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Remember when the old greenhouse on Maple Street closed down?
I was there on its last day, maybe 8 years ago now. The owner, Mr. Ellis, was giving away cuttings from his personal collection because he couldn't move them all. He handed me a piece of his Hoya carnosa, a plant I'd admired for years, and just said 'keep it going.' That single cutting, now a huge vine in my kitchen window, completely shifted how I see plants. Before that, I just bought whatever looked nice at the big box store. Now I grow almost everything from cuttings or seeds traded with other people. It feels more like keeping a story alive than just owning a plant. Has anyone else had a single plant that changed your whole approach?
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thomasb411mo ago
Yeah, that story about the Hoya got me thinking. My grandma had this jade plant she grew from a piece her own mom gave her. When she passed, I got it, and it was this beat up old thing with thick, woody stems. Keeping it alive felt like a real job, not just a hobby. It made me look at all my other plants as future heirlooms, you know? What was the hardest plant you've taken over from someone?
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iris_thomas851mo ago
Totally get that, a friend's spider plant pup did the same for me. It was the first thing I kept alive and now I'm all about swapping props with neighbors. It really does turn a plant into a living piece of history, doesn't it?
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