“Megan, stop looking at the plants.” I had stopped in the middle of Santana Row to gaze at the reddish leaves of a fern, and my friends were getting annoyed. I’ve always had an obsession with plants, and now that I am a second-semester senior, I finally have the time to decorate my room with them.

Owning house plants is to help reduce indoor toxins, but I first had to clean my room to make space for them. I cleared the top of my dresser of the dust-covered clay pieces I had made in middle school; it was time for me to accept that the series of misshapen anime characters wasn’t proper decoration.

Next, I had to observe the light intensity in my room. Unfortunately, I have only a single window in my room facing south, instead of the ideal East-facing window. This fact complicated my search. I would have to find plants that could survive low-light conditions.

After doing some research, I cultivated a list of the best plants for my room conditions and began shopping. I bought succulents at Trader Joe’s and Home Depot for a total of $25, and $7 fake ivies at Michael’s to contribute to the plant vibe. I then visited Yamagami’s Nursery to pick up a $15 maidenhair fern and stole an orchid from my living room. 

After purchasing my first plants, I had reached my next obstacle: pots. Many of the plants I bought required repotting, but I was running low on money. I would have to buy extra potting soil as well, so I wasn’t sure how many more plants I would be able to purchase. Luckily, our school has a lovely ceramics program, and I was able to recruit senior Alex Pan to be my custom (plant) pot dealer. 

However, I wanted to see if there were alternative methods to contain my new plants. I found that many could be grown in just water and that my collection of empty glass soda bottles would be perfect as makeshift vases. 

This time, I went to Summer Winds Nursery, and picked up a $10 golden pothos, a $10 devil’s ivy and some liquid fertilizer. I took specific cuttings off these plants while following a very detailed Wiki-how tutorial, and they seemed to survive.

After finally redecorating my room, I stepped back in awe of the transformation. My dresser had gone from cluttered with ceramic pieces to covered in a sea of green, I had finally used up my collection of soda bottles and the air itself seemed fresher. 

I now have one last obstacle: What am I supposed to do with all these plants after I leave for college?