Let’s talk about the thing nobody likes to talk about:
When your plant doesn’t make it.
At first, I did what many beginners do. I fought it. I basically set up “recovery wards” in my kitchen. I water-propped like it was my part-time job.
I refused to let anything die. But then something changed. I started letting go, and I became a much happier plant parent because of it.
Here are 4 perspectives that helped me shift my thinking:
1. Nature doesn’t grieve
In the wild, plants die all the time.
They decompose, feed the soil, and make room for the next generation. No drama, no funeral.
It hit me one day while walking through a dense patch of greenery. Ferns, vines, saplings all tangled together. Some were thriving. Others were wilting, collapsing into the earth.
And it was all… normal.
No one was rushing to “save” the sad-looking one. It was just part of the cycle. That’s when I realised: not every plant is meant to live forever, especially not in a terracotta pot in your living room.
Letting go isn’t failure. It’s just nature doing what it does best.
2. Plants don’t care how long you’ve owned them
You might have raised your jade from a baby. Watched it grow for years.
But then you walk into a nursery and see one three times the size, fuller, healthier, on sale for $19.99.
And you realise: the plant doesn’t care.
It has no idea how long it’s been with you. Nature doesn’t do nostalgia. That’s a human thing. And sometimes that attachment, our sunk cost fallacy, keeps us clinging to something that’s no longer bringing us joy.
3. Even farmers compost with love
Experienced gardeners don’t mess around. If a plant is diseased, stunted, or struggling beyond saving?
They pull it up, toss it in the compost, and move on. Not because they’re heartless, because they understand nature.
I’m not saying you need to do that with all of your plants that show the slightest sign of wilting. But when I’m spending more time saving one sad plant than I am enjoying the rest of my collection, I remember that.
Letting go is care.
4. We’ve all had Homer days
When the to-do list is overwhelming, the laundry's mutinying, and your brain can’t handle anything more complex than watering your Pothos.
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because taking care of houseplants is real care. It’s gentler. Slower. Quieter. But it matters. And it can be the one grounding thing you do in a chaotic week.
