The Toxic Attitude of Collecting MORE Houseplants | PlanTEA 

This makes me think about restaurants... there is nothing wrong with the buffet with a little bit of everything. But expensive fine dining restaurants usually have a very streamlined, cohesive menu. There are positives to both! It's not a "small plant collection" it's a carefully catered/streamlined collection of the things that really bring you joy 💚 loving the messaging you're putting out there!

Small plant collection gal here! 🙋‍♀️ My place is too small for many plants, which makes my minimalist hearty happy bc it only lets me collect my favorites.

Ok, queen. I gotta recognize you for this because a bitch truly LOVES growth and personal awareness. It’s a MAJOR deal that you saw this in yourself and WORKED ON IT. Not laughed it away or hid it under more plants, etc. The fact you’re taking it steps further to speak on it and identify what you don’t want to be in a public way? Delicious. It’s one thing to point out toxicity in others but when you can call yourself out for being toxic or problematic it’s really such strength and honestly, kind of a power move. Thank you for this but mostly, I want you to know I see you and the work you’re putting in on YOU. ❤️

I think people should have whatever collection suits them, small or large. What other people do, what other people have, and the whys behind both aren't really people's business.

I don’t have Reddit, but my 7 year old wants you to know about her two plant collection. 😂 Each of my three girls has two plants and I have like 43. When my husband was deployed this year I took up plants. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Better than drinking! 😂

i am at around 50 plants right now and that seems like my cap! i really cannot imagine having to care for 100+ plants, that just seems so overwhelming!!

Now I need a shirt the says “Small Plant Collection Club” 😂💕

I have 25 plants 😁🪴 and I love it.

Thank you for bringing light to this topic! I am at just under 30 plants and I am really happy with my collection. I'm really exited about the plants that I do have, and really happy to care for them and watch them grow and thrive. Also, many of them are common and I love them just as much if not more than the more uncommon ones. (my absolute favourite is a golden pothos that started off as cuttings from my late grandmother's large beautiful pothos) Really pleased to see your recent content on these types of topics, as I really believe that this is what plant collecting should be about. Thank you for great content

I keep my collection to 50. It’s the perfect number for me. The maintenance is easy enough and it’s a small enough number that I notice every new leaf and flower.

My plant collection is only about 25ish plants and I honestly have a wishlist of only about 5 or 6 more than I really really want! I do have a few propagations going currently as well, but those aren't to keep, they are for my friends and family so that we can share the plants we all like! (Mostly pothos and monstera adansonii! And one string of pearls haha) Overall I enjoy having a relatively small collection! I am a helicopter plant parent to I enjoy doting on the small amount that I have! Only having a small amount feels much more...personal? If that makes sense lol I get to know them all so much better than if I had twice or three times as many

My limit is the 100 plant zone. I love my plants, I work from home, and they bring me such joy. I do not however know exactly how many plants I own, I do not keep plants I don't enjoy or are not meshing well with my environment, and I do not promote or brag about the # of plants I have. I have this many because I'm a loner and I have the time lol. If someone has 20 plants, 150 plants, 5000 plants, we are all in it for the same reason so I never understand the judgement surrounding a smaller collection. I also bet that person with 20 plants have beautiful perfectly cared for plants, which can't be said for a lot of larger collections. ETA: like half my collection are hoyas also, the least fussy plants around so its super easy for me to maintain my lil plant fam

Ashley, I totally respect you for making this video! I haven’t always been a fan of your videos, but you going out of your way to try and change the narrative within the community is very bold and refreshing. I’m now downsizing for the second time. My first time was totally by accident, I had spent my whole summer of 2019 being super green within the community. And as one does, I fell down the rabbit hole of all things planty. I built a collection way beyond what I could maintain. In February 2020 I found out I was pregnant and was no long able to look at my plants because they actually made me sick to my stomach and I had to send almost all my plants to my parents. Whatever didn’t go, died. I was so sad… ever since then I’ve been very mindful of what comes into the house, and have continued to make an effort to make sure it is something I’ve wanted for a long time, AND that I know I can care for. I think it’s safe to say I’m almost at a happy point in my collection. I think I have around 25 plants.. half are happy, half either need more love or need to be rehomed and I just haven’t decided on those yet.

