Q&A: Plant Love in Austria with @houseplantfairy
Houseplant Fairy (@houseplantfairy) is a plant-obsessed law student living near Vienna, Austria. She has a self-proclaimed love of houseplants, dogs, and little things, which is evident in all the tiny propagated plants she shows off on her Instagram. Houseplant Fairy was kind enough to share her experiences with propagating, the houseplant trends in Austria, and some of her own plant ideology with us. Read on for all that and more!
Many thanks to our interviewer, Elise!
A few years ago, I moved outside of Vienna into a house with a yard. I was kind of forced into garden work. On the one hand, the garden work needs to be done throughout the year and isn’t always fun. On the other hand, I realized that it is quite relaxing and therapeutic for me. That’s when I started to add more plants indoors. My houseplants really help me to find relaxation in between studying. It also feels very nice to do something with my hands and not my mind at times.
About a year ago, I started a houseplant diary and documented the growth of my plants by sharing pictures on Instagram. I was very surprised to find such a huge and kind plant community. That’s why I enjoy creating content and sharing my plant experiences regularly. Sometimes it’s very tough to balance everything with my studies and all the other chores. But my plants, my dogs and the community also help me to keep on going!
I love propagating plants. It is so rewarding and fun to watch your tiny plant grow, and it makes me appreciate the little things in life even more. I have lots of success propagating Peperomia, Pothos and Philodendrons. Obviously, for some reason houseplants which start with a “p”. Some people propagate pineapple plants by cutting and growing pineapple tops. However, I’ve tried this multiple times and never had any pineapple propagation success (even though it’s a plant starting with a “p”).
The vertical wall planter is the perfect hanging solution for my Pothos. I have an empty wall next to my kitchen - it’s a great space to grow herbs or a hanging plant, but I didn’t want to install an entire shelf. I like that the planter can be removed easily to fill up water in the reservoir or to check the soil. It’s a very solid and versatile system. Besides that, I love that it’s made out of 100% recycled plastic milk jugs.
Whenever I’m visiting a garden center, I see someone grabbing a ZZ Plant or a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum). ZZ’s are great beginner plants and very easy to grow. I had mine for many years. Spathiphyllums, on the other hand, can be quite challenging. I think people often start with the wrong houseplants. They get very disappointed if their plants don't do well straightaway and start believing that they do not have a “green thumb”. It’s always better to gather some information about the plant you want to buy and to start with easy ones. There are a lot of plants that are great beginner plants: my absolute favorite is the Scindapsus pictus.
A plant everyone needs to have in Austria nowadays is probably the Monstera deliciosa. It’s such a wonderful and easy plant and I’m glad it’s having a revival!
I love using the letter board. It’s also a bit of creative time for me to put the words together and assemble my plants for the image. But generally it serves as a great communication tool. It’s important for me to add little messages with my plant photos every now and then. It makes people think, laugh or reflect on certain issues. It might also inspire people to buy a plant rather than something meaningless.
Thanks to Houseplant Fairy for sharing her story and her methods with us! See her work on social media:
Instagram: @houseplantfairy
