Plant Titas and Titos We Love to Follow on Instagram

Written by Jennifer Redondo

When I bought my first condo, I was kinda broke, so naturally, I spent a lot of time at home! The more I stayed home, I realized the need to make my space beautiful and lively. Since I couldn’t afford big pieces of furniture and art pieces, the most affordable way to spruce up my place was through plants. My mom and titas had tons of plants inside and outside their homes. Since I didn’t have a green thumb, I told my mom that I was going to buy a fake plant, which she then proceeded to scold me: “I raised you better than that. Fake plants are tacky!” 

Even though I was already living on my own, I still felt the need to please and listen to my mom. I did the adult thing, and decided it was time to dive into plant parenthood. I started out with a low-maintenance, hard to kill plant — the snake plant. Since then, I have been adding on to my urban jungle, which has gotten way out of hand, especially during COVID. Plants are more than decor. Over the course of my plant owning journey, I’ve learned there are several benefits to having greenery inside your living spaces. Plants have so many benefits, among them: 

• Act as natural air purifiers and help absorb any chemicals and toxins 

• Provide a form of therapy 

• Give you purpose and the opportunity to practice patience 

• Bring joy and instantly boosts your mood 

Since starting to build my garden, both indoor and outdoor, I’ve built quite the collection. And I also started following many plant experts on Instagram as well, expanding my knowledge and love for the little slices of nature plants allow us to have in any setting. Below is a list of Filipino-American plant-fluencers, plant stylists, plant artists, green thumb experts, and plant shop owners across the country. As you begin your journey into plant parenthood, please consider shopping small, local businesses and supporting our community.  

1. FlyPlant

Los Angeles based FlyPlant was founded in June 2020, at the height of the pandemic, by R&B loving friends turned family: Janessa Molina Maquindang, Sheryl Calipusan Ung and Melissa Limbago. Since then, both Sheryl and Melissa have moved so FlyPlant is currently run solely by Janessa. Prior to COVID, Janessa had been working as an event planner for music festivals, parties, and entertainment in LA, which were all canceled! Being out of a job, she turned to plants for peace. FlyPlant started out by providing plant-and-pot pairings, which are beautiful healthy plants and curated pots boo’ed up. These live art pieces were being sold online through Instagram stories, and now FlyPlant has a permanent home in the Arts District, which is where LA’s Manila District is located. FlyPlant is more than a plant shop — it’s a studio, community space where people can come together to learn and create,  and a gift shop where you can cop their latest streetwear designs such as their fashionable bucket hats and fly tools like their “Pot it like it’s hot” planting mat. They’ve also extended their offerings to plant design projects, live art installations, plant care services, workshops, and more to come.  

IG: @theflyplant 

Website: theflyplant.com

2. Pamana Plantas

Like many during the pandemic, Dominick Morales turned to plants to help restore her mental health during the time of isolation. After seeing her personal growth mirroring her plants’ growth, she got her mom to join in on the fun. In September 2020, her mom started to make plant art pieces, which Dom helped her sell. After her favorite uncle passed away, Dom founded Pamana Plantas headquartered in Berkeley, California. Tito Enchit was a fighter —  he was resilient regardless of his life’s circumstances and still loved life. He made her realize that many in their family embody the same spirit, including her, hence the name “Pamana'' which means inheritance in Tagalog. 

Dom is more than a plant shop owner. She also plans community events and pop-ups to help uplift other small businesses in hopes to share the spirit of growth with others in the community. You can visit her shop in Berkeley or one of the pop-up events. Follow Pamana Plantas and check out their events calendar to see where they’ll be and what they’re doing!

IG: @pamanaplantas 

Website: pamanaplantas.com

3. The Green Place

The Green Place, founded by Jennifer Aragon and based in Fullerton, California, has been supporting people’s plant addictions since August 2020. While people come to The Green Place because its a neighborhood friendly plant shop, they also come here to take the workshops, paint terracotta pots, sip coffee while listening to tunes on the couch, or even to play a few songs on the piano. The Green Place provides a warm, open and friendly ambiance thats makes you want to sit and stay for awhile.

IG: @thegreenplaceoc 

Website: thegreenplaceoc.com 

4. Cultivar

Cultivar began as a small Etsy shop that former programmer, Marita Gabriel, ran in her spare time. After 16 years as a programmer, Marita was looking for a creative outlet and more meaning in her work. Cultivar is a licensed plant shop specializing in rare plants and located in Katy, TX. They also serve hot coffee. At Cultivar they believe if you take care of it and enhance it, you can make it better than it was. Life is short, buy the plant!   

IG: @cultivar.tx 

Website: cultivartx.com

5. Terrace Plant Shop

Similar to Dominick of Pamana Plantas, Peter John Dario opened the Terrace Plant Shop in March 2021, after his dad and grandpa passed away from COVID. Taking care of living things gave Dario the peace he needed to go through the grieving process. He turned his retail store and creative event space into a safe haven and space to honor those that had passed. He also wanted to give everyone a sense of normalcy, a place for community to come together and grow together. He believes that “plants grow with you”. 

IG: @terraceplantshop 

Website: terraceplantshop.com

6. The Sill 

The Sill is probably the most popular on this list, which you probably heard of in the mainstream. The Sill was founded by Eliza Blank in 2012, which modernized the way we buy plants online with an educational site and beautiful brick-and-mortar shops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bethesda, Boston, and throughout New York City. It was built on the premise of encouraging people to slow down and take time to look at the greenery (instead of our screens). Their goal is to bring mindfulness into people’s homes. 

IG: @thesill

Website: thesill.com

I am excited for you to start your plant parenthood journey. Even if you aren’t born with a green thumb, don’t even trip. Anything is possible! Take it from me: someone who has killed (and revived) many plants. It’s ok! It’s a learning experience that teaches you patience and how to care for something other than yourself. The benefits that it brings is so much more than you think. Now that you’re ready, I want to leave you with some tips: 

• Do not over water! Don’t water when the top of the soil is still moist! 

• Let the soil dry out 80-90% before watering (If you don’t know what that looks or feels like, get a moisture meter). 

• Use the bottom watering method (Look it up, Google and YouTube is your best friend). 

• Bright, indirect light is the best lighting for all houseplants 

• Don’t put your houseplants in the sun, only outside in the shade (for a brief moment) 

Best of luck and I hope they bring joy to your home and soul! 

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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