The downside (yes there is a downside) to having plants, is that they often don’t stay the picture perfect plants that they were when we got them. The upside (because silver linings) is that there is always something new to learn. Enter the Plant Club advisory team.
I reached out to three very passionate plant experts (in their own right) to join me in assisting the community in their plant problems and helping to encourage new plant parents in their journey to find their own confidence.
So without further ado, here they are in no particular order:
I’ve always loved plants, they’ve been one of the constants in my life. When I was little we were given sections of the garden and our own pots to look after and the house always had houseplants in.
I got back into gardening, both indoor and outdoor, after finally moving into a house that wasn’t a cave but also after the sudden passing of my Mum. It was something we’d done together and a hobby she loved so carrying on with that feels like a way to stay connected to her. There’s something very calming about looking after plants as well, they’re a bit of an escape from the anxiety of day to day life. Plus they’re beautiful.
I honestly love a real mix of plants, my favourites are mostly all Philodendron but I’m more about an interesting leaf than a specific genus. Currently on my wishlist are Philodendron melanochrysum (the list of Philodendron is long! Gloriosum, verrucosum, el choco, elegans..), a few Hoya and some crassula. (I think we all know the list is much longer than that but that’s part of the fun).
Plants have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My mom always tells the story of a three year old me running across the road to uproot the neighbours’ flowers and plant it in our garden. Eventually I got into orchids and bonsai, attending every show I could, trying to find the plants that I saw in gardening books. My plant obsession became intense enough that I convinced my friends to walk around the neighbourhood with me, looking for interesting plants to “bring home.”
These days I get my plant fix by more legitimate means. After killing countless bonsai and orchids, my passion has shifted to South African succulents, particularly Haworthia, as well as tropical Aroids and Hoya. My current indoor collection got started in 2014, with a few succulents in a windowsill. Now I spend most of my free time looking after over 280 types of plants in my apartment.
Currently on my wishlist: Oxalis palmifrons, Hoya spartioides & Anthurium wendlingeri
I started collecting plants around two years ago but have always had a thing for plants. My grandma was obsessed with gardening and instilled the love for plants in me from a young age. She had a great collection of houseplants throughout the 70’s and 80’s and always had a houseplant or two in her house growing up. I think that’s where my addiction started. It’s hard to pick a favourite from my collection but the genus I will never be able to stay away from will always be Anthurium, whether that be a velvety type or a regular green type, they are my favourite. I would definitely say that aroids are my favourite to collect but recently I have been delving into the world of cacti, succulents and Hoya,
Currently, my wish-list is extremely long mostly consisting of Anthurium, Philodendron, Hoya and Monstera. Anthurium like A. Falcatum, A. Angamarcanum, A. Besseae and the list never ends