‘Plant Mom’ Transforms Her Tiny NYC Apartment Into a Magical Greenhouse for Over 200 Plants

While her plant babies sit on her shelves and floors, Resta sits down to observe them. Each plant baby has a story, and it’s the purpose of her life to unfold it. She sees every plant as a unique character. Take Philodendron Ring of Fire, for example. In an interview with The Spruce, Resta shared that when she and her boyfriend brought home this plant for the first time, it was covered in mites. They feared that they were going to lose it. But it survived. After a laborious mending procedure, the plant finally burst towards the sky and hasn’t stopped growing ever since.

Not all plants are easy growers, though. For instance, her Anthurium Crystallinum, a plant that throws the trickiest tantrums. But with a bounty of love mixed with damp sphagnum moss and close radius to the humidifier, Resta has successfully tamed this one, too, as she said in an Instagram post.

When Resta revealed that it takes her 2 to 3 hours each day to water all her plants, Doctor Smith staggered a step backwards, taken aback. But the “plant mom” believes that caring for them isn’t as strenuous as people think it is. On some days, it can seem like a drag, but mostly, it is the self-care routine that soothes and rejuvenates her spirit. For plants that she is growing inside a fish aquarium, she regularly replaces the water and uses a turkey baster and toothbrush for cleaning.

“I mean, watering does take a while, but it’s a little bit of a self-care routine because I have to find a way to answer to something: I have to be here to take care of my plants and make sure they’re okay, and I have to make sure I’m organized and scheduled so that I have time set aside for my plants,” Resta told The Slowdown. Each time a leaf unfurls or when there’s a pest-breakout crisis or when a velvety stem needs trimming, it’s a new adventure Resta will never miss stepping into.

You can follow Alessia Resta (@apartmentbotanist) on Instagram to catch glimpses of her plant varieties, crystals, and home.

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