Hi there! My name is Carsen Delmont and I am 21 years old. I'm from the Baltimore and Carroll County area. I grew up in Hampstead Maryland, and I'm currently finishing up my degree in Psychology at Goucher College with plans to continue my studies post-graduation while studying horticulture along the way.
I grew up loving the outdoors. I spent a lot of time outside as a kid climbing trees, exploring the woods, and digging in the dirt. My mom is a big reason for my love of plants. She took me to garden centers and fairy festivals all the time as a kid. This exposure didn't mean much to me at the time, but I grew to love plants eventually. It wasn't until much later that I became infatuated with gardening, specifically indoor gardening. I began my plant addiction around my freshman year of college when I started growing seeds in my dorm. It began with the .99cent grow kits from Target and quickly turned into a hobby of regular visits to greenhouses and collecting plants. By the time Covid-19 went into effect, my room was filled with over 50 houseplants. Today, I have over 200 between my family and I.
I'm not sure what to tell people when they ask me if I began my hobby during Covid. I think I would say the hobby picked up rapidly during Covid, but it started years before as a mild addiction. Since then, I've taken an interest in more uncommon houseplants to add to my collection. Between 2019-Now, I would say that I've rapidly immersed myself in the planty world but I am steadily plateauing in my obsessive collection of plants. I have come to the realization that there will always be things to want, as the houseplant addiction goes, but I have learned through my love of plants that they are not your ordinary collectors item. They are living beings that require care, attention, and upkeep.
There might come a point where you might have one too many plants, and the amount could overwhelm you as it did for me. I am content now with what I have and have found peace and happiness in my caretaking routine. Owning plants has taught me many things, and working with plants has taught me a lot about myself and others. Things grow in all kinds of different conditions and environments. I think of plants a lot like people because they need different requirements in order to flourish. Some plants need bright light while others need shade, and some plants need more water than others. Each person in my life has different needs when it comes to helping them grow too. Some friends need advice, some need me to listen, and some just want to have fun. No set of rules applies to everyone, but there is a general rule of (green) thumb. The one thing I found in common with all kinds of plants and people is love. That is how Carsen's Greenhouse came about; a germinating love for all things green that bloomed into a passion for growth in all forms.
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