“The best-looking plant is a healthy one, and having plants around you makes you appreciate those further afield”
How (if at all) has social media impacted your business? Most of my interaction is through Instagram. For a small business like mine, it’s a really great way to create personal connections. I always try to make sure what I post reflects me, so I avoid chic, minimal photos that are really curated.
Do you have a favourite plant at the moment? A friend gave me a cutting of an Anthurium magnificum,
which recently sprouted its first new leaf. It’s huge and oh-so velvety, so that’s definitely got my attention lately. But I am a sucker for native orchids, too, and have a big old Dendrobium kingianum
mounted on my wall, which I love. What’s the best way to care for plant babies in general? Less is more. Plants bounce back from underwatering really easily, but overwatering not so much. Can anyone be a successful plant parent?
Definitely! It’s all about trial and error, I think, and realistic expectations. The main thing is to buy a plant to suit the space you have. If you buy a fiddle-leaf fig and then put it in a dark corner, it doesn’t matter how green your thumb is – it won’t like it one bit.
Why do you think people get so much enjoyment from plants?
Living in the city and spending so much time indoors, plants bring a little bit of outside inside. You always feel calm with plants around, and they are so pretty. What’s not to love?
Should everyone own a plant? Caring for another living thing and having to tune into what it needs is a beautiful lesson for everyone. The other thing is that our lives are so instant now – plants slow you down a little.
Can you suggest some good indoor plants for pet owners? I get asked this a lot and have two fur babies of my own (Peaches and Bronson, Devon Rex cats). Top non-toxic options are palms, Aspidistra and ribbon plants. What is the easiest plant to look after? For beginners, I always recommend Spathiphyllum
‘Sensation’. It is perfect for lower-light areas common indoors, and will give you a reminder when it needs watering by drooping its leaves a little.
When you have time, what do you like to cook? Recently, I pulled out the pasta maker and I’ve been using that. It’s like grown-up playdough but okay to eat!
Who are you loving on Insta right now?
Isolation has me missing travelling and field work. I often travel to Tasmania to help with Tasmanian devil research, so Tasmania Parks & Wildlife [@tasmaniaparks] has been great. Callum, who runs Cactus Talk [@cactus_talk], has some beautiful cacti. And I’m a sucker for a meme, so Philomemdron [@philomemdron]. What’s next? A blog page and, when I can, resuming my monthly Plant Parties. And hopefully, greening even bigger spaces.
See Jana’s plants at microcosm.earth or @microcosm.earth