13. Keep Your Plants Outdoors

Have you ever lifted one of your houseplants to move it to a sunnier spot, and found a ten-inch-diameter water stain on your newly refinished hardwood floor?

Is your coffee table spotted with water marks that were made when you failed to notice the base of the planter holding your favorite orchid had overflowed?

Do you find yourself looking at the philodendron hanging over the kitchen sink and wondering when you’ll ever have the time to take it down and dust the leaves?

Are you tired of brushing against the ficus next to the couch and dislodging another layer of dead leaves to litter the carpet?

How often do you come home to find your cat has thrown up on your sofa again because she’s been eating the schefflera?

Interior decorators and serious plant lovers won’t like this idea, but the rest of you know what I mean: houseplants are a pain in the neck. It’s time we realized that the photographs in the home-and-garden magazines don’t necessarily reflect reality. They make having indoor plants look so easy, when they’re anything but. And I’m speaking from years of being a plant lover, surrounded by indoor plants that took up a lot of my time. It was the water ring on the cherrywood bookcase and the third infestation of aphids on my flowering hibiscus that made me think there might be a better way to get in touch with nature.

If you don’t have a yard or a patio where you can enjoy natural greenery, consider a window box. If that’s not possible, visit your local botanical garden or neighborhood park when you need a plant fix. At the very least, don’t replace your Creeping Charlie next time it dies. You’ll be amazed at how simple your life can become when you keep nature outdoors where God intended it to be.