You helped me realize I actually don't enjoy a lot of my plants and inspired me to get rid of some of them. I just cant being myself to care and end up neglecting my plants and just chasing others I end up not really liking. Thank you so much, your videos were some serious eye opening experience for me

My entire plant collection fits on one floor to ceiling, north facing window, surrounded by buildings. I have a tiered shelf and one measly light that isn't even a real grow light. My plants are happy and because I don't have many I can focus on making them all look spectacular and I so rarely have pest problems it's actually baffling. LOVE MY SMALL COLLECTION

I’m loving your honesty, it’s refreshing! You seem happier, and more carefree….it’s beautiful!

I used to have a huge collection (100+), and I was in that collector mindset. I moved to college in august and sold almost everything. Now I have 16 plants, and I LOVE IT. It’s so so stress free. Most of it is cacti that don’t require me. This move has completely changed my mindset on houseplants. I love looking at other collections, and do miss some plants, but I do not miss the work and stress associated with that huge number. I also have more room to myself. I don’t have shelves of just plants. I have shelves for books, pictures, or empty shelves. I feel I can breathe

At the beginning 2016/17 I through a phrase of just wanting any and every plant I saw, as a way to cope with infertility diagnosis (ended quicker than expected), only got to around 25 plants in total before I fell pregnant with my first baby and murdered them all but 2 plants. I was EXTREMELY sick, vomiting 20+ times per day, lost 35lbs, killing my plants felt awful but I just didn’t have the energy to care for them, also I didn’t really treasure them like a well chosen collection. Got into plants again after recovering but only brought a plant home after desiring it for at least 6 months and knew it would bring me joy, added one plant every few months and grew a lot of common varieties from seed, coleus has been my favourite. I have around 50 plants in my home, most have been grown from seed and I’ve found I have appreciated them so much more, it’s been a refreshing change from sinking money into a hobby which can die during a bad patch of mental or physical health. I’m pregnant with my third baby now and my plants have been a good coping mechanism this time around, a way i remember to look after myself and the baby in my belly. I’d suggest growing from seed go anyone that desires that jungle look in their home and it’s a very cost effective way of doing it.

Loved the video!!! And I completely agree!! Downsizing your collection can be a really positive thing. It gives you more space for other things, physically and menatlly! Which is why I regularly look at my collection and sort out the plants that don't bring me joy anymore, so I can have room for different things. I recently noticed that I wanted to have different decor pieces, that I don't have room for, but really want because they bring me joy, so I downsized my plant collection for that, so the decor doesn't basically drown in the amount of plants. (and I "only" have around 60 or 70 plants, all in 1 room)

I have 20 ish plants but due to space issues I am downsizing more as well. I don't regret my decision. It gave me an opportunity to focus on the plants I really love instead 😊

Hey Ashley I love these videos you’ve been putting out. I just recently joined the plant community, I only have about 40 plants and I intend to keep it that way because that’s all I can handle at the moment. I don’t care for harder to care for plants or “rare” plants. I only buy what I vibe with, and I vibe with pothos and philodendrons so I have a lot of those in my home. I truly enjoy this plant community simply because I love talking about plants. And I can go on forever talking about everything plants and looking at plants. I’m glad you’re bringing awareness to how out of control plant collecting can get.

This is so real, I love this, loving your content, thanks for staying true, it’s refreshing. I’m the same once the plant doesn’t bring me joy, I sell it on so someone else can get joy out of it 🌱

It wasn't until a friend of mine came to the house and commented about how many plants I have. She said "oh, does the whole family love all these... they're so beautiful, but must take away so much of your time." It was literally in that moment I suddenly felt guilty for having so many. The following weekend I started choosing plants that could live their best life outside. (central Florida) I have to say it feels so much better not having so many inside. I literally only kept 40 of the 110 I had. Now I know this isn't exactly downsizing because I did keep them... but the area in the yard was instantly transformed which was so satisfying!! And the inside feels so much less work, less stress, less of a burden. I think I got to a number that made me work for the plants instead of them working for me, but I genuinely didn't realize it.

I have 40 inside! I have probably around 20 on my back porch but I don't count those. I'm here for this new perspective and attitude toward houseplant collecting! I'm trying so hard to only buy the ones I know I truly love and not just because I need more.

