I don’t read too many blogs so I can’t attest to much of what you touched on above, but I had to laugh at anyone calling a plant “hipster,” especially one as beautiful as this. There are things that scream “hipster” but a plant is not one of them. Your blog is lovely, by the way. Best wishes!

I have joined your feed and sit up for searching for extra of your fantastic post.
Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks

Ann! I will, I’m not too worried about what other people think – take it or leave it is how I see it. I feel like that’s the best way of making your opinion heard.

Woah, really? Year round growth, I didn’t know that was possible! I usually get one new leaf in the middle of winter and that’s it. I can tell when spring is right around the corner though because my tree starts going nuts with new growth. Did your tree make new branches when you pruned it? Just curious how that worked out for you?

I do like that staghorn fern when it’s small, but sometimes when it gets big it freaks me out. It’s kind of alienish. You must have great light to be able to grow all the things so well, what sort of light do your plants get? Do you face them east or south as well? So curious!

I totally get that people need another source for venting about stuff on the internet, but yeah, I’m still not into the meanness – I guess it’s the midwestern in me.

My favorite part about GOMI is that they are clearly the Internet hate machine, but when they get called out on it, they circle the wagons like, “It’s free speech! You can’t tell us not to snark on stuff! It’s just the internet, calm down!” Yeah, okay: I’m not telling you to stop; I’m just saying that you’re all harpies.

I think I also found you because someone on GOMI listed you as SOMI. I think GOMI is hilarious when they call out certain obnoxious bloggers, so maybe that makes me a bad person but meh.

btw, hi from North Dakota, where I do not have ample light in any of the areas of my house where I’d put a cute FLF. :/

I am theorizing that the staghorn fern will be the new fiddle leaf fig so get on that bandwagon early :) they are so dramatic and architectural. I was worried that mine would hate Minnesota (they are tropical after all) but it is growing like never before.

I admit that I frequent GOMI, though I hardly ever post. I’m pretty much on board with what Julia’s saying. I think that the site is good for calling out the shady dealings of some bloggers (illegally not disclosing payment from companies, plagiarizing the work of others), and, as public figures making money off their sites, I feel that they’re not free from that type of criticism. The line of who counts and who does not count as a public figure is a bit blurry, though, and that makes me feel uncomfortable when some smaller, hobby bloggers get mentioned and critiqued. I also enjoy having a forum to discuss design ideas and blogs, as none of my real-life friends are into the subject. Overall, though, my favorite part might be the “Members Only” section where people talk about books, movies, product reviews, and life advice. Prior to GOMI, I did not know that I didn’t need a membership to buy booze at Costco or that Queen Helene’s Mint Julep mask works wonders and is super cheap.

I also agree with what you said about some of the comments being way out of line (about people’s bodies, marriages, etc.). When those types of comments are made, I feel that other readers will frequently shut that line of conversation down, but yeah, those original statements are still there, lurking on the site. I can see how that would be a total bummer for a blogger to read. Internet bullying is most definitely a real thing, and some of the posters on GOMI are bullies, or, at the very least, major jackholes. I kind of love GOMI, but I kind of hate it, too.

You seem to have a good attitude about the whole thing, which is great to see. I really like your site and would be really sad if the negativity of others made you want to stop blogging. Something that I like about your site is that you seem authentic in both your writing and design choices. Fiddle leaf trees are super trendy, but if it’s something that you legitimately like, then it will make sense in your space. There’s nothing wrong with doing something trendy as long as a person does it for their own pleasure – I think the criticism comes when the person follows a trend for the sake of following a trend. I don’t want to drop names, but I can think of one or two other bloggers who bought fiddle leaf figs and you can 100% tell that they only have them because they want to be Pinterest popular. The design in those houses seem a bit fake and are harder for me to appreciate, but whatever, it’s the blogger’s prerogative to do what they want.

It will be going up in our half bath. I would love it for our bedroom but I’m not sure my husband would ;)

Thank you for replying and understanding where I’m coming from. Your response clarifies things and I would probably rescind my recommendation of GOMI based on that context. I’m probably the exact opposite on creative critiques–I’ve always really looked forward to them, I miss having them, and I’ve tried to find ways of replicating them in my life outside of school (with limited success, unfortunately). Getting critical feedback from people I respect intellectually/creatively during the creative process is something that feels really good and energizing for me. It sounds like we’re probably very different in that (aside from finding it an overall positive experience) and I can definitely see where GOMI would be more of a stressful/anxiety-provoking website for you if that’s not the kind of situation you enjoy. And I totally get that and respect that you know when you’re in situations that aren’t going to be healthy or productive or positive for you. If GOMI brings you down, no need to dally there.

The celebrity/blogger delineation is interesting. I don’t see a clear dividing line between “celebrities” and “bloggers”, which is something that comes up sometimes on GOMI because it’s such a new phenomenon (social media fame) in an age-old world (human chatter about people in our perceived networks). Some bloggers have recognition/influence with strangers, which is celebrity whether they intend it or not. Once money starts changing hand, when bloggers are appearing in digital, print, and video ads, I feel like the claims of people *just* sharing what they love/make get blurred. A lot of the bloggers in your sidebar (many of whom I follow and enjoy) blog professionally, or who have used blogging as part of their celebrity (intended or not) while they also are on television, writing books, doing columns for magazines, filming ad campaigns, partnering with national brands. That’s celebrity, even in a small way. They might still be individuals blogging for funsies, but they’ve chosen to monetize and make public what they do (and I am not faulting them for either at all!) and that makes them MORE than just individuals. Fame is a double-edged sword for anyone. Traditional celebrities are just as human as blogger celebrities and it makes me uncomfortable when people body-snark on Kim Kardashian or Tom Cruise or anyone, regardless of what I think of their creative work and public persona. But I also am uncomfortable with the idea that some individuals who choose to be public figures (even at a small scale) and accrue the monetary/social benefit of that want to censor or silence any criticism of themselves, the values they espouse, or the brands that they endorse/sell.

And thanks for the good wishes for the friend’s plant!