I’m not yet entirely sure what kind of blog this will be. I do know that it will be about plants and about me. And those two subjects alone open up an entire multiverse of possibilities. So as one should often do, let’s start at the beginning and when we come to the end, we’ll stop.

I’m Cami Kaos.

In case you stumbled upon this site by happenstance and not because you know and love (or hate) me and if for some reason you become uncommonly curious and want to know the origins of Cami or Cami on the internet it all started years and years ago with a blog about how to still be myself while being a mom. My kid is almost fully grown now. I don’t really blog about any of that anymore. But you can read more about me and my thoughts on life, love, and technology as well as other incredibly random stuff at camikaos.com.

A note to those of you who stumbled your way onto this site looking for pure plant information and goodness, that’s probably never going to happen. I tend to assign deeper meaning, profanity, and whimsy to everything I’m invested in and this plant site will be no different.

Now that you have an introduction to me I’ll tell you where my current fascination with houseplants began… It was about two years ago when…

*cue wavy flashback visuals and harp music*

I was seeking a way to better deal with my lifelong overwhelming anxiety. I decided on a whim that the best place to start would be to deal with my bouts of insomnia. I wondered if, as a bonus, there was a way I could do something to improve my amount and quality of sleep while also improving my partner’s amount and quality of sleep. I was looking for a magic cure-all, because aren’t we all, but I was willing to just find something that would start me in a good direction.

In my random reading and scouring of the internet I discovered an article (or 700) that impressed upon me something I’m sure I already knew in the recesses of my mind. That higher oxygen content in your bedroom improves your ability to sleep and sleep well.

I had a flashback to my childhood self hearing the rumor that Michael Jackson slept in an oxygen chamber. I wondered how severe his insomnia must have been. I contemplated the practical application of an oxygen chamber in the bedroom but then realized they’re probably single person chambers and it turns out I like to snuggle in my sleep. Also I’m sure they’re probably ridiculously expensive, ugly, and probably not worthwhile. So I moved on. If not an oxygen chamber for two what was the answer?

Well some of those 700 posts I read had an answer. Plants. Plants make oxygen. And when they’re in an enclosed area they can increase the oxygen level in that area. You know, like in a bedroom.

What a simple amazing solution. Houseplants. But there was a catch because there always is. I spent my entire life believing that I killed every houseplant I tried to care for. And to be fair, I had that belief because I had, in fact, killed every houseplant I ever owned. I managed to grow vegetables a time or two but to my dismay I had also been known to kill the hardiest herbs and even strawberries. So I knew if I was going to make this whole plants in the bedroom thing work I’d have to change my houseplant killing ways.

I bought a couple of plants that were both ill-suited to the bedroom. One died. One I wised up and moved to another room. Moving that plant to another room was the beginning of my not killing plants. I tried a few more times to bring home a plant that would work in the dark quiet space that is my room. When they started to suffer I moved them elsewhere.

It turns out that in most cases “doesn’t need a lot of light” doesn’t mean “you can keep it in your completely dark cavern and it will thrive and produce oxygen and joy regardless.”

After trial and error I did find some plants that are amazing for my dim constantly shaded bedroom. But while I was looking for them I amassed a small collection of plants. And I find that not only did I not want them to die, I wanted them to live. And my affection for them led me down a dark and dangerous path… plant collecting and *gasp* light macrame.

*cue wavy end of flashback visuals and harp music*

And that, my dears, brings us to where we are today. For the first time in many years I’ve decided to combine my passion for writing with my passion for some random thing I’m into and the culmination is a new blog. To write about plants I have. Plants I’ve killed. Plants I’m rooting. Plants I’m dividing. Plants I want. Stuff that plants like. And, you know, stuff like that.

Welcome to Fits and Starts…