feeling pressure to bloom where we are planted, the first and very best option is to Seek the soil in which you can fully bloom (Let’s see if we can make that one stick!). How do you know which environment is best for you? Let’s learn from plants and their three main types of soil: loam, clay, and sand.

Loam is considered by many to have an ideal soil composition. (If ideal is, in fact, even a thing.) It has a good mix of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. It is soft, easy to work with, and compatible with a wide range of moisture conditions. Loam is the perfect soil for nearly any indoor houseplant. The general potting soil you buy from the local store will be loam. In the natural world, daffodils, sunflowers, most fruits and vegetables, as well as lavender and thyme, all prosper in loam soil.

As people, we should all be so lucky to live in a loam environment. For us, I related a loam environment to a well-balanced, varied location. The weather would offer all four seasons, so you can enjoy the richness of both extremes and the mildness in between. A loam human condition would offer a diversity of people and experiences, as well as the ability to relish in both solitude and community. I think of places known for their easy-going and laid-back feel, such as the Pacific Northwest, Lower Canada, and the Scandinavian countries. Places that have access to thriving metropolises along with easy access to peaceful outdoor sanctuaries. Just as a wide variety of plants, flowers, and produce happily live in loam soil, many different types of people can find contentment residing in loam-like locations. However, not all plants can thrive or even survive in loam soil. Their needs are more specific, and they would do well to seek a different soil more suited to their individual needs. No surprise, so it is with people too.

Clay soil is one such specific option. Clay soil is composed of hard, dense molecules. It holds the moisture and is very slow draining, which can be of benefit to some