We have a “take a plant, leave a plant” stand in our town that is a great place to take plants that can’t be cared for anymore (for whatever reason). It typically has everything plant related from pots to seeds to cuttings to full grown plants and even little containers of neem oil or extra soil. It started at the beginning of the pandemic and has spread joy for hundreds of people

I mean, you’re 9 months pregnant, have a toddler, and are living through a pandemic. You’re allowed to be overwhelmed and feeling burn out. Just glad to see you’re taking care of your mental health.

since you're getting rid of plants, you can send me that horrible monstera albo, look at it, takes up your entire doorway. you'll feel so much better when you send it to me. 😀

There’s definitely a point we hit where it becomes a chore instead of a hobby. Wishing you peace, and comfort ❤️

I've had a houseplant collection for 6 years now and I definitely go through phases of burnout. It almost always coincides with having to bring everything inside in the fall after a hot summer of constant watering. A severe pest outbreak drives me to the brink of madness too, and wanting to throw in the towel. I always find my passion again sooner or later though.

Honestly there is nothing wrong with throwing out plants that stress you out or bring you joy! I feel like there’s a stigma placed on throwing out a plant in the plant community. I feel like we are all pressured to bring the plant back to life or save the plant but it can sometimes be so overwhelming. Thank you for the new video, Harli! This was a great topic to cover!

If you have loved a plant for a good year (or even a few months), it still has given you more joy than a bunch of flowers (and most only last a few days!). Passing on plants to others, tossing diseased ones and reorganising your collection is a wonderful way to keep your passion alive. Thank you for this video!

If you live in a neighborhood, apartment or well traveled road just plop those unwanted plants at the end of your driveway with a “free” sign. It’s what I do. That way I’m not feeling guilty about throwing a perfectly good plant away. The plants are always gone within a day. There’s a lot of planty people out there who’ll love to take it 😁🌻

it’s weird, cuz i feel overwhelmed with everything BUT my plants. like college is oof, socializing is a big oof, work is ooof. but pretty leaf make brain go brr

This made me feel so good about when I’ve had times before that I had to give away or toss plants! I always felt like I was being a bad plant parent but it’s so nice to see that other people go through the same thing. I love how you’re so honest and real with us! ❤️

My mom just suddenly died two weeks ago and she passed her green thumb onto me. It's been really hard to walk past my plants and hers at her house and not have any motivation to take care of them or have mental capacity just from being burned out. I want these plants to live on from someone who takes care of them but I don't think I can do it right now and also don't want to pass on a pesty plant to someone else for their collection. Thanks, Harli, for posting something so relatable with helpful tips. I always enjoy your videos but I needed this one today.

For anyone concerned about mold in the soil/ media. Springtails can be added to the plant/ container, they consume decaying matter and mold.

Sold five yesterday that were stressing me out/not doing it for me anymore and I already feel SO much better. Honestly after that and this video I think I'll be doing the same as Harli and reevaluating my collection.

I recently hit my “limit” for how many plants I can handle while also taking care of my toddler!! I love plants and want them to stay non-stressful, since I got them as a stress relieving hobby! De-cluttering your plant collection is such a good and refreshing thing to do every once in a while. 💚

I really don’t get overwhelmed, I only have about 25 plants but they are what relaxes me. I’m disabled and home all day so I give them lots of attention, like their my kids ( oh Lordy, 25 kids), these don’t talk or run around. Mine are grown. But the plants help me keep my sanity. You look great for being ready to deliver. Take it easy!!!!

I have been overwhelmed several times in the past few years. Especially when I get pests or when a very expensive plant decides to not grow/die😣 You take it easy Harli 😘

I totally agree with you! There is nothing worse than not caring about a plant and then see it slowly die and wither away when instead you could have gifted it to someone else

I've been seeing so many planty people getting rid of plants and I'm in that same mode, I just list them on freecycle and have people pick them up from my porch. Low stress and makes others so happy

This was the first video I really noticed the pregnancy changes and oh my god you are glowing I can’t wait for you to have your second bundle of joy!!!!

I'm pregnant too and I completely feel this. My whole first trimester, I basically ignored my plants. I have pretty bad perinatal depression and my plants just felt overwhelming to me.

It definitely helped me a lot with the guilt when I started using your entertainment approach--I'd tell myself, "Yeah, I spent money on this, but less than I would have spent going out to dinner, etc., and I didn't expect that to last forever." It's especially overwhelming when you get pests seemingly out of NOWHERE--that's when I've thrown in the towel the most.

