A Garden of Eden Awaits in Episode 2 of 'In the Weeds With Plant People'

Imagine a green oasis, filled with gorgeous plants of all varieties, shapes, textures, and colors. No, you’re not in a jungle outside, you’re actually inside a plant enthusiast’s home. Plant collectors are constantly trying to refine our collections and add even more beautiful living things into our home. And we love showing off these collections to other people. That's why we created this series.

In This Episode

In this episode of In the Weeds with Plant People, we meet Tracey Hairston—known as @mochagirlplace on Instagram—as she gives us a tour of her stunning collection of more than 100 plants throughout her beautiful home in Chesapeake, Va. Her plants not only look like they’re thriving, but they’ve also been styled extremely well throughout her house.

Hairston begins with a stop at her lush red Begonia hybrid that she’s named Martha Stewart (is that “a good thing” or what?). Next she reveals a sweet anecdote about how her mother, who had an amazing green thumb, inspired her to create her own “sanctuary of plants.”

As she leads us around her home, the lush greenery shines through. From the shelves to gorgeous pots and hangers, this collection was meant to be shared with others. And with so many plants, she knows a thing or two about keeping them healthy.

One key, she says, is talking to her plants. As the author of I Talk To My Plants: And Why You Should Too!, she knows just how to nurture them. She reveals that she believes plants have major moods—they really are just like us in some ways—and that plant parents have to figure out nuanced ways to communicate with them. It’s an art. Her story about her Fiddle-leaf fig was a good example of the struggles collectors sometimes have with plants that are, ahem, very particular.

While in her “Garden of Eden,” Hairston also reveals an entire corner filled with monsteras, calathea, and marantas. The highlight of this section is her most expensive plant—a Monstera Thai constellation—which she was gifted. Good for her, because those beauties are not cheap. Hairston says a cutting could cost anywhere between $250 and $500.

She then takes us on to her trailing and climbing section. Situated on gorgeous rattan stands, it features a golden pothos that is near and dear to her heart, as it was given to her after the death of her mother. It’s the plant, she says, that she travels with and that she has taken with her on two moves.

Next we get a glimpse of her living room, where she uses plants to enhance her design aesthetic. We are then led to her kitchen nook—where she does plant maintenance—that features her beautiful #plantshelfie. Here we see her collection of smaller plants, which are artistically arranged among unique decor pieces.

Hairston shares other tips and the details about how she acquired several plants, as well as her favorites and the one she says most looks like her.

Tracy clearly has an eye for detail because the combination of plants and textures throughout her home really makes her collection stand out.

We’re totally inspired to keep expanding our own indoor jungle. If you're just starting on your plant journey, she offers some great advice: Start with one plant, and once you’ve been able to keep that alive, add another. When you can keep two alive, keep on going!