Imagine for a moment you’re in a plant shop. After encountering some truly gorgeous photos of monstera and pothos plants online, you’ve decided that plants are just what you need to spruce up your place. You're not much of a plant person, but, hey, it's never too late to become one!
As you enter the shop, you look around and marvel at all the plants—hanging from racks overhead, lined up neatly on shelves, and scattered at your feet. The shop is buzzing with salespeople and customers talking like old friends. There’s talk of light levels, soil acidity, and root rot prevention. You scan the plants' placards, looking for the names of those you’d seen online: monstera and photos. But the plants aren’t labeled by name. The placards indicate the plant's light, soil, and water needs through an impenetrable code involving stars, shaded circles, and diamonds. But no names.
You’re an outsider in the plant shop—that much is clear—and you don’t know what to do next. Do you choose the plants that look like the ones you saw? What if they’re not right for your north-facing windows? Do you try to figure out who the salespeople are and wait to ask for their help? Just grab a pretty plant and go? Or maybe come back another time with your friend who knows plants?