This month’s Real Life Plant Parent is Katey, who has loved plants her whole life but only started collecting them when she got married. She now has a whopping 127 plants in her home after two years of being a plant parent! 

Please note that Katey’s story includes a premature birth and a NICU stay for her baby, in case those topics are sensitive for certain readers.

You Can’t Have Just One 

Here’s how Katey got started with her collection and how much it’s grown since her first plant. 

I spent my childhood going to greenhouses and nurseries with my parents, but it wasn’t until I was married and lived in an itty bitty apartment that I got a plant of my own. My husband and I were living in student housing at the time while he finished his degree in veterinary medicine, and I was still figuring out my own style of decor. I bought a jade plant one day at the grocery store, for no reason other than that it made me happy. I was able to keep it alive and thriving, so I went to a local garden center and bought another. And another. Soon I had over 30 plants in an apartment that wasn’t much bigger than a large bedroom. Fast forward to today. We have since moved to the Kansas City area, in a bit larger apartment, and I have over 120 plants.

My plants have definitely helped me through some hard times in my life, through a difficult pregnancy ending in the premature birth and subsequent NICU stay of my son. Having plants to go home to and care for is one of the best ways to de stress and unwind and become grounded in reality. Someday, when I no longer live in an apartment, I will have an incredible garden. But for now, my little apartment jungle will more than do.

The Plant That Almost Got Away

We asked Katey if any of her plants had a fun or unique story behind it, and she told us about finding a cutting she had to have while on vacation and bringing it home on a plane. 

I think the most unique story is my Monstera Thai Constellation. I found it on vacation in a cute little rare plant shop. It was a sad little cutting, only one and a half leaves. As much as I wanted to bring it home, it was way out of my budget, even for such a rare find. I couldn't stop thinking about it though, and I went back on my way to the airport and haggled them down to less than half of what it was marked at. I was so proud. I carried that cutting through security, on the plane, and safely home. Still waiting on some new growth but its very happy and healthy!

Inspiring New Plant Owners

Katey has inspired many of her friends to start collecting plants, and she also shares her number one advice for new plant parents.

So many of my friends have started collecting plants after seeing my home and it is so much fun. I love sharing this hobby! It makes people happy. There are always the people who walk into my apartment and just say "Um, you have a lot of plants..."  but the majority think it’s pretty cool.

My advice is to start small. Get one plant and keep it alive for a little while before you get another. It is really tempting to go out and buy 20 plants to green up your space, but you need to make sure you're able to take care of them! Plants require a delicate balance between care and neglect that can be difficult to figure out!

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times 

Of course we asked Katey about her favorites in her collection and her must-haves from her wish list. 

This is a tough question! I would probably have to say my beautiful hindu rope hoya or my hoya obovata....or my pilea peperomioides.

I have recently checked quite a few off of my wish list, but I am still on the lookout for a ficus triangularis.

And we also asked about plants she has lost on her journey to plant parenthood. 

Ferns. All of them. They hate me. I am not sure what happened but I am pretty sure it’s simply that I wait four seconds too long to water them. Yet I keep buying more...they're the beautiful drama queens of the plant kingdom!

Stay Tuned for More Katey!

Follow Katey on Instagram @mykansasjungle and keep an eye out for the launch of her new blog.