Now that Spring is upon us, I thought that it would be a great time to share some personal reflections I had that just so happen to align with a major theme of Spring, i.e., ‘growth’.
Greening the various spaces in my home was always something that appealed to me – to break up the monotony of conventional suburban colour tones and so too the rigidity of suburbanity. It also simply brings some of nature’s personality into my immediate ‘built environment’.
But in having the chance to do so from 2023 to today with a few houseplants together with having a small front and back garden over the seasons, even in the suburban environment, I was unintentionally able to observe their growth patterns and reflect on what it means to ‘grow’.
So, the following are just something musings that came to mind.
Autograph Tree: Space to Grow
In 2023, I received a small to medium-sized Autograph tree as gift in an adequately sized pot. All through 2024 and mid-way through 2025, it was growing well and seemingly thriving. However, in the middle of 2025, I noticed that some of the leaves began losing their leathery, dark green colour, showing hues of yellow, purple, and brown instead. At first, I thought maybe it was the soil losing its fertility, or perhaps there is too much direct sunlight, or even too frequent watering. But on further inspection, I reflected on the nature of the plant itself and its size relative to the original pot, and that was when the idea of a bigger pot made sense.
During the transplantation, I even noticed that there was seemingly more root structure than soil - to the point where it was not a messy process because the soil was held together firmly by the roots (which were already wrapped around the internal pot as well). But, after pruning the tree of the discoloured leaves and migrating it into a much larger pot with some supplementary soil, over time, the discolouration disappeared, and it regained its leathery, green disposition.
Lesson 1
Sometimes in life, you need to have the courage and confidence to acknowledge that there is no more room to grow in your immediate environment or the environment that you may even be comfortable in. In some instances, moving into another space may be better for your growth and development. In one form or another, we as human beings oftentimes simply need more space to grow.
Bonsai Tree: Signs of Growth
I received a Bonsai tree as a gift last year and it was well-shaped, green, and ready for shaping and pruning. However, during the 2025 Christmas holidays, whilst being away, and despite providing what was thought to be sufficient water at the time, the trees’ leaves lost their colour, turned brown and eventually began falling off.
However, despite this, I continued to water it once I came back with the faith and hope that it would spring to life - and thankfully, it did! It now has fresh bright green shoots emerging together with an array of different small flowering plants in the pot - almost like a mini-Pandoran diorama, mimicking Home Tree from Avatar.
Lesson 2
Even when conditions get hard and/or stressful, your potential to grow and develop does not wither or fade. Whilst there may be no visible signs on the outside, internally, the intrinsic capacity you have to learn, hope, dream, and achieve is simmering just beneath the surface as part of your internal resilience, ready to breakthrough in the right circumstances. Just because there are no outward signs of growth does not mean you are not progressing.
Chickpeas: Unexpected Growth
My wife recalled growing chickpeas during her high school years and with the flurry of planting happening at the house in 2025, we thought: ‘why not plant a few chickpeas’ – especially since I never saw them grow and had no idea what the plant itself actually looked like. We planted several and in a short space of time, the seedlings emerged and grew into slender green plants bearing the green chickpea pods (and several of them at that).
Lesson 3
Experimenting and trying something new can sometimes lead to unexpected growth opportunities and may just bear fruit that you did not know would be part of your journey.
Garden: Relative Time to Grow
Around the house, in the front and back gardens, there are many different species of plants, shrubs, and trees. What is interesting is that as Spring sets in each year, each blossoms and blooms at different times. For instance, this year, I noticed that the daffodils and cherry blossoms came out first, then others such as dandelions came out later, whilst the large peony is growing for its annual May/June appearance, with many others coming into their own in between.
It is a cycle which unfolds every year with the seasons and the species’ seasonal rhythms.
Lesson 4
Everyone grows in their own time and in their own way, and comparing yourself to others may not necessarily be the most productive, healthy, or useful way to measure and/or reflect on your own progress - especially when your ambitions, goals, purpose, and aspirations are not the same as others’. The time it takes to grow or even come into your own is relative not fixed.
Mixed Seeds: Readiness to Grow
Back in 2022, I received a welcome pack as part of my orientation to, at the time, a new company I joined, and in it contained a small envelope with some mixed seeds of wild flowering plants. However, since that time, they have been in the envelope seemingly stored away as I was not able to plant them then. It was only late in 2025 that I stumbled upon them again and thought, why not plant them to see what, if anything, grows now that I have all the other plants around the house.
Lo and behold, the seeds germinated after being dormant for more than 3 years in the darkness of the envelope into full, leafy plants experiencing their first Spring.
Lesson 5
In life, it may take a long time for that growth opportunity to come around, but once the conditions are right for you, there is an innate readiness to grow into what you have the potential to be and also grow in such a way that the time spent prior is not a period to be perceived as ‘wasted’ or ‘waiting’, but rather one of humble preparation emphasising a readiness to grow.
Tomatoes: Support as You Grow
Whilst out looking for a water trough last year, my wife and I thought: ‘well, we are here already, so why not see if there are any produce seeds that we could plant to see if they will grow into something we can eat’. We ultimately stumbled upon tomato seeds. They were planted in a decent-sized planter on a windowsill and upon planting them, the first signs of growth were exciting.
However, their rate of growth was so fast that they quickly began touching the top of the window’s frame. As a result, they were moved, and sure enough, their vertical growth continued to the point where they stood almost 9ft tall and could not support their own weight. Consequently, I needed to fasten them to support sticks to help them stay upright.
Lesson 6
Many times, in life, the only way to grow and to sustain your development, is by building a reliable network that is capable of supporting you as you grow.
Closing Reflection
From having adequate space to grow, thinking about the signs of growth, and growing unexpectedly, to the relative time it takes to grow, being ready for it, and needing support, these silent lessons of houseplants come from such humble teachers - teachers that epitomise the meaning of ‘growth’ in such a profound yet simple way.
Did any of these resonate with you?