Khairil Izzuan
The Connoisseur
“I think that when people fall in love with their plants, it is a permanent thing. With the lockdowns, plant collecting has taken greater prominence and more plant parents are ‘born’ every day. Some may stop as normal life resumes, but the community will have grown bigger and richer, nonetheless. I think that’s great, because it means our community becomes more diverse and unique. And there is more knowledge to be shared.”
Khairil Izzuan would know. After all, he was once a neophyte that became a connoisseur as part of that community. Describing himself as a ‘father of hundreds of pots’, what started as one of his few hobbies turned into a passion. Where others may strive for breadth, Khairil aims for depth. Housed solely in black pots, Khairil’s plants are those that he has specific confidence in keeping. In practice, this means mainly Philodendrons, while he avoids Calatheas, since they ‘don’t do well with me’. With a stark white brick wall as a backdrop, Khairil’s prized beauties are displayed akin to museum pieces – to be admired and to be coveted. And then they return to the safety of his greenhouse, where temperature and humidity is carefully monitored.
“My most striking memory is, without doubt, the first plant I ever brought home. I was anxious and I was scared. I checked on her 4 to 5 times a day just to ensure she was doing fine. Now, each of my plants is a snapshot in time. In my collection, my pride are my Monstera Borsigiana Albo and Colocasia Pharaoh’s Mask, which I received for consecutive birthdays, and my Alocasia
Black Stem Variegata, which can fetch up to RM200,000! I’ve also recently acquired the Holy Grail of Philodendrons, the Philodendron Spiritus Sancti.”
Which brings up the question of value.
Why are certain species and varieties so prized that they can command more than 5 digits in price? Part of it has to do with rarity and fashion, but Khairil also muses that the value of a plant also lies in knowledge. “Of course, avid collectors are always trying to find unique and new species to add to their collection.
But the higher pricing comes from the fact that the plant parent has also poured time and effort into committing and caring for the plant, and that intangible knowledge is what is transferred to the next collector along with the pot. This year, the Monstera Thai Constellation caught quite a following for its uniqueness. But it requires care. If plants were mass produced and sold cheaply, then disappointment may set in because the proper instructions were not imparted. With proper care, these lush big green leaves can turn any space into a calm and peaceful sanctuary in a home. But we all need to know what – and why – we are doing it.”