I have no problèmes with a big collection, but if you can care for ALL of them , if not what is the perpice . Enjoy our plants love and care for those you have 🥰

I think I've got a sizable collection now but after a period of bad depression and killing like half my collection at one point, getting to nurse those few survivors back taught me a lot of what I was doing wrong. It also taught me which plants I actually gave a hoot about (RIP my oxalis, I'll get another come spring time :( , bye bye birkin, I didn't really dig you after all) and my preferences so I'm not going absolutely crazy about a plant just because I didn't have it like I was doing before. Plus, looking at the not so little anymore syngonium albo that didn't give up even when I ignored it during tough times makes me that much more appreciative of it. Definitely the plant I love the most and look at on my desk every day ❤️

Downsizing, even a little bit, helps immensely. In the summer I go a little crazy since I have an easy time caring for everything with the extra space outdoors. Then come the cold months and it has been a struggle. I have a plant that I was planning to chop, prop and sell and would have made about 800 USD. The plant is now a third the size, 50-60 are in rough shape and I've lost maybe 30 plants as a result of pure neglect from being overwhelmed. Honestly I wasn't sad about the monetary loss, as the plant can regrow, but that a plant I rehabbed for months and had been growing a ton suffered so badly. Since then I've been slowly cutting back my collection and finally getting back into a groove. It's been the best decision I have made so far regarding my plants and I really appreciate you bringing up the positive aspects of downsizing!

I started off with 6 houseplants and then I jumped all in with plants this year and added 70 more plants. The positive is I learned so much about plants and keep more plants alive and know the plants and their needs coming into my home. Now I am trying to be okay with the plants I have. They do fill my space in a nice way. Any more plants and I will need to buy more shelves and hangers. So I need to pause and keep the collection I have healthy through winter and into spring.

Thankfully I never have gone through these problems but love your spread of awareness 😍

It’s always good to be able to step back and see what truly makes you happy. When we moved I downsized and sold/ giveaway half of my collection. I think it really helped figure out which ones I wanted to keep and which ones were just there for their name. Plus there are so many other things in life, new hobbies or experiences to be had.

I was 180 plant Mom, but since the heat wave we had this summer I lost about 40 of them. Now it’s coming to Winter more of my plants are melting away. I have stopped buying plants. Until spring and be more selective…. I’m from the Northwest….

Being excited to give plants away or have a friend who kinda liked them excited me. I gave my sister a few but my BIL is not a fan of tons so she cut me off. And ALL of her plants are HAPPY GORGEOUS THRIVING. I have about 70 and none are as happy. So I will be continuing to give many away. I want to be a great mom to fewer plants. So I agree

When I watch You-tube videos of my favorite Plant content creators and i see how many plants some of them have i honestly get overwhelmed a little bit anxious just thinking of owning so many plants... But the consumerism aspect is Real and that's across the board, sadly plants are not exempt from that. I think I have 50 plants which is excluding propagations and my outdoor plants, so even for me as a mom and having a fulltime job it does get a bit much. There are about 6 wishlist plants that I would like to acquire but I am just so hesitant because I do not want to feel overwhelmed, so I am thinking of getting rid of a few duplicates and propagations and getting those wishlist plants. Great Video though and I love that your content is more intemtional these days and that you talking about the stuff that none of the content creators are talking about!! 💚🤩🥰💚

I have about 15 plants that I love. They're mostly common succulents and I like all of them. I haven't bought a plant in about 3 months

It’s been really nice to follow your journey. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you’re saying. It’s all about the love of plants, or even a plant.

This makes me so happy because I have a small plant collection and I always want more because everyone has so much! but I finally took a step back and took a look at what I had, I lost a few through a depressive episode, but I decided what I have is enough for me to be happy and mentally healthy ❤️

Agree 👍🏻 I appreciate the plants I have so much more when they are not all squished together on a shelf. I am lucky to have a nursery nearby that has a small room of expensive “rare” plants. ( customers are escorted while in there!)

Despite moving from a super small condo to a house and finally having more space, I’m definitely with you on being intentional about plant collecting. I want to be able to watch a plant thrive, and I’m throwing full force into learning what my plants need instead of continuing to buy more.

