Just because it’s winter it doesn’t mean that there are fewer plants around! Nope! We had some fantastic plants in this month’s boxes. And we really wanted to treat people to more than one plant. The brands included also stepped their game up and as per usual delivered some stunning high value items.
The Plants:
This month our box had a theme. We don’t often have themes, because it tends to “box” us in, in terms of what we can include. BUT. Not this time around, because the theme plant “Peperomia” was just bursting at the seems with options. The Classic box included two varieties of Peperomia caperata – one silver variety and one variegated variety. The variegated variety either came in bright pink to pale pink colours or streaks of yellow dotted leaves. Peperomia can be tricky plants to keep alive. I’ve killed two. The lesson? Don’t overwater! They hate wet feet. If you’re new to Peperomia and you’re not sure how much water they should get, try the bottom-watering method, where you place the plant in a bowl/sink of water and let the roots pull the water up from their drainage holes- about 45 minutes should do the trick. Let your plant dry out between watering and make sure it’s getting lots of bright light.
In the Collector’s box, we included 3 different Peperomia species – none of which you’d easily be able to find at a typical nursery. The Peperomia Hope is a stunning plant with flat disks for leaves and long trailing stems. My first one came from the Netherlands of all places a few years back and I loved how ‘coin like’ the leaves looked. The Peperomia angulata is a fascinating plant with spear like leaves that are heavily veined. They’re also known as Beetle Peperomia for some reason – I’ve tried to find out why but have yet been able to. Lastly, I was able to get my hands on baby Peperomia Watermelons – these guys are EXTREMELY popular and VERY hard to find. You can see where they get their name from and one can most definitely see why they’re so high in demand. Their foliage is just so unique!
For more references on how to look after Peperomia and common signs of deterioration take a look at this cheat sheet.
The Gifts
In Stitches, founded by Ellen Louw, made some beautiful feather leaf key chains for the boxes. They have been lovingly handmade over the past few months and have a very heavy Boho influence. I feel like one can never have too many keychains. This could also just make a great accessory on a bag or pouch. In Stitches also sells beautiful embroidery kits that are such a fun and great gifting idea. You can purchase one here.
Swagger Collective is a product and design studio based in Pretoria. They create modern plant inspired homeware, products and décor. They included 3 little pots in this month’s box. These pots are up cycled and contain about 60% of recycled material. They are porous so water drains through them naturally – without needing holes. This means that if you’re planting plants in them, you don’t need to worry about wet feet. Outside they would just leak out onto the ground or whatever you place them on. For inside use, you might want to place them on a saucer so they don’t leak onto any countertops. You can also use these little vessels for your toothbrushes, pens and pencils or dried flower arrangements – the world is your oyster! I love how these pots have a rugged cement look to them but end up with a modern and smooth texture. They have an amazing plant-ware collection you can browse through over here.
In the Collector’s box, a new and upcoming brand Sensu Lifestyle added a jaw dropping plant mister. These guys are made out of 100% copper and have a beautiful streamline nozzle for maximum misting effect. A little hint for next month: Sensu Lifestyle will be contributing to the Classic box too. If you’d like to see more of what they have to offer in their plant collection in terms of accessories, check them out here.
If you’d like to sign up for a July box, you can purchase a subscription from us over here. We’d love to have you on board!