We’re so lucky to have such a great community here at Plant! This month, we’re excited to feature our friend Jesse Gleeson (@plantfilledapartment), talking all about his plants. Take it away Jesse!
Hello my friends! My name is Jesse Gleeson,
I live here in Calgary Alberta, and I’m excited that I’ve been asked to write this blog about my plants for my good friends at Plant! I’ve been shopping with these guys for a long time now and it’s truly where my collection started. I still partially blame my apartment being filled with plants on Erika, because she sold me my first Fiddle Leaf Fig and that’s where it all started, but we’ll leave that for another day! ☺
After growing up in a small town, helping family grow fruits and veggies, I turned a bit of that knowledge into houseplants shortly after moving to Calgary. I had bought a couple smaller plants to test the waters with, I’m pretty sure they were succulents and I’m pretty sure I killed them shortly after, because I over-cared for them (RIP). BUT, I was pretty into this whole plant situation, so, I started frequenting Plant a bit more.
After going in once a week (or sometimes more often) for a while, I started to build a relationship with Erika at Plant, and soon we picked out the perfect Fiddle Leaf Fig for myself. That plant for me was what really sparked my interest in tropical plants specifically, and sent me into a vortex of plant research! That was probably just over a couple years ago, and my apartment has been filled with plants since, I love it!
There are so many different types of houseplants available, each with such different looks, different care needs etc., and it took a while for me to find the types that really speak to me. Personally, I really like the tropicals (specifically a group called Aroids), like Philodendrons, Monsteras, or anything with a big green leaf really!
I’ve got a couple of reasons that make me very fond of these plants. Firstly, most of the readily available plants are forgiving; most of these plants have somewhat simple care instructions and needs. There’s a couple exceptions of course but, overall, I’ve found them easy to grow.
Secondly, they make a huge statement in a room! A lot of times, when we buy a tropical, we don’t realize how big the foliage truly can get, along with the impact it has on the space. It’s exciting to see this group of plants (Aroids) mature and completely transform their leaf presentation into something completely different right in front of you. And lastly, these plants are easy to propagate and share with the people around you!
My collection now has changed a lot from when I had that original Fiddle Leaf, although the number of plants in here always seems to stay the same somehow! I’ve brought plants back with me from Portland before, which, just to be clear, is legal, but you’ll look like a crazy person at the border (worth it!); I’ve ordered from Florida, Thailand, Montreal, Toronto; I’ve also had friends in Vancouver and Toronto physically go buy a plant for me and then box it up and send it to me because the shop wouldn’t (thanks, Tyler and Sonia!).
I’ve now had to add a couple of humidifiers (one in a greenhouse), because some of these plants are humidity lovers, which doesn’t go over well in Calgary winters. But, I think that’s also a part of the reason why those ones aren’t so readily available in Alberta, is that they do have some different needs that specifically don’t pair well with conditions here.
It’s been fun to have a little ‘wish list’ of plants going; although it seems when one is taken off, about 5 more have already been added! It’s awesome to see shops bring these plants in, which you have on your list as well; it’s always a nice surprise! I specifically remember when Plant got in some Calathea Ornata for the first time! I personally had never actually seen one, but had wanted to for SO long. Was worth the wait!
If you’d like to see my always expanding collection of plants, feel free to head on over to @plantfilledapartment on Instagram! My 600 sq ft apartment has nearly every room filled with greenery, and now, that the days are longer, it’s been encouraging finding new leaves in all the different rooms! I’ve got my fingers crossed that this is the last cold snap for us and then it’s on to a warm, sunny spring for us all! Thanks for reading! ☺
Jesse
until next time,
HAPPY PLANTING!
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