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A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Houseplant Parenting: Livening up your living space in college ELLA JUNG staff writer
Houseplants have seen a surge in popularity recently. Some people might only have a few, while others have an indoor jungle taking over their living room. However, when you are just starting out, becoming a plant parent is a daunting endeavor. How do I know what to buy? How often do I water it? Is this plant really kill-proof ? College students have enough to worry about — stressful classes, part-time jobs and extracurriculars — so the last thing they need is a finicky plant. Plants, however, are the perfect addition to any college house, apartment or even dorm. While the dorms and many college rentals don’t allow pets, plants bring life to any space and are a valuable thing to care for. They are air purifiers, oxygen providers and interesting to look at. Many plants are also proven to help boost serotonin, memory and concentration. When first starting out, it can be difficult to choose. The perfect college houseplant should check three boxes: easy to care for, inexpensive and able to grow in a variety of settings. Above all,
you don’t need to travel far to find a plant for your home. Any of these plants can be found at a home improvement store, especially in springtime. Coming in at first place is the ever-popular and vining pothos. These twisting, turning plants come in several varieties, such as marble, neon and plain green. Pothos can easily tolerate low to medium light but thrives in bright, indirect light. Only needing water once every 1-2 weeks (depending on how much light it receives), pothos are great for busy schedules. You can let them grow long or trim them back for a fuller plant. The second is the snake plant. Recognized by its tall stalks and zebra-like stripes, the snake plant is fool-proof. It only needs water about once a week and tolerates multiple light conditions, making the snake plant an easy start. They can grow in any light level but thrive in bright, indirect light. The third is bamboo, a stalklike plant that can easily be forgotten. Fill up an old jar (glass sauce jars are perfect for this) with water and put the bamboo stalks in. Keep in low to medium light, and that’s it. The only care needed is
New coffee shop, Flight Crew, inspires vintage traveling, community environment MADDY DANIELS asst. arts & culture editor
changing the water every couple of weeks or if it gets exceptionally dirty. Bamboo is also considered lucky, so it’s a win-win situation. Lastly — and potentially the most popular — are the succulents and cacti. These desert plants come in a wide array of sizes, colors and shapes, so there is definitely one for every college setting. These little plants don’t need much water and can easily be put in front of a window. You can buy just one or multiple to make an arrangement. If your college rental doesn’t allow pets (or even if it does), adding a plant really makes a difference! However, if you do have pets, make sure to research what plants might be toxic for animals. Watch how a room instantly brightens up and how you, too, can jumpstart your own indoor jungle.
friday, january 28, 2022
The smell of freshly brewed coffee, the sound of an espresso machine buzzing and people mingling with friends over a cup of joe greet you as you walk into Manhattan’s newest coffee shop, Flight Crew. However, this is not your ordinary coffee shop: wall décor of planes, vintage stewardesses and a menu board that looks as if you should be searching for your flight terminal showcase the aviation theme throughout the eatery. “I love all things vintage, I love the 40s and 50s and I love traveling,” Heather Hnizdil, owner of Flight Crew, said. “I feel like there’s that wanderlust thing about flying that used to be much more like, ‘Ooh, flying,’ and you dress up to fly, but that’s not there anymore — people wear pajamas [to fly].” After Hnizdil graduated from Kansas State with a degree in printmaking, she
traveled abroad in Taiwan and worked as a designer for a jazz band. She came up with the name Flight Crew for the band but ended up using it herself. “When I decided to name my coffee shop Flight Crew, all these ideas came,” Hnizdil said. “I could do this, this could be called this, and it just snowballed.” Hnizdil said she wasn’t sure what the next step in her career path should be after her time abroad. After some nudging from her sisters, Hnizdil decided to embark on her business journey and made Manhattan home once again. “You just live once, you know, and you might as well risk,” Hnizdil said. “I thought, ‘Let’s see what goes into it,’ and once I decided I’m going to do this, it went really fast. I did start the process in Loveland, Colorado, but one of my sisters works for K-State, and I came and visited in July and saw there was a space available. So, I just called to see what the difference in rent between here and there, and
the more I thought about it, I thought I would love to be in Manhattan again.” Even though Flight Crew is a fairly new business, making its debut this past October, Hnizdil said she has already built a thriving community of customers and staff that bring life to the shop. “Because I’m there all the time, I feel like we’ve been open longer than we have, so it keeps surprising me when daily, every second or third customer says they’ve never been here before,” Hnizdil said. “I’ve enjoyed being back in the community and meeting other business owners on the street. The best part of a coffee shop is it’s a friendly place. I’ve become friends with a lot of customers, and I feel like they’ve become friends with myself and my staff: it’s like building a family.” Hannah Peters, a frequent coffee shop customer around Manhattan, said she has found a new favorite spot upon visiting Fight Crew.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The pandemic plant trend has surged across the nation as people search for hobbies while in isolation.
Elizabeth Sandstrom| COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
A themed coffee shop, Flight Crew, recently opened in downtown Manhattan.
