The prosecution: Jade
Every surface has something sprouting on it. I didn’t sign up to live in a botanical experiment
I’ve lived with my flatmate Cleo for four years now. She wasn’t into plants to begin with. Now she’s obsessed. She’s always cloning plants, trying to grow something new. That would be fine if it was contained to her room, but it’s everywhere. Every surface has something sprouting on it. There are leaves in plastic containers in our living room, small stems in old Gü dessert pots in the bathroom, plants in nursery pots on every kitchen surface.
Plants are not the issue. I love plants in our flat – they’re gorgeous. It’s more the constant propagation: the jars, the clippings, the mess …
I didn’t sign up to live in a botanical experiment. One time I knocked over a jar with a baby stem in our kitchen while cooking, so I refilled it with fresh water. But Cleo got so mad. She said I’d tipped out the “hormone-rich water” and that I’d slowed down the growing process. But I didn’t know any of this. If she’d placed the plant out of the way, it wouldn’t have happened.
I feel like a guest in a trendy houseplant shop – one that doesn’t shift enough plants. Cleo has started listing some on Facebook Marketplace and giving them to friends, but we’re still surrounded. There must be over 40 plants in our flat, and our flat is small.
There’s also the mess of repotting. We don’t have a garden so Cleo does everything indoors, and drops soil everywhere. I’ve stepped on perlite barefoot and it hurt. The shower can also become a makeshift bath for Cleo’s plants, and I don’t love the leaves and soil that are often left behind. The sink was also constantly blocked from her rinsing out compost trays. To be fair to Cleo, that doesn’t happen as often since I bought it up.
There are good sides to Cleo’s green fingers. I do love having our own herb garden – Cleo makes sure there is always basil and thyme on the windowsill for us to pick. And I love a hanging pothos or orchid as much as the next person. But I need my counter space back.
The defence: Cleo
It’s not just a hobby, I’ve created an ecosystem of calm in our city home. Plus, I make good money
Jade complains about having plant clippings on every surface, but I’d argue she benefits greatly from the oxygen-rich atmosphere I’ve curated. Plants clean the air, reduce anxiety and look lovely. My propagation habit is not just a hobby, it’s an ecosystem of calm in our big-city home.
Coming back from work and misting a monstera is so relaxing. Propagating plants is my favourite thing, and I don’t want to stop. It’s grounding. I have asked Jade to water my plants when I’ve been away, and she always says how much she enjoys it, how it helps calm her down. I know she’d miss them if they were gone.
Yes, sometimes I repot things in the kitchen, but I always clean up after. I don’t always catch every speck of soil, but we have a good hoover, so I vacuum it whenever I see it.
I’ve become even more interested in propagating recently, as I’ve realised that I can make a bit of money if I do it properly. People pay a lot for new plants in pristine condition, and it could be a nice little side hustle. So yes, there is a small invasion of jars and plastic boxes on windowsills, but what else do we use the windowsills for? I think it’s a creative use of space. Our landlord said the flat has never looked more lived-in. Last week, a friend said our flat felt like a “healing centre”. That was a big compliment, but Jade calls our flat a jungle.
When she poured out the water from one of the jars, I was annoyed, because I was trying to make that plant sprout roots. I’d told her you’re supposed to keep the same water as it is filled with hormones. Jade wasn’t that apologetic and it took longer than usual for that plant to grow.
I could ease up on the clippings, but I’m still refining my technique. Also, as it’s summer, it’s going to get worse before it gets better, because now is peak growing time. I only got into propagating earlier this year, so it’s been a bit of a shock for Jade to see how quickly things have expanded.
But it won’t be for ever. She just needs to be a little bit more patient.
The jury of Guardian readers
Should Cleo ease off on the propagating?
Cleo needs to respect that the flat is a shared space and if her plant craze is infringing on Jade’s bandwidth, it needs to be downsized. So-called objective arguments on oxygen and mental health don’t fly if the plants are more of a nuisance than a relief.
Maitri, 37
Jade no longer feels comfortable in her own home, so it’s clear a line has been crossed. Cleo calls Jade unapologetic, yet seems blase about how her hobby is completely taking over their shared space. They need to establish some ground rules and plant-free zones.
Eric, 32
I definitely see how Cleo’s green thumb benefits Jade, but Jade didn’t sign up to live in a garden nursery. Perhaps Cleo could look into an allotment and they could agree on a fixed number of plants/cuttings in the flat at any given time.
Cesario, 36
The reality is the majority of big city flats are humid and stuffy – perfect for plant propagation, but also insects, rodents and mould. A few plants would be fine, but a windowsill full of yogurt pots? If Cleo wants to continue, she needs a more efficient process (a vertical hydroponic system, perhaps), or to keep her plants to her room.
Gul, 18
Plants are lovely, but when you live in a shared space you can’t commandeer every surface – especially when you’re not cleaning up thoroughly. Cleo needs to keep her hobby to her bedroom – she can invest in a shelf unit and grow light.
Sarah, 45
Now you be the judge
In our online poll, should Cleo stem her hobby?
The poll closes on Wednesday 9 July at 10am BST
Last week’s results
We asked whether Georgia should stop kissing her boyfriend after kissing the cat
72% said yes – Georgia is guilty
28% said no – Georgia is innocent
