I bought my first plant while dorm shopping in the fall of 2017. It was one of those small pots inside at Walmart that had three different succulents for around $10. At first, my mom tried convincing me that no, I did not need to get that for my room. She had little success. 

In the following years, my collection grew steadily. I purchased a few plants a year for sophomore and junior years. I stuck to succulents because they are hard to kill. Coming back from my cross-cultural to China, I had to buy a bamboo plant, but beyond that, the plants were all pretty much the same. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

Trapped inside with nothing to do but online classes that occasionally failed to connect to the troublesome internet, I was unhappy as I’m sure many still are. The world had changed, and I could no longer see my friends or go out in public or go thrift shopping. It wasn’t until my boyfriend’s sister, Maryanna, dragged me out of my parents’ house to go plant shopping that things started looking up. 

We drove to a popular greenhouse in Augusta County called Milmont. I had never been. Pulling up the driveway, Maryanna pointed out how busy they must be.

“Normally, there are plants all the way up the driveway on either side,” she said. I was shocked. Despite the lack of plants by the driveway, there seemed to be plenty hanging all around the entrance. 

I brought home three plants that day: a tiny cactus, a neon pathos, and some sort of flower. I still have the cactus and the pathos, but the flower didn’t make it past the summer. I’ve added two ivies, another pathos, a philodendron, an orchid, aloe, and a few more succulents since. Plants make me happy because they give simple purpose to stressful days. Yeah, my day might have been difficult, but hey, at least I can keep my plants alive. 

According to research done by Lee, Lee, Park, and Miyazki, interacting with indoor plants can reduce psychological and physiological stress in young adults (2015). Additionally, real foliage has been found to improve concentration and attention (Oh, Kim, & Park, 2019). So, plants are great to have around for online classes and meetings. 

 Caring for plants has been a relaxing, meaningful activity that I’ve enjoyed more since quarantine. They take up just the right amount of space and time, and they look cute in your dorm room.