I just did the same thing. I went though all my plant and gave away the plants that stressed me out, that where not doing so well in my care or that didn't bring me joy. I have realized that no matter how beautiful, trendy, or the cost if they don't bring me joy or I can't care for them properly I shouldn't keep them. Thanks for sharing this video.

Hi Harley, I understand you’ve been under a lot of stress and unwarranted criticism lately. You are loved, you are appreciated, and I wanted to say thank you for your videos. You are such a role model for me. One day I hope to have a plant shop and a lovely family like you ☺️ bless your family and you 💛

I love that you can just throw away plants when they aren't doing it anymore. That is one thing I seriously struggle with.

I love turning plants into gifts for others

I love that you are taking your own mental health seriously and that your message is one of being gentle to ourselves. Also you are an adorable momma. I enjoy your videos. 🌱❤️

I know the feeling of overwhelmed with plants. I had around 120 houseplants and just wasn’t feeling it anymore so I gave those away to friends and family then I went to succulents and spineless cactus. I’m in full mode with them. I have around 300 of those and just love em. Hopefully I don’t feel overwhelmed anytime soon. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

I think it's that time of year. :) I go through my collection every few months but with Fall fast approaching and the process required to find indoor space for plants that have been loving life on my patio, has got me checking in with which plants and which varieties bring me joy and excel under my care. Thanks for helping normalize this very important and necessary process.

A tip to get rid of plants easily would be to put them outside (in the entrance hall of your residential building, on the curb etc.) with a "free plants" sign :) someone will be sure to pick it up, and if not you can still toss them 2 days later. I even made some friend in our apartment complex this way :)

It's so refreshing to unload the excess stuff that just doesn't bring you joy, whether it's plants or something else, and if you stay consistent with that mindset then you become burnt out less often in the long run. This is a very healthy message, thanks Harli :)

I'm currently trying to pack for a 1300 mile move. I've been putting the smaller ones together into bigger pots. My husband mentioned getting rid of some, and my reaction to him wasn't nice. I can see you're in full on nesting mode Harli. Just take some deep breathes, everything will sort out with new baby coming. 🥰

Harli, i been watching your video for a long time and yea you do look stressed out . Sometimes we get out of hand over buying and propagating and yea last year's pandemic we all look for things to get busy. But you have your family now, who are first, so Spend time with them. Plants 🪴 will always be around but our young children will grow and leave us. So good luck on your decisions.

Plant burnout is real and so is impulse buying (especially for myself when my anxiety or depression is bad). I love my plants, but if one of them starts to feel like a burden I would rather re-home it to someone who wants it more or throw it out if diseased it’s not worth getting more stress in our lives. Thanks for sharing Harli!

Thanks, Harli! I feel this way and always felt guilty. Spending the money and time... I appreciate you taking the time to share what I think a lot of planty people feel. Especially if you have the 200+ plants! I don't have a KZfaq following and therefore I don't have anyone to gift them to. I am definitely getting rid of the needy ones and a lot of orchids. Thanks 😊

It's 6am Saturday morning in Australia and I am putting a lot of thought into moving inter state. I have a house full of plants that I have collected over the years. Your post has given me perspective. There are so many that i have propped and forgot, but carry guilt about. I will be going through my collection today and doing exactly what you just did - sell, give, toss. Your words about providing "entertainment" have hit home. these guys gave me what i needed at the time and have justified their cost. Time to purge and move on. Thank you so much Harli, you are fabulous!

Two and a half years into my plant journey and I got rid of SO many plants this year! I think I'm down to less than 100 now. I had so many varieties that just didn't bring me joy anymore, which is great because now I can focus on all the ones that make me so happy now.

I totally relate to this video. With 2 kids and about 100 plants at home my days are spread pretty thin. Especially with the back-to-back thrips, spider mites, and aphids that I thought were going to kill all my plants and sanity 🥴 Normally I get intense guilt from throwing plants away but this time was necessary for my mental health. Listening to you talk about plant stress and how you cope helps so much, thank you!

Thankyou for being a real person in your videos!!!!! It means alot to me as a stressed out plant keeper and mom!!

