A place for plants
Column by Julia Wolf
My plant obsession has reached a whole new level. Last winter, I decided that the only way I was going to be able to fit more plants in my house, is to find ways to use the bathroom window.
I nixed the idea of keeping a large plant in my shower, so I decided an over-the-toilet shelf would be a good investment.
A scan of what shelving units were available online didn’t leave me with a lot of hope. A lot of them looked like they would be a bit wobbly. Since potted plants are far heavier than spare toilet paper or a few towels, I didn’t think an unsteady platform would be the best plan of action.
It didn’t sound great to accidentally bump the shelf and be greeted with a pot falling directly onto my head. It’s just a preference of mine. Weird, I know.
My family offered to make me an over-the-toilet shelf, so the sturdiness is at least predictable. It turned out great. My mom even stained the finished product for me.
Once the shelf was dry and transported to my place, I began the process of finding plants to turn the shelf into the greenspace I dreamed of. Luckily, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and my mom had more than enough plants to spare.
What started with me insisting I would not take geraniums, because they are too messy, ended with me taking two of them. The one was old and gnarly, which adds a lot of character and makes me smile. The other was in a pot I picked out when I was little. (Plus, the cat constantly walked past that one, because he needed to sit on the windowsill and the plant was in its way. Every leaf was covered in cat hair.) I also ended up re-homing a giant spider plant, some aloe, a bunch of mother of thousands and a pineapple.
Upon scanning the table full of plants headed for my place, my dad asked me if I wanted him to make any more shelves. He just wants to get rid of more plants so their house doesn’t look like a jungle all winter.
Turns out, that looks like a lot of plants, even on the decent-sized shelf. Especially so, after a few more stray plants found their way there, too.
I’m told photos don’t do justice to my plant collection. My co-worker took care of my house- plants while I was on vacation and commented on the sheer number of them.
They seem to be thriving in their new home. My mom even asked if the one geranium was new, because it looks heathier already. That poor plant just doesn’t like getting stepped on by a cat every day.
The only downside of having plants in the bathroom, is when I water the plants, water occasionally shoots off the leaves and waters everything, including the toilet seat. It can make for an unpleasant surprise if I don’t notice the wayward water in time, but, it’s totally worth it. Look at all the plants.