Thank you so much for this video!!! I feel like right now you can only be apart of the houseplant community if you have 50+ plants but someone who is passionate about plants but only has 5 should still be considered just as much apart of that community. I have 7 plants, all of which are pretty common, but I love them so much and don't feel the need to have any philodendron or monstera just because that's what most of the plant community likes.

I totally agree! I don’t mean to be ungrateful when someone gifts me a plant, but I am curating an intentional collection of plants. When I think about adding to it, I pick a specific plant that would suit my collection and do so much research before I purchase. When someone gifts me a random plant, bc they’re sweet and know I love plants, it’s really hard for me to feel connected to that plant. I like my smallish collection (around 70 plants).

Oh lordy. I have 1000+ plants and it’s not problematic yet because I work from home now but… i’d be lying if it’s not a weight on my shoulders when thinking about the future. 😭🤣😬

It’s great to watch you grow and thrive just like your plants!

I’ve been downsizing my plant collection. I’ve just been giving them away and I would’ve loved to sell them but I just don’t even know how to begin and if I want to deal with all the extra stuff that comes with selling something.

Good job girlie! I have around 30ish and still have few in my wish list. Being a home owner with an extra room to fill with greens crosses my mind but I love space, symmetry and husband is a minimalist. Clutter makes me hazy, and so I am very intentional with anything and in everything, I give truest 100%care.

Just over 50 here and it's a good amount for me for my time and space 😁 there are a few I might not keep and a few things I have my eye on so I think this will be staying the amount I have for the time being. The only thing that might put me up higher would be props 😅

I like to propagate, when things start going south 😩 because I was like that to ,oh I can just go replace it .

Loving your thoughts on this Ashley. I'm enjoying my plants so much more after I stopped actively trying to expand my collection. The pressure to have more is super toxic. Thanks for normalizing being more mindful about our plant parenthood!

I see nothing wrong in downsizing a collection. Sometimes what starts out as a hobby becomes a hoarder situation where you are spending 3 to 4 days a week watering your plants and isolating others from pests or constantly battling a pest outbreak in your home that's stressful. Not to mention if you are living with someone or have kids as well bugs gross others out others and you have to be courteous to others you live with in the volume you keep that there isn't a plant on every surface in your home. At the end of the day your home should be the most stress free place in your life and plant care shouldn't be a full time stress on a person. I can see when you are a youtuber you are constantly traveling for footage, doing meet up / collab's, planning content, working in sponsors, editing, and so much more and then making time for life, parenting, relationships, it's beyond a full time gig in plants. Give yourself a set number then give yourself a window of 5. For every 5 new plants you pick up in the field of work you let 5 go. This gives you room to wiggle with trends. There is no shame in just keeping your passion plants. They give you the drive. :D

I’m about to downsize big-time. I’m just so overwhelmed with how many plants I have, and I know that they would bring someone else so much joy. At first, the collecting was great for my mental health, and now since I’ve started a new job, it’s just destroying it. 😅

I agree, mine is small compared to where you were. I have maybe 80ish, but I enjoy what I have and I can manage them. Plus I must manage my space. Good Video!!

I totally agree with this!!! I have about 80 plants right now and I can see myself getting to around 100 or so but I think that'll be my max. I enjoy caring for my plants and looking at the new growth regularly and I can do that right now because I have a reasonable amount of plants in my opinion.

I really appreciate this video. I have felt the pressure by other plant people to have "more" rare plants. Or who has the rarest plants etc. I'm a very open person and love to learn new things about plants, tips and tricks from other plant parents etc lol! But I have felt that almost stuck up attitude from some about who has the #rarestofthemall, or who knows who in the plant community etc. In the beginning of my plant journey I started caring for/colecting more plants to help me out of a mental health crisis, and it worked. But then I got sucked in to the "I gotta have them all" phase and forgot the reason why I started with houseplants in the first place. And then covid happened (I'm a critical care RN ) and I brought myself back to the beginning of my journey. I was caring for the 250+ plants I have, plus caring for sick people and balancing the rest of my life and it became too much. It wasn't helping my mental health anymore, it was adding more stress. So I started downsizing and realized it don't have to own every rare plant out there to make myself happy, or to be accepted by the houseplant community here locally. I picked the ones that made me happy, and only buy new ones to make my pots fuller( or ones that I've been lusting after lol). Anyway..... thank you for this video. I rarely comment on videos but I had to say it!