I so agree plants and any hobbies should be fun not a burden. I am so proud of you for making this video

I find this video interesting. I have had house plants my whole life, growing up with my parents having them, and as an adult. Having them myself for the last 40 years, its not till the last few as I got caught up in this trendy plant insanity that I got burn out. I quickly downsized, and aside from a few, also when back to what I have grown and loved for decades. I am now happy with plants again.

"People pay for experiences, so I don't feel bad paying for a plant and then getting rid of it later once the experience is over."

I've been purging my plant collection slowly over the past few months. I completely understand the burnout feeling! My process is also asking myself "does this plant bring me joy?"

I totally get the “love of propagating but lack of love for the fully propagated plant” feeling. I’ve been trying to propagate and insert the rooted plant into the mother plant so I don’t have multiples of the same type of plant. Also, I donate plants to my sister’s classroom for her students to take care of. She’s actually using all my cuttings to teach some students how to propagate plants. At the end of the school year, the kids who wanted to be “Plant Pals” will have their own plants that they grew. It’s a cool project.

I really appreciate the "permission" to get rid of a few of mine. Just feels nice to have a plant person I love tell me it's ok to get rid of a few for my own sanity.

Literally the exact day I'm having. Currently bringing plants inside, overwhelmed is an understatement. I had a couple trades going, and I plan on adding some extra plant goodies to their packages 😅 and gunna do a giveaway box for someone starting their collection. These plant gotta go 😂❤

Harli, If you still have any plants you are wanting to get rid of, please let me know. I live in Tennessee, and my husband and I currently have 147 plants in our personal collection..including about 30 plants we have rescued from other plant parents, or were given to us due to various reasons. Looking forward to the new baby coming into the world, and so very happy for you and your hubby. Thank you for being you, and for all you do to make the nature world a better place, one plant at a time.

I had jumped a little bit into the deep end, and I started to feel a little burnt out. Then I got my first job, which gave me less and less time to take care of my plants. It didn’t help that when I went to work I was surrounded by plants and had been taking care of plants all day. But, now that my seasonal position is close to ending, I think it’s time to fix this.

I totally get the whole buying plants for happiness, exactly why I got all my plants this summer lol

Thanks for talking about plant burnout!!! I just moved from rural TN to a tiny NYC apartment and the small collection I have is totally stressing me out. Good to know it's a common feeling!! Love your videos!! ❤️

Wow.... i'm a new plant parents, my plants isn't that much but since first trimester of my last pregnant i felt overwhelmed and really lazy to take care of my plants. In my second trimester i gave half of my plants cuz i know they'll die soon in my care 😂 i dont know why but i felt my love for the plants are vanished. And now my baby is 3 months old i'm slowly love my plants again and watch harli again 😆😆 because harli is my first plant youtuber and she makes me fall in love with plants.

I agree with getting rid of the stigma about throwing plants out. It's so dumb how even in a community for just plants, there's judgement and unnecessary pressures. On the the flip side I'm such a plant addict that I cringe when it comes to throwing one out. I'm always too stubborn. Maybe it's because I like the fight to rehab a plant🤔 I totally would've rehabbed the moldy begonias

I capped myself at 50 plants or else I get too stressed and overwhelmed! I want to make sure to keep the joy with plants. I do give away most my propagations or if a plant isn't making me happy I trade or gift them. My friends all have numerous plants from me lol!

Yep. I didn’t even realize this was a thing. I get passion burst and love things but then I’m like over it and move on to a new thing. 😅

You look amazing for being due any day! I just transferred half of my 200 Hoyas that were in 2-3” terra cotta because I got majorly overwhelmed watering them so much! It feels so much easier but at the same time I’m stressing that they’ll stay wet too long 😩the other half are in leca & that’s helped too. pray for me & my Hoyas! I recently got custody of my 2 year old niece, adding her to my tribe of 3 kids from age 16-3 has been quite an experience! Watering days are so fun with 2 toddlers! Good luck with the birth & transitioning to 2 babies Harli!

I so appreciate that you show this process. This kind of stuff is why you are my favorite planty person. It's not about pretending to be this perfect plant mom on youtube and following the norm. It's about showing your real self to your plant friends and connecting over our hobby

I generally toss any unwell plants too. I'll try to help the situation for a couple of weeks, if it doesn't improve I just toss it. I always feel so upset I have to toss it and as soon as I do it's so soothing and eliminates so much stress.

