I started my not-so-tight relationship with plants probably when we started building our house in Antipolo. I felt sad that we had no choice but to cut off some branches and trunks of a resident mango tree and banana trees to give way to the house's construction. So I made a pact to myself that I'm going to replace whatever we removed from the lot so that Mother Nature will not be mad at us.
My husband started buying a few plants and I hoarded my Mom's extra plants so she could clear off some space in her terrace. We always tease her that soon, a snake will be residing on her mini-jungle already if she will not lessen her plants hehe.
Before the construction started, my kids and I transferred the plants to the ground, there's a different feeling when you yourself do the soil digging, making sure the hole is just right to keep the plants stable. Every weekend when we visit, my boys will make sure to water them nicely and trims the small grasses that appear within.
Weekend is for soil digging, cleaning up dried leaves & the basics of planting :)