ele HOME chats to The Plant Runner co-founders, Duncan Hilder and Dominic Hooghuis
Tell us about The Plant Runner and the co-founders, Dominic and Duncan.
Since establishing Australia’s first mobile greenhouse in 2017, The Plant Runner has blossomed into an all-encompassing plant care and lifestyle hub.
Founded by qualified horticulturalists and best mates, Dominic Hooghuis and Duncan Hilder (aka ‘Dom and Dunc’), the brand is on a mission to simplify plant care with its custom plant food range, a curated selection of sustainable accessories, and jargon-free advice.
Over four years, the company has amassed over 40,000 Instagram followers, sold more than 250,000 bottles of its signature Indoor Plant Food, and helped hundreds of thousands of people propagate their plant dreams
There are some incredible examples on Instagram of indoor plant styling but for the plant novice, where should we start?
The best advice we can give is to start small. Don’t go all out and fill your house in one big shop. Pick a few plants that resonate with you and use them as the guinea pigs. Starting with just a few plants is an opportunity to learn about your home (light, drafts, humidity) and your own routine (do you remember to fertilise? Are you a waterer-by-routine or are you more relaxed with your schedule?). Once you’ve got the basics down, then you can build that indoor jungle!
What are the best indoor plants to use and what are your favourites?
If you’re getting into plants, pick a few ‘low-maintenance, high reward’ staples like Devil’s Ivy and Monsteras. These are some of our go-to’s for an ‘instant jungle’ look. They’re also easy to look after and very forgiving, so for new plant parents, they’re perfect!
As for us, Dom loves his statement plants like large Ficus or showy Calathea orbifolia, and Dunc has a thing for variegated plants like Monstera deliciosa Thai Constellation or Syngonium Albo Variegata.
How do we look after these plants to keep them thriving and looking their best?
The key to a successful indoor plant jungle is in finding the perfect combination of light, water and temperature. For most of the more well-known indoor plants like our favourites listed above, best care includes placing the plants in a bright room with indirect sunlight, watering only when the top few centimetres of potting mix is dry, and keeping the room temperature as warm and consistent as possible (so avoid drafts from windows and air con). Additionally, a regular fertilising regime, using quality potting media, and regular leaf cleaning will see your plants really thrive. Our Plant Care Booster Kit and custom potting mixes are the perfect products to keep on top of your plant care game.
Help! Some of my indoor plants have spotted leaves or the leaves are turning yellow. What is wrong?
Unfortunately, these symptoms can mean a number of different things for different plants. Spots on foliage could be leaf spot and is a disease that can spread if left untreated. Remove the affected leaves and give the plant a spray with a natural fungicide. Make sure the plant has good airflow (so it’s not stuck in a corner) and avoid misting. Direct sun on the foliage can also cause spotting, so make sure you know what’s going on before you start treatment.
Yellowing leaves is usually a sign of overwatering or underwatering (easy to figure out which – just stick your finger in the soil!) so adjust as necessary. That being said, it could also be a result of pests, temperature issues or even a nutrient deficiency.
If you’re not sure, take a photo of your plant into your local plant shop and ask an expert. Or, shoot us an email and we’ll do our best to help! Our educational blog is another great resource for a range of plant related topics.
I have a fiddle leaf fig that is hugely temperamental. Why are they such a pain and what do I do to make it happy?
When Fiddles are really thriving, you can’t beat them. The problem is they do have a reputation for being a little fussy. The trick to a happy fiddle leaf is to provide it with lots of bright, filtered light. Keep it out of direct sunlight to avoid leaf burn. Water once the potting mix has dried out (stick a finger or a skewer in the soil to make sure it’s dried through) and when you do water, water well. Fertilise regularly with a quality Indoor Plant Food (like ours!) and keep the temperature as consistent (and warm) as possible. Fiddles hate drafts so don’t place near windows and doors that are regularly used and avoid the aircon or heater. Good luck!
How do I style different rooms in my home with plants?
Whilst in an ideal home you could place any plant anywhere and it’ll be happy, every home is different. Always learn a bit about your plant before placing it in your home so you can find a space that’s going to provide it with its most basic light and temperature requirements. Once you’ve got this down, start playing with height and textures.
Tall, thin plants like Strelitzia nicolais are great for corners and draw the eye upward, making rooms feel bigger while simultaneously providing a focal point for what would otherwise be an empty corner. Trailing plants are great for shelves and benches and can soften edges by giving that “jungle” feel. Using plant stands to create levels will make displays more interesting, while mixing up pot shapes, colours and textures can be just as important as the plants you choose. Check out our colourful collection here.
Want more? Click here for Top 5 Tips when designing a spring garden from award-winning landscape designer Nigel Meier
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