It's a long standing seasonal joke that every year I celebrate the stocking of Poinsettias in our local store by buying a lovely big healthy specimen. And then when I inevitably kill it through a combination of too much love and criminal neglect I buy another one. And then maybe another one which may survive Christmas as a spindly shadow of its former self only to drop the last of its leaves when someone sneezes.
It's a shame because I adore poinsettias (scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima.) I actually love houseplants generally but have mixed success with keeping them alive. My best specimens are a couple Peace Lily's which I got during lockdown in 2020 and thanks to their handy habit of drooping when they need water, I have kept them alive and healthy.
I mean, that level of communication means they deserve to stay alive so wouldn't it be cool if all of your plants could talk to you?
And now they can.
Enter Willow, a fabulous smart plant care system that lets your plants actually communicate via your mobile phone. You can even choose a tone - factual or sassy. Of course I opted for sassy. I was sent a starter kit with one Willow Wi-Fi hub and one Willow sensor which sits in the plant's soil and monitors soil moisture, temperature, light and humidity.
There's an app which helps you set these up quickly and easily and then you use the app to check on the health and needs of your plant.
I know you can get basic soil sensors but the Willow set-up is both efficient and fun. You can even name your plant. My poinsettia is called Rudolf (the red nosed poinsettia). You can upload pictures and choose goals - survive or thrive. I'm going to start with survive and see how I get on.
Initially I've followed the plant's packaging instructions and placed him in a place that I feel is warm enough, draught free and has light. However I feel more confident that this year might be the year we celebrate Christmas with the OG plant with him guiding me with real time alerts via Willow if he's unhappy.
I've posted a picture of Rudolf on my Instagram account and plan to post updated pictures of him weekly in the run-up to Christmas.
It was difficult deciding which of my plants to use the sensor in - I have an ailing houseplant my 25-year-old bought me which I'd like to hear from -but I was pleased to see the Willow hub can monitor up to 40 sensors which you can buy individually so I could treat that plant to a sensor too. You can buy starter sets with from one to 5 sensors and extenders for plants in big pots - the sensor needs to be able to "see" the light.
I think this would make an excellent gift. Everyone I've told about it seems to feel they would benefit from Willow and enjoy the interaction from their leafy housemates. Head to Willow to explore the starter packs and add-ons.
Disclaimer: I received a Willow starter pack with hub and one sensor free for the purpose of writing this honest review.