A Year in Plants: Looking Back at 2025

It's the end of the year and I've been spending some time looking back through the posts and photos from 2025. It was a genuinely good year for the plants — outdoors and indoors. Here's what stood out.

The Wins

The Monstera produced its best leaf yet in March, and has been consistently impressive since. Getting the moss pole right and improving the soil mix made a real difference that took about 18 months to fully show up in leaf size.

The Hoya finally flowered in May, which was one of the more quietly exciting moments of the year. It has bloomed twice since and shows no sign of stopping.

The Thai Constellation joined the collection in June and has settled in beautifully — three new leaves since I got it, each with more surface area and more pronounced variegation than the last.

At the allotment, the Brandywine tomatoes exceeded expectations in flavour if not in yield, and the borlotti beans were a total discovery — they're definitely becoming a permanent fixture.

The Lessons

I caught root rot early on an Alocasia in September — earlier than I would have in previous years. I think I'm just better at reading the plants at this point. Knowing what healthy roots look like, checking proactively during repotting season, not ignoring the signs. Small knowledge gains that compound over time.

I also got better at doing less. Fewer plant purchases (with one spectacular exception), less intervention when plants are dormant, letting the garden slow down naturally in autumn instead of fighting it. Restraint is still something I'm learning, but I'm getting there.

What's Coming

The seed catalog for 2026 is already on the table. The chilies have been sown. There are a few more plants on the wishlist that I'm keeping an eye on. Whatever this year brings, I'll be writing about it here.