I have a lot more respect for people who only bring in the plants they truly love. I went through a period of wanting calatheas they are gorgeous but they require way to much care. I love the plants that I have now not one calathea among them.

I haven’t counted my houseplants, but I’m guessing I have maybe 150ish? Maybe? What I do know is that I have the ones I want, and most importantly what I want to care for and enjoy caring for. Great message, Ash! Totally agree 🤗🪴💖

I’ve been caring for plants for about 3.5 years, and I have maybe 30 plants, including propagations? I’ve adopted the mindset of going slowly with expanding the collection. And if applicable, bringing in smaller plants often turns out to be more rewarding, you really get to know the plant and watch it grow. Not only does it help my wallet, I know I don’t have room for 100+ plants where I live right now, and I have my whole life ahead of me to get all the plants I do want. I don’t need anything RIGHT NOW. And it gives me time to wait for when the price/availability of a plant is ideal 🥰🥰 On the flip side, I’m trying to not bring anything into the collection just because it’s a good deal, or it’s free 😂 Mostly because I feel bad about getting rid of plants. But it should be more accepted/normalized to downsize whether you sell/giveaway, or compost the plants that aren’t serving you anymore 💚🖤

The thing about my plant collection is that I barely bought any of them.. I propagated most from plants I already have or leaves I have found. So I might not have spent a lot of money on my plants, but I love them all and enjoy just sitting there looking at them all. I do want to sell some tho bc I have a bunch of the same plants and I don't need 10 of the same succulent lol. I never cared about the number. When I first got into plants, I was super excited to buy 18 succulent leaves to propagate. I didn't even start with plants. But me taking the time to propagate my babies, made me love them even more bc they were the result of my care and love for them. So I totally understand how having a smaller collection isn't a problem... I don't know for sure how many I have bc I have propagated so many that I stopped counting but I don't think I have more than 50. I love this video and wish more people thought the same as you.

i have 34 plants (all hoyas because i love hoyas and just hoyas) and i am happy i get what you mean because i see people with 100 hoya collection and i wish i has some of what they have but i have realize that i dont like all hoyas i like some but i dont like all and i dont want them ( like the variegata types) they are just soo expensive and not worth it they are the same as the normal but with a 0 added to the price i love my collection and am happy

I always feel like less of a planty person cause I feel like my 45 plants aren't enough!! you for real made me feel validated right now

I went to the nursery yesterday with a 50$ gift card and only walked out with one 5$ succulent. Decided to save it for when something came in that I really really wanted haha I guess I should be proud of myself! Nice video girl 💕

I have about 45 plants, plus propogations to help plump up my pots. I actually had no idea how many I had until just now when your video made me want to count hahhaa. Wow. I actually have a couple that don't bring me joy anymore (my alocasias hate me haha). So a downsize is comin!

If I could only have 3 plants it would be Philodendron atabapoense, Philodendron bernardopazii and hoya cv Lori Lyn. I like long leaves. Hoya Lori Lyn doesn't grown long runners and sun stresses beautiful red.

For me, around a 100 plants is what I can somewhat comfortably manage. I had more but now I don't feel stressed about the collection. Actually want to downsize more bcs I think it is still too much when I struggle with pests... And also I have a bunch that I used to really like, but I don't really care for any longer

Im still new to the plant hobby i onli have 10 plants starting slow tryna pace myself because sometimes i def wana go crazy lol

I have well over 100 plants, and I'm at the point where if I get anymore, it will not be fun anymore. There are days where it's more of a chore, than a fulfilling hobby. And that's when you know it's time to pump the brakes. I think if you were to ask me a year ago, if I would ever downsize, and I not only would have said no, but would have been offended. Ask my now, and I'll ask which one do you want. It really is like an OCD hoarding situation at a point. And I'm there.

currently i have 7 plants and i love them all very dearly

Thanks Ashley I agree I just got rid of alot well 25 or so it did feel good not sure how many I have b.c I do.t count just the ones I can't live with out I love my Lil collection

I downsized all summer and I've only been a plant Mom for 2 yrs...I haven't been happier....I found out very early that I like Hoyas and I don't like having a ridiculous amount of plants...they look amazing and are so healthy! I hate the cluttered plant look..

