Columbus Plant Therapy
Columbus Plant Therapy was started by Andi Yates, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from Columbus, Ohio. Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. I love talking to Andi. Her mind is beautiful and so compassionate. Andi is incredibly understanding and I wanted to share her in my Discovering Tara Project because of what I believe she has to offer. Columbus Plant Therapy offers Plant Therapy classes and a plant of the month. Below I will post the plants of the month for all of 2023. Check her out!
Instagram: @cbusplanttherapy
Andi Yates is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from Columbus, Ohio. Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN, Andi spent her formative years under foot in many a midwest garden. During graduate school, she began developing horticultural therapy programs and hasn’t stopped since graduating with her masters in 2017. Whether she is working with indoor or outdoor plants, Andi helps people connect with the natural world to find Healing.
November 2023: November's plant of the month is the fern. There are just over 10,000 species of ferns and several of them make great additions to your yard as well as your home. Often overlooked for their lack of apparent blooms, ferns offer striking foliage and interesting shapes in any room. While they do well in lower light conditions, they do not tolerate drying out as they are found in the undergrowth of shaded, damp forests. Ferns are here to teach us patience and stillness, especially as we head into the busy holiday season. Many ferns are slow growers, and require patience and consistency to flourish. As we move into the last 59 or so days of the year (yes, you read that correctly!), how can you show patience to yourself and those around you? Take some time to rest, and enjoy the spaces and places you occupy this month.
October 2023: Trailing into October, it’s Pothos! What a better way to explore the beginning of fall than everyone’s favorite trailing plant. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is native to the South Pacific, and one of the most commonly grown houseplants. Favored for it’s hardy and easy going nature, pothos has remained a mainstay of the houseplant world for a number of reasons. They add a splash of color to your space, they can be grown in a variety of methods including hanging pots and water culture, and they can be (almost) endlessly cut and propagated. Pothos is here to remind us that we all have many gifts and talents, but as we continue into the fall and our bodies prepare to begin slowing down in winter, it’s a good time to ask: Which of our gifts and talents do we want to use right now? What do we want to invest in? What do we want to pause or take a break from? October is a great month to begin exploring how we want to spend our fall and head off Holiday burnout at the pass.
September 2023: My, my it’s mums! Perhaps you have already seen mums out in the garden center or the grocery store and there’s a great reason for this, although it may seem early. Chrysanthemums, or mums, come in two varieties: florist mums and hardy mums. Hardy mums can be grown outdoors in Ohio, although they will need to go in the ground before they bloom to be able to fully develop roots. If you’d like to try them outdoors, plant them before they start blooming. For a showy splash of color outside, you can add potted mums to greet you when you leave and return from work, a day out with friends, or a last minute adventure. Mums symbolize joy, luck, and rebirth and they are here to remind us of the resilience we all carry within us, even with a sudden drop in temperatures. Even as the weather begins to cool, there are many ways we can continue to get outside, engage in self care, and explore ways to transition our favorite summer activities into the fall and winter.
June 2023 - What's that incredible pop of color? It's the Christmas cactus! And we are talking about it in June because, although schlumbergera typically bloom between Halloween and Christmas, they often bloom throughout the year. Schlumbergera is further misleading because it's not even a cactus! It's a flowering tropical succulent, and can be found in rainforests. They can live to be over 50 years old as houseplants, and come in a striking variety of colors. They tend to want more water, and a less direct sun. The Christmas cactus is here to remind us to march to the beat of our own drum; you don't have to bloom on time or be a cactus to be fabulous! In fact, we don't have to adopt any label others assign us if we are thriving within ourselves. Christmas cactus also reminds us to slow down, especially in hot summer months and take a break now and then.
May 2023 - Plant of the Month - This month is all about syngoniums. We just can’t help it. As all of the perennials are springing to life outside, we are still standing at the window, staring at our arrowhead plants. And how could you not? These easy to grow houseplants, native to Central and South America as well as the rainforests in Southern Mexico and the West Indies, have so much to offer. Aside from being one of the more hardy houseplants, these beautiful babes come in a host of colors including green, pink, variegated, and albino. And they have one important thing to teach us; a little bit of love goes a long way. Although they are lower light plants that tolerate some water stress, these are not cactuses– they need consistent watering. And don’t we all? So often, I am asked about self care practices that are easy, or that people don’t have to think about or commit to. The reality is, those practices are all around us. But just like remembering to water your syngoniums, nothing comes without actually engaging in the practice. How will you care for yourself and provide “consistent water” to fill your cup this May? Author: Andi Yates of Columbus Plant Therapy
Plant of the Month: Aloe April 2023 Aloe there! With spring approaching, most of us have started reaching for the sunscreen. Maybe you have some aloe vera gel left over from last summer. And if you’ve been in any garden center recently, you’ve probably seen aloe for sale. Aloe, often used and frequently overlooked, is a long lived (up to 100 years in the wild) succulent found in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates all over the world. Aside from soothing our burns, aloe has a secondary amazing talent. Those thick, pointy leaves are amazing at storing water and sustaining the plant through dry spells. Aloe is here to teach us that it’s important to be mindful of our energy levels, and slow down when we need it. These plants live a long time for a good reason! It’s important to balance out our growth seasons with periods of rest, or take some down time during periods of intense stress. Author: Andi Yates of Columbus Plant Therapy