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2020 has been a weird one — and not going to lie; I think I was in panic mode trying to get a few plants in because I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to acquire them after Brexit. Did it get out of hand? Yes, it did, lol. I was fortunate to check off a few of my wish list plants last year — Anthurium Queen of Hearts, Ficus Shivereana, Philodendron Majestic, and a few dark Anthurium Hybrids from the E.U. But towards the end of 2020, I felt like I really needed to reevaluate the relationship I have with this hobby, so these are five goals I’ve set for 2021.

The ten plant rule.

Yes, you heard that right. I’ve decided to limit myself to buying only ten plants this year, and no, swaps don’t count. Inspired by @anthurium_arthur, his goal in 2020 was only to purchase insane, unreal, beast specimens, and wow, he achieved that. I thought about it, and you know what, that’s not a bad shout. This means instead of spending little bits here and there; I can invest in 10 unique plants with maybe a slightly higher budget. Or another alternative is to do one big import from Asia, but we shall see! This goal is in place as it will also force me to do more swaps and focus on my existing collection.

I also felt uncomfortable spending money in other areas of my life, such as new running shoes, clothes, and a few other things. But if it were a plant, I would literally buy it without thinking. This was another reason I wanted to shift my mindset this year and give myself more liquidity to spend on other things in life rather than constantly feeling like, ‘What if a plant comes on eBay’ and feel this unreasonable fear of missing out.

Grow it out.

It took me a while to get the hang of plant care, but I guess it’s also natural for leaves to go yellow, roots sometimes rot, pests turn up, moving flats, other commitments in life, etc. challenging. My second goal is to focus on growing my existing plants out — get the leaves bigger, get them to grow well, and just become healthy specimens. Because to be honest, some look shite…

Focus on getting the plants to produce bigger leaves: Philodendron Majestic, Philodendron Glorious, Philodendron El choco red.

Recover: Monstera Aurea (yellow variegation) as this plant has been through a lot from roots rotting to being a stem with no roots for months, Anthurium Ace of Spades x Magnificumx — she looks horrible after moving flats and producing berries!

Clear out.

Just staring at my cabinet right now is stressing me out as I’ve got so many propagations that I need to get rid of, but some cuttings aren’t cooperating, aka. not rooting or dying, lol. There are also some plants I regret buying, which is another reason why I decided to commit to the ten plant rule, so I’ll have to get rid of them too. Instead of bringing more plants into my space, I’d like to reduce my collection alongside limiting the number of plants coming in.

Swap more!

I’m actually not too sure why I’ve not done many swaps since I’ve started. I think I’ve done maybe 3 so far? But because I’m now limited to only the U.K., I’d like to do more, especially with special delivery next-day service handy!

Pollinate and grow out seeds.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have successfully self-pollinated my Anthurium Ace of Spades x Magnficumx last year. Let me tell you, once you’ve pollinated one; you want to pollinate everything *crying because nothing is in bloom*. So IF more of my lovely Anthuriums bloom this year, I would love to pollinate more as well as hybridise a few plants! And of course, I have to also focus on growing out my existing seedlings, so they are ready to go to their new homes (hopefully a few in spring/summer and a few towards the end of the year before winter!)

Those are the five main plant goals I’m focusing on in 2021! I’m also interested in your plant goals in 2021 so let me know on Instagram!