I so agree. The pics we send are only for your Discord group?

I haven't counted in a loooong time. It wasn't healthy for me. It either made me feel like i needed more comparing myself to others or it made me think "what the hell is wrong with me; why am I doing this?" I started to focus on what ones i truely vibed with and wanted instead.

Plant Me Ashley: I wanna see your plant collections, 20 plants or under Me who just cut down my two overgrown Pelargonium gibbosum and now have 50 or more cuttings.

I find it hilarious that in the plant community 50 plants doesn’t sound like a lot, but I love seeing the look on my coworkers face when I say I have around 90 houseplants 😂. I do want to downsize my collection though. I’d like to have around 30-50. Also, I’m pretty sure Caitlin has way more plants than 50 now. I love her channel as well.

I like to think of it as curating your collection.... I think it has a better connotation than downsizing

Hello I have about 200 plants in Florida and I think I reached my maximum. The trick about owning so many of these plans is to get the easy to Care for plants as well as common and cheap ones such as pothos and philodendron and snake plans as well as Dracaena and avoid the difficult rare and expensive ones since they make the situation very stressful. Also it's very helpful to Cluster them in terms of their needs for example I put the ones that need a lot of watering or light together and vice versa. Also I let nature help me take care of them since I place a lot of them in the porch and Patio especially the ones that need humidity and natural light hence they survive with and without me. Most important of all one should learn his abilities and capacity and stop there

I’m in the 125ish - 150ish plants? I know at one point I was near or past 200 but have definitely downsized since then, as it’s just a LOT of work maintaining that many. Personally I see more plants as a burden. Like I’m pretty comfortable where I’m at, I could get rid of few, but for those who have 200+, like yikes, your life is constantly, “did I water them all?” - No thanks. And I’ve never understood people who constantly count? I think the types (quality, health, and size) of plants people have far outweighs the number. And ngl, who even has enough time or energy to sit and count. 😅

Yeah I started collecting in 2016 and never have done it to tell someone the amount I have. I've always collected because I enjoy the hell outta taking care of every single one of them. I personally need large tasks for mental reasons and that's with EVERYTHING! so having a large collection is something I don't think twice about. However, I do get rid of certain ones from time to time that I see I cant keep happy overtime and find myself stressing over because then that becomes a chore! And plants shouldn't feel like a chore. I never buy plants I truly know I dont have the space for or are trending or I dont have the right conditions for regardless if it may be a wishlist plant. At the end of the day I don't even go the route of discussing how many I have or plan on buying because respectfully its nobody else business. PERIOD! They ask and I say a comfortable amount.

I'm just starting my plant collection, it's addictive as I'm sure you know 😀. Would love to know when and where you have any to sell.

I’m constantly rotating plants in my collection and growing too many propagations. It seems like I’m always getting rid of plants lol.

I actually have way too many plants because I’ve been meaning to sell them but I have hit a couple of roadblocks along the way so they’re kind of just sitting around my house taking up space and time and energy that it takes to care for them 😅

I’m moving into a smaller space, so I’m ONLY getting plants that I really really want. No duplicate plants or plants I just like. I finally got my dream Gloriosum, so that’s probably going to be it for me. (At least until Florida beauty comes down in price lol)

I have about 70, but I had a few gifted. But I literally only have plants I love that speak to me, I don't follow hypes so I don't feel like I have too much and I don't feel like I don't have enough. And i share with my friend, kind of filled her apartment with plants 😅 which made her happy

Hey Ashley, may I maybe give a video request?? I was wondering if you could make a video that might spark people’s interest In Begonias showing care and different variety’s (I don’t know much myself) I know you’ve said that people don’t like them so videos wouldn’t preform the best but I think maybe people just don’t understand them. I’m new to keeping plants and at first I had no interest at all in begonias but then after seeing some of yours and ones like the amphioxus red. I’m kinda starting to like them but have no clue where to start.

I'm in the process of combining my multiples into 1 great pot.

