All about the ivy plant — AKA hedera helix

hedera ivy

Ivy is the definitive cottagecore trailing plant, even if it’s generally underrated in a world where tropical plants get most of the fanfare. After giving “ivy” a few listens (yes, I’m that Swiftie friend), I ended up picking two ivy plants as my first plant purchases of the year, a run-of-the-mill green hedera helix from … Read more

How the sagauro cactus became the symbol of the American Southwest

As a plant collector, I hadn’t quite noticed cacti until recently. Not until The Good Place made a Janet joke about them or until Taylor Swift casually posed with one. I previously prided myself on collecting plants that flirted with death should I forget to water them — calatheas, fittonias, ferns, and so on. Many dead plants later, … Read more

How to build a succulent container garden

Cacti and succulents never impressed me much, just like Brad Pitt to Shania Twain, you know? But during wintertime, these hardy babies are the only plants that fare well between the cold weather and my space heater. My collection consists mostly of succulent and cacti cuttings my mom’s garden and baby plants from my local … Read more

Plant haul: Hirt’s Garden + Grocery Outlet

Plant Haul

Oh, plant friends. My insatiable love for plants has been thoroughly satiated, suffice to say. It started with a few clicks online on the Hirt’s Garden site and ended with me jogging out of Grocery Outlet with an armful of Halo Top and new plants. I’ve got it bad for plant deals, what can I … Read more

Review: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares Is a Witty, Warm Holiday Celebration

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is a charming YA rom-com steeped in yuletide cheer. I’ve hopped back onto the YA novel train, my friends.  On the second week of November, I developed an obsession with a cute Netflix show called Dash & Lily. OK. Obsessed doesn’t even begin to describe … Read more

A guide to arrowhead plants

Syngonium plant

Riding on election stress, I finally got my poorly manicured paws on a plant that’s been chilling at the bottom of my wish list: a syngonium podophyllum or arrowhead plant (or nephthytis triphylla)! I’ve seen this species at grocery stores and nurseries for under $15 but always felt inclined to buy something else instead. So … Read more

Review: Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is a classic worth spiraling into

I finally finished all 600+ whopping pages of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki, and I spiraled into love with it, y’all! It’s really more a collection of short stories about how the spiral (yes, the spiral as a *concept*) takes over the town of Kurozu. While Ito’s Smashed and Frankenstein immediately gave me the creeps page by page, Uzumaki’s horror operated in … Read more

Plant update: Peperomia marcello

Peperomia Marcello

Introduction Hi, hello from one of my latest plant acquisitions — the peperomia marcello! (Sometimes called the amigo marcello.) Truth be told, I haven’t had the best of luck with peperomia (aka the radiator plant), mostly because I end up ignoring them and then shocking them with too much water or sunlight. But I’m holding … Read more

Plant Update: Mini plant haul at my local nursery and Grocery Outlet

New plant haul! I know, I know, I know I shouldn’t get any more plants, but these sparked joy, OK? And perhaps more importantly, they were budget friendly. I haven’t bought any plants for over a month now, and I think that a monthly buying schedule is healthy. Look at me trying to justify my … Read more

Curating my affordable vanilla fragrance collection

                A sweet floral-infused vanilla fragrance: Rihanna’s Nude Rihanna’s Nude was one of my first perfume purchases during COVID. The initial blast can be a little strong — you get that floral vanilla orchid with a hint of fruity guava. Still, it dries down to such a classy scent, … Read more