Students discuss their love for plants
Written by Katie Burke, Photographs by Lu Pan
One of the biggest trends in the past few years, specifically during quarantine was the collection of house plants. Many of us, including myself, bought plants to give us something to do while trapped in our homes. Being a plant parent became an obsession. We just kept adding plants to our collections. At one point, I believe I had over 40 plants in my house.
Like Abby Rayner, who is getting her master’s in accessory design, some students found that the obsession didn’t stop after quarantine. Rayner now has over 40 plants. Rayner always loved gardening and nature but it wasn’t until the pandemic she started to collect houseplants. One day during the pandemic, she went to the store and came back with five plants. Rayner said her obsession began when a local plant store opened and it became her guilty pleasure.
“I got into the colorful and interesting patterned plants because I love fiber design,” she said.
Rayner likes a maximalist, bold and colorful environment and the plants gave her that. She said, “Plants have taught me a lot about patience and the delayed gratification of plants growing and maturing.” Rayner’s plants have become a way to take care of herself and escape from school stress.
Another plant lover is Stephen Worsham, a second-year film major. Worsham said he has always been a plant lover because he grew up on a farm. He always grew plants but the obsession started when he dedicated time to his garden during quarantine that he began while living at home.
He grew herbs, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and more. It was a proud moment for Worsham to have his own little space that he grew. When quarantine finally ended, he moved back to Savannah and unfortunately couldn’t take his garden with him. Worsham decided to start a small collection of house plants in his apartment instead to give him some greenback in his life.
But Worsham only has seven plants now. He said, “I don’t have access to a lot of sunlight because I have a small window, and I think it would be a disservice to the plants if I bought a bunch and let them die.” However, he is a part of local gardening groups such as SCADBack40, a biodiverse urban farm and apiary. Worsham also explained how the wellbeing of his plants reflects his mental health.
“I find when I’m more focused on school and I’m overwhelmed, I forget about my plants. They start to get in a down mood.” He said. It seems to be a common theme for plant parents that there are emotional attachments to their plants.
You can keep up with Abby Rayner on her Instagram @abbyrayner and Stephen Worsham on his Instagram @stephen.a.worsham.