If you say "curated" rather than downsized it feels a lot better, especially if the plants you have are well taken care of

Having a 300+ plant collection is nice! But personally I love having my smaller collection!!! I had 150+ but down sized to 80/100 and it’s just better for me!It’s easier to care for and admire the plants I do have! Rather than having a huge collection and not being able to watch over them all and end up dying lol

Yesss I do have more than 100 but it’s because I love the ones I have and have made new ones out of them😂

I “downsized my plant collection by moving. I had them all bedded down but the movers left them up in the cold and I’ll have to see what I can salvage. So sad

I think I have a little over 20 plants so maybe don't sneak into your criteria but I have quite a few props too.. I think for me I started getting plants I didn't love just for the good feels it gave me, but I smashed my phone screen. Yep, random, lol. But I'm on a low income, and to get another one I had to use a laybuy provider and basically it put my spending money for 6 weeks into the negatives. I couldn't buy plants. Not even on another laybuy provider for small change over time haha. So I had to take a break. And now I'm lusting over the plants I already have, watching the tiny little changes and being so enamoured by them. So I think I broke my spree of plants and I'm okay with that.

OMG she FINALLY watered the micans

Oh no! Not the M word! Muh muh mmminimalism! 🤣💞

I have 69 plants. And I think thats my stopping point. I'm not overwhelmed yet, and dont want to find myself in that position.

I will never understand why people shame others for downsizing and giving away or selling plants. What’s the better option, throw them away? Don’t ever feel shame for such petty things.

Hahahah I know, 50 of anything is literally ridiculous but in the plant world it seems like *nothing*

I have a small collection. Under 15 with a few props going. Somehow I stumbled upon a video with the veriagated string of hearts. I love propigating them.

When I down size it’s the holidays and plants I propagate are gifted to friends

I love plants but I do have a limit. I don't like it when I can't look after them. I really like mixed pots.

I have a small plant collection. I have more than 20 though. I don’t really understand Reddit. I tried but I kept getting bug pictures.

This is interesting. I don't think I have ever attached any status or prestige to having high numbers of plants - if anything it makes me a bit ick because I associate it with hoarding mental health issues. What I do find impressive is a collection centred around a particular feature (e.g. a particular genus, or a trait such as variegation, or the plants being specialist or rare or endangered) - that can be impresseive but 300 random plants is just a bit messy and hoarderish (but I of course respect differing opinions if someone wants to have lots of plants - they can do what they want - I just don't think people necessarily see numbers alone as impressive).

Hey Ashley, should it be sound: "I dont know how much plants i have, cause its not important to be happy with."?!

I’ve seen the consumerist “collector” mentality take root in other RU-vid communities (specifically books and makeup, but I’m sure there’s plenty of others). Social media is great, but a definite downside is that you see what everyone else has and a natural consequence is that all of a sudden you want 30 new plants that before you didn’t know even existed! I’ve always felt bad for content creators in this respect, because y’all basically get pressured to try All The Things because that’s how to keep people watching, and I feel like that creates an unhealthy relationship to your stuff. Plus, it makes people like us, watching the content, hold our own collections to the standard of someone who acquires and talks about plants/books/makeup/etc for their literal job. Fortunately, at least in both the bookish space and the makeup community, there has been a trend in the other direction, of people making content about minimizing collections to only the stuff that really matters to them, and personally, I really enjoy watching that too. I would love to see examples of smaller plant collections, because you would really get to see which plants are the person’s diehard faves, almost like their “signature” plants. ☺️

Also.. I've been thinking, Ashley,, I noticed you posted a video about Begonia, and I know how much you love begonia and orchids, and hoya, etc.. If making videos about the things you truly love doesn't get as many views, it's because it's not what you're known for. I honestly think that firstly, if you make videos about stuff you're truly passionate about, the videos will be better to watch, more genuine, honest, relatable content. And people who love those things will find you, we always find what we love on the internet right? And over time you will become more known for these things, and the view count will go up as people find you. I'm guessing you didn't get almost 31k subs overnight right? I totally get that has to balance out with life and what is actually sustainable so you can afford to live and all that, so there's that, but... show us what you love. People will adapt. We want to see genuine, honest, Ashley. Not that you're ever anything other than that, but I think you understand. Holy shit I get wordy, sorry :P