The first plant I purchased for myself was a half-dead African violet.
I'd had other plants foisted on me, of course: peace lilies from first my sister's and then my high school graduation, a few funeral plants no one else felt like watering. But the violet was my choice. I fell in love with its fuzzy leaves and the hope of a dark purple bloom someday, and I took it home.
That African violet didn't exactly thrive in my care. I planted it in a succession of too-large pots, gave it first too much sunlight and then not enough. I only ever saw it bloom once. Then the entire thing succumbed to root rot and dissolved--but not before I rescued a cutting and started a new plant. I was hooked; I was a plant person.
I can't pinpoint a particular moment when it happened. I bought my sad violet, and then I started buying other plants, clearance rack rejects for the most part. I grew herbs in pots on my patio. One of my standard topics of conversation became "what is wrong with my plants and what I am doing to fix it." My roommate counted my plants one day and gave up when she passed fifty. When a friend suggested that I apply to work at Michler's, she followed it up with, "No one loves plants like you!"
Working with other plant-lovers has only made me appreciate my hobby more. You turn into a particular type of person after obsessing over leaf variations and watering schedules for a couple years: Loving plants invites you to be attentive and curious and to practice creative problem solving. You also have to care for plants on their terms, cultivating change over weeks and months rather than seeking instant gratification. I've gotten a bit addicted to the "rush" of watching a new leaf unfurl over several days or noticing after years of care that a cherished plant is ready for a larger pot.
Not everyone is a plant person, but there are as many ways to become a plant person as there are plants (and there are a lot of plants). A plant is living decor, stationary pet, collector's item, air purifier, whatever you need it to be. If you want to get into plants, there is a plant out there for you. Maybe you have a sunny windowsill that's just begging for a prickly succulent. Or maybe there's a vining philodendron that would turn your bedroom into a tropical paradise. Find a plant you love, and see what happens.
Even though my houseplant interests have evolved over the past few years, I still have a soft spot for African violets. My kitchen counter is crowded with multiple tiny pots of fuzzy-leaved beauties--one of which is a descendant of that long ago half-dead violet that I bought at a home and garden store.
By Priscilla DeFini