Do houseplants fall in love?

We know that plants communicate through their root systems via chemical secretions. And inside the house, pairing plants with similar light and moisture needs makes sense. Here are two anecdotes I want to share. Stick with me here.

I decided a few months ago to put my Christmas Cactus plants in the same room. Both were doing ok, but not robust. This holiday, both are blooming like they’ve not bloomed since I bought them. Around the same time, I separated a Pothos and a Coleus I’d positioned next to each other in the kitchen. They were “within sight” of each other, but no longer touching. The Pothos began dropping leaves, losing about half. I moved it back next to the Coleus, and new leaf growth began.

So…do houseplants fall in love? If you know me, you know that I see parables and metaphors everywhere in the natural world and create photographs to express these ideas and stories. So I’m inclined to believe that there’s a message here. (Maybe more important than a logical answer to the question.) That people, like plants, are better growing together, touching each other, supporting one another. And that’s my wish for you this season of celebrations … may you be able to be close to the people you love or be warmed by the memory of them.