I think your right, once you love and enjoy the plant and one day your not happy anymore and giving you so much stress then it's no brainer it have to go. Selling, swapping, donating, giving it away or tossing it away it's a hard decision but we gotta do it 😁👍 Maybe an updated houseplant tour would be nice once your done with your decluttering 💚🌿 Thanks for sharing your plant experience

Definitely going through plant burn out right now too. I just put an ad on a plant Facebook group to get rid of some. I felt bad with the idea of throwing them out but giving them to people who want them sounds better. Im also going through wanting to minimize items in my house and plants are part of that. Having less things to take care of means the things I do keep mean more to me and are more enjoyable if that makes sense.

I love that your know your boundaries. That's so healthy and good for you!

I just love all you guys having to many plants is something to enjoy not to stress you out give them to a friend or put outside is fine someone will be happy to get a free plant

Been feeling the same way lately, I’ve been purging so many plants. 👏🏻

Harli is the best thing to get through Mondays

Same here! I just got rid of some of my "preloved" plants that i find stressful lately, but no regrets as they say, it has served it's purpose so well😊 never mind the haters!😄

Loving your space and the de-clutter process you’ve taken to help minimize the overwhelming feeling you get when you find yourself with too many plants. Uwwaaa would love a video of your weekly plant shop routine, that’s a very interesting idea 👏🏽

I periodically go through my plants also. I ask myself if I still love it and if it brings me joy. If not, out it goes.

I've been looking at my plants and changing some things up too. I love your attitude about it!

This was so helpful. I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed but also feeling guilty about feeling overwhelmed. Definitely will be passing some on to others to feel better mentally.

I’m slowly thinning out my plants because I know my motivation to care for them is probably going to drop with the temperature. This was my first year propagating, which was super fun, but all the stuff I propped is pretty basic, spider plants, tradescantia, etc. So, not stuff that most people are looking for. I’m going to save a few for friends but tbh I think they’ll end up sitting in a box at the end of my driveway with a sign that says “free plants” and I’m totally fine with that. It was a really fun activity for the summer and I don’t want it to become a source of stress now.

Thank you so much for this H. I have a few that are doing terribly that were stressing me out and I would not get rid of them because I didn't want to give up on them and feel like a horrible failure. I'm going home tonight and clear them out of my house and mind.

Girrrrrlllll I feel you for the orchids. It takes a special kind of person to successfully own orchids long term…I also have a bunch of other plants so my attention goes towards my pothos, philodendrons, epipremnums and scindapsus’…like I’m sorry orchids I’m trying 😭😭😭

I definitely struggle with plant burn out at times. I especially identify with what you said about taking care of plants....it should feel like a hobby, not a chore. As a result of my own periodic struggles with burn out, I gift many plants away to others when room to accommodate them is very low. In addition, some unfortunately get the boot at times as well...such as plants that I am not having the best luck with.

Thank you for all these positive self care messages

There’s nothing wrong with downsizing! Especially if you’re doing it for your own mental health. I’m all for it. Over the past year I have figured out what plants actually bring me joy. I’ve hardly bought anything these past couple months, trying to stop myself from impulse buying. Also you could use that terrarium for a “seasonal decor” table piece! So for Halloween you could put webs and a skull and some eyeballs and stuff! I think it would look really cool 😎 Glad to see you doing well Harli I miss you girl! I honestly thought you had a the baby because we haven’t seen you ☺️💕 good luck momma!!

Thank you for making this video. I recently did some plant decluttering after moving to a smaller apartment with poor lighting and I've felt so guilty about no longer being able to care for what I had. I feel much better after watching this, mental health is one of the most important things for a person to take care of. Thank you for the reminder, always enjoy your content. You can't take care of any plants (or humans) if you don't take care of you first!

Thank you for this video! I have been slowly (very slowly) purging plants the past couple of months but I have been hesitating. Some no longer bring me joy and they just need to go!

🌓Hey sweetie, I completely agree with you. I have given some plants away and yes I paid good money for them but, I don’t care what people think. Great video Gurlll. Thanks so much for sharing 💕

I love this video! I felt burnout quite bad a few months ago (thx to my mental health). I can't imagine getting ready for a kid along with it. Burnout is normal and it's great to see videos being made about it!

