Gardening, amongst other hobbies, has had a pandemic moment. However, unlike the jumble of leisurely pursuits that have long been forgotten since 2020, gardening has maintained its relevance with LASA students. Acquiring a passion for plants is a pandemic pastime that comes with added benefits: the activity provides a form of exercise and, according to a 2020 study at Cornell University, spending time outdoors can reduce stress levels. Now that COVID-19’s second spring is upon us, students who have stuck with their plants have had more time to develop their passions for gardening and take in the calmness it can bring.

Senior Estelle Powell started gardening when she was younger by participating in a community garden with her family. Now, she has a personal garden where she grows rosemary, sage, mint and lavender. Powell uses the lavender in lemonade, as well as placing it around the house for its pleasant aroma, and uses the mint and sage while cooking. Powell also grows milkweed and passionvine to attract butterflies in the spring. March and April is when she begins to plant most of her garden.

“It has been a really good recreational activity that also helps me to learn more about biology and plants in general, so it’s definitely been a good respite — especially during COVID — to keep me calmer,” Powell said. “Right now is when I’ll be starting to plant stuff in there, like rosemary. Lavender grows best in early spring, so I’ll probably start that pretty soon.”

Powell has worked on a nonprofit farm for Urban Roots, which is an Austin-based youth program involved with agriculture and leadership. 40% of the produce grown on the farm went to organizations in Austin, while the rest was sold at farmers markets. Powell said that Urban Roots gave her a more commercial, large-scale experience with farming compared to her personal garden.

“I think it was different because of the scale,” Powell said. “It was definitely much bigger than the tiny plot that I have at my own house. The one at my house is a lot smaller than the actual farm, and the farm would be more organized.”

Junior Izzy Held cuts pieces off large starter plants and puts the cuttings in water to grow her own plants from scratch. She acquired two more starter plants over quarantine and said that her collection of plants has increased dramatically in the past year.

“I got this one big plant a couple years ago, and then I learned that you could cut off the ends of it and put them in water,” Held said. “I’ve just been doing that since, and I’ve accumulated a bunch of bottles of water with plants in them…it’s kind of taking over my room.”

Held keeps her plants in clear jars in her room and said that the maintenance and upkeep that her plants require is minimal. More than anything, she said her collection adds to the atmosphere of the space.

“It makes it look less depressing, because I am stuck in here all day — It opens it up a little bit,” Held said. 

Junior Katie Eastman estimates that she has over 30 different types of plants. Outside, she grows cucumbers, watermelon and lettuce, and she takes care of a collection of indoor plants that fill the shelves of her room. She started gardening before the pandemic, but she credits quarantine as the reason she started growing her avocados and a large portion of her current plants.

“My mom has always gardened, so I’ve always liked plants, but I didn’t really build my own collection until actually January of 2020…you have a lot more time during quarantine, so I was like, ‘Oh, why not just try to start some avocado plants from pits?’” Eastman said. “I started them in June.”

Eastman described how each of her plants goes on its own journey and said that bringing plants back to life is one of her favorite challenges. The majority of the plants she grows come from seeds or start out sick, requiring her to support them back to health.

“You definitely kill plants along the way,” Eastman said. “It’s part of the learning curve. You learn what plants work with you and what plants don’t. I am not a succulent person, I don’t do ferns and I love hanging plants…I love getting plants in the Lowe’s clearance section — they are always on the verge of dying, but I am always able to bring them back.”

Eastman said that her plants are beginning to cover her room and that keeping them out of reach from her pet bunny can be hard sometimes. However, she said the large number of plants to take care of provides an ideal time to relax and step away from her schoolwork.

“I’m not surprised that I’m still gardening — I am a little more surprised by how many plants I have,” Eastman said. “I think my plants are a good way for me to take a break because after a long day of school with all the plants I have, I have to make sure to water them all and fertilize them, and that takes a good 10-15 minutes.”

Powell said that she is also often surprised at the growth of her garden.  However, the growth that she is able to see year over year is one of the most fulfilling parts of gardening for her. Powell’s largest garden was this past summer, during quarantine.

“I think it’s really cool each year to see it grow more and become bigger when I discover new plants to put in there,” Powell said. “With the plants that I like to grow, they’ll end up succeeding more with every year that I learn more about gardening.”