Indoor plants | Feeding your passion, one shoot at a time

Polishing her monstera or alocasia plant is no longer a grandmother’s pastime, and even less since the pandemic has put fertilizer on an emerging trend: houseplants are arousing interest and even passion in some collectors who are enthusiastic about the idea of ​​grappling with another rarity in the realm of green.

Isabelle morin
Press

Confined like a good part of the citizens of Quebec and the world in March 2020, and in addition on work stoppage, Anastasya Denysyuk suddenly had a lot of time at her disposal and too few activities to take care of at home. This is where a new hobby presented itself to her and gained momentum at breakneck speed.

“Gradually, I started buying cacti and succulents, before falling into philodendrons, monsteras, then alocasias,” she says. Today, the collector welcomes more than 200 species of indoor plants to her home, in a four-room apartment that she occupies with her lover. “It’s not very big, but I found some tips to be able to fit as many plants as possible into this small space. ”

Among these stratagems, the installation of a green wall on which are grafted about fifty plants thanks to a system that she has cobbled together to hang her pots. Shelves where culture lights are attached also allow specimens that require more light to be displayed. Its small urban jungle bears witness to this: it is possible, and often even desirable, to surround yourself with greenery in less favorable conditions or less lenient times.

Pamper your shoots

Anastasya Denysyuk’s interest in houseplants has refined over time to focus on rare plant choices that are not found in nurseries, but rather in other collectors or in shops. specialized, themselves growing.

Several of his plants have now grown to an imposing size and have in turn produced “babies” which secure the next generation. This cycle is highly satisfying, describes their hostess.

“Every morning, while having my coffee, I take a short walk to see if everyone is okay. I do my rounds, I say “hello” to them. If I see that some plants are thirsty, I water it here and there, ”she describes with a smile. Sunday is partially devoted to them. The plants are inspected, some are showered. Their leaves are then wiped to remove dust. Fertilizer is added as needed.

“It’s a hobby that takes a lot of my time,” agrees Anastasya Denysyuk, “but it gives me some pride to see that the babies in my collection are doing well and growing. Some young shoots are replanted, others are put up for sale, which makes it possible to finance future purchases. This passion is self-sustaining.

Advantageous popularity

In the world of indoor plants as elsewhere, we are no exception to fashion trends. Varieties are becoming popular on Instagram or on other social networks and, by the same token, are more in demand, we observe at Miss Boon, the online plant shop where Sarah Nagué shares her love for collectible plants. with colorful and exotic foliage.

“Some specimens that were previously said to be rare are seeing their prices drop, because it’s starting to be produced by big producers here or because people have cuttings,” she says. This is the case for varieties of alocasias, star plants imported not so long ago from New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia, and now produced in greenhouses in Ontario. or Florida.

Sold for $ 89.95 in June 2020, thealocasia cuprea import in 6 ” format is now $ 39.95 at Miss Boon, Sarah Nagué notes, while thealocasia maharani the same size is sold for $ 24.95, almost a third of the price listed last summer.

An attraction for exoticism

Just take a look at alocasia to understand the reasons that make you fall in love with this plant which comes in a variety of colors and shapes of shiny foliage and particular grooves. Karelle Gauthier came across a specimen a few weeks ago. She now has seven varieties, including “one pink dragon, a dragon skale, a silver dragon, of them frydek variegated “, Lists the one who now dreams of getting her hands on theinfernalis.

“I have to admit that I didn’t like them before, but seeing them on gardening groups made my heart warm,” she laughs. The object of her lust requires some attention, recognizes the lover of houseplants who uses grow lights and vaporizes her plants morning and evening to recreate conditions conducive to their flourishing. But perhaps this is where the passion comes from: in the attention one pays to one’s rose, Saint-Exupéry would say.

“Beyond an object, my plants have become a presence,” says Anastasya Denysyuk for her part. They are my daily companions. When I see that a plant happens to be more and more beautiful and blooming, it does something to me. It gives me pride. I am just as happy as it affects me when a plant gets sick. Surrounding yourself with greenery really does the greatest good! ”