Sarah Gerrard-Jones - The Plant Rescuer: The book your houseplants want you to read

I dont believe in the notion that people are serial plant killers, nor do I believe people are born with green fingers. Growing plants that thrive is simply a case of taking the time to understand what your houseplant needs to survive and what its conveying through changes in its appearance.

My aim in writing this book is to give houseplants a voice. Yellow, brown, droopy or crispy leaves can be part of the normal life-cycle of a plant or a cry for help. But all too often we misread these signs or we dont take the time to understand them. Wouldnt it be great to be able to recognise subtle changes in a plants health and rectify any problems before the plant reaches the point of no return?

Ive been rescuing unheard and misunderstood plants for years and Ive poured all Ive learnt into this book so that you too can recognise the cries for help and save your plants from the compost heap. Everything I know about houseplants Ive learnt through the practical act of caring for them and nurturing them back to health. At times, the actions I take may be seen as unorthodox, but if you dont try, how can you succeed?

An unhappy plant can be a great teacher, but only if you take the time to notice. Throwing a plant away because it no longer looks perfect is an easy option, but in doing so you are just perpetuating the cycle of buying and killing plants; understand the symptoms and youll break the cycle.

The good news is that the solution to a plant problem is rarely complicated often the smallest adjustment can make the biggest change. There is myriad advice on how to care for plants, but take everything you read as a starting point for your own experimentation and dont let it become a source of stress. Its important to understand the basic science of how plants grow, but overanalysing every aspect of their care can suck the joy out of what should be a mindful, relaxing and enjoyable experience.

Remember that expert advice is so often a documentation of success, whereas failures are rarely acknowledged this can undermine confidence. Because occasionally, no matter how hard we try to examine and control the growing conditions, some plants will grow while others will die. Plants are living organisms and can defy the rules ultimately, we can only do so much.

So liberate yourself from regurgitated advice on the internet and learn from what your plants tell you. Dont jump on the bandwagon, stand on the pavement, wave it goodbye and get back to the job of caring for your plants in your own way. Worry less about doing the wrong thing failure is the key to future success, and each plant that dies is another lesson in what not to do next time.

I hope this book helps you to choose the right plants for you and your home and gives you the confidence to look after them; if a few are saved from the bin, then my work here is done.

My passion for rescues

The first plants I rescued from the bin at my local DIY store were orchids that had finished flowering no prizes for guessing why they were binned. Seeing them flower again following some basic care inspired me to look for other plants that could be saved before they were thrown away.

I started with easy ones, like a dumb cane (Dieffenbachia seguine) that had been damaged. Other than large tears in the leaves it was healthy, but because people prefer perfect-looking plants it was languishing on the shop shelf. You cant mend ripped leaves, so I left it to grow three new ones and then cut the damaged ones off. It had a bad start in life, but rectifying the problem couldnt have been easier, and to see it now triple the size brings me so much happiness (see ).

Id experienced such a sense of fulfilment from saving the orchids and seeing the dumb cane grow under my care, I couldnt wait to find my next patient. I stepped up my search, scouring the local plant shop shelves at least once or twice a week looking for neglected and damaged plants. My heart would skip a beat, not when I saw the most beautiful plant, but when I came across the one with the bent stem or crispy brown leaves it was that plant that I swiftly marched to the till.