Im doing this atm. I was getting really blue about some of my plants and lack of space. So I'm selling quite a few on trademe. Cross fingers that they'll go to good homes. Good to see the relief on your face to be doing a clear out! I think its part of your preparation for when baby comes.....a natural way to make way for you and time with your new baby. Anyhow, try to rest up a little before you do bring baby into this 🌎. Much love, Jo from NZ

It's been like a year since I started collecting plants and I doubt a lot when it comes to buying a new plant because as I love them so much, I feel the responsibility to take good care of them and to know all I need to know to do it. So sometimes I really want to buy a plant I want to have but I decide not to buy it to be able to take better care of the ones that I already have

This video made me feel so much better. Year one bordering my first hundred plants and this is the first time I've been really like oh my goodness what have I done and thought I may have to return or rehome some. What a feeling.

I’m am where you are right now. We are fixing to move and I have way too many plants and it’s overwhelming. Thank you for your video, great timing!

First of all, I want to say that I look forward to all your videos! You are so real! I think this video was very helpful! I have only 30 plants, but they give me all kinds of joy still. I look at plants and want them, but I have to consider where I would put them and how to best take care of them, so I turn away. I haven’t gotten to the point of throwing any out, but I totally understand the logic behind doing that!

Way to set a good example that plant parents need to put themselves first. Looking gorgeous, mama!

I do appreciate your coming out and saying 'Yeah, I'm just throwing these plants out'. I've been working on getting rid of a lot of plants recently, and I just couldn't bring myself to throw away the ones that are just sick/not doing well. But now I feel like I can, and focus on the ones that are doing great.

Harli, you're valid. So glad you're helping yourself keep down the workload. Please do hire someone to edit your videos and free up your time as much as possible. Wish I could come to your house to help!

I totally get that!!! Sometimes I’m just so bored of my plants and I kinda get mad and just wanna get rid of them. But after a couple of days this mood passes 😅 I thought it was just me …. 😂❤️

I feel this! I think we're all collectively overwhelmed by our plants in some way right now. Love how unapologetic you are! Happy to see you back on KZfaq!! 😊

Yes I do know what you mean. Sometimes I'm into my plants but certain ones that require more attention can be exhausting. Good luck on that.

whenever one contemplates buying or adding a new plant(s) to their collection- ask yourself... do i have the time, energy, money and resources to keep this plant happy? and...then..go ahead and buy it anyway😅

Omg I totally agree "why do I love propagating so much then have too many plants?" XD I only want one of each plant, yet why am I making a million of them? I don't know but I just love watching them grow!!!

Hi Harli, I am 8 months pregnant and I am literally doing the exact same thing as you with my collection. It really feels so relieving to move plants along that are stressing us out/ not doing it for us. Our time is precious and when we are so busy there is only so much time we can dedicate to the hobby! Hope your pregnancy is going really well by the way 😃

Love this video. I sold 50 of my 100 plants this summer and I feel so much better.

I felt the same when I got pregnant with my 3 child. I sold almost all of my plants because they gave me anxiety and I couldn’t take care of them the first 20 weeks thanks to horrible morning sickness so couldn’t leave my bed. I’m thankful that it change and now I’m so into plants again. The love for plants came back as soon as my Kai was born 😊 I really understand the stress and overwhelming feelings way to well and I hope you will feel better soon about plants ❤️

I totally agree. I’m purging now. You look great. Congratulations to you and your husband on your baby coming soon!

honestly you amaze me! your plants look so thriving and you have so many, i would be so overwhelmed! even the number i have stresses me out sometimes lol thanks for the video Harli!!

Get rid of them this way !!! I’m a new plant mom since 2020 with 75 so far … I love you ❤️ your so honest and a blessing when I DIDNT know what I was doing

I agree, if the plant isn’t making you happy with its growth, or has issues with health problems, toss them. Then if a part is still viable propagate it or ask friends if they want any of them. I’ve been gradually doing that as well because my outdoor succulents have been gradually getting dumped because of mealy bugs etc. I plan to treat all of the soil and the good ones I’ll keep, but if it stresses me out….OUT they go!

I’d love to see a video on shipping; I’m really curious about it :)

I have that too from time to time. I hear you❤️😥💐🌸🌻. It's easy to get overwhelmed with them.

I think this could be happening to many plant keepers. During last year when so many were not working, they bought plants, babied them and spent a lot of time with them. Now that they are back to work, many restrictions are lifting and life is getting back to "normal", plants have kinda fallen off the top priority list. Then you feel bad because some of those plants were expensive!!!!