Ericka Hart Believes Plants Make People Better

In The Weeds With Plant People is a fast-paced interview style series in which plant parents welcome us into their homes and give us a firsthand look at how they live with and care for their many many houseplants.

“If I woke up tomorrow with no plants in my bedroom, I would be shocked but I would call someone because we’ve been robbed.” This is something that all plant parents secretly think about, and in the newest episode of In the Weeds With Plant People, Ericka Hart says what we’re all thinking. She gives us a tour of her Brooklyn apartment that she shares with her partner and her plant collection. And it’s a good one. 

In This Episode

More than 50 plants call this place home and you can see why. The light is striking and provides an excellent location for Ericka’s growing indoor jungle. Inspired by her mom and great-grandmother, Ericka started collecting some pretty cool plants over the years. She’s a sexuality educator and she says that since her job can be hectic her beautiful plants provide her a reprieve and comfort her when she needs it. She’s a strong believer that plants make people better because possessing certain qualities like selflessness helps them thrive. “There’s probably some horrible people that have plants, but I don’t think their plants are alive,” says Ericka with a laugh.

One of her first plants is a mass cane that she and her partner purchased from IKEA about four years ago. The most unique is a mistletoe cactus that puts out beautiful flowers in the summertime. Another quirky one in her collection is her pencil cactus. She says they usually grow straight up, but her cactus has a mind of its own and is growing every which way. Ericka’s moodiest plant is an Alocasia African mask, “sometimes it lives, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Remember, having a multitude of plants can get pricey. Ericka says she spends most of her money on replacing plants that may have died but she also likes to treat herself to an expensive pot every so often. Moving along, we enter her bedroom which is a relaxing green oasis and also home to her most expensive plant, an Umbrella tree, which her partner gave her when she was having a bad day. 

When asked what plant she looks like the most, Ericka gives a great answer: “I would say I look like a Monstera deliciosa. The Monstera grows outward. It’s a reminder to take up space and that’s something I think that I like to remind people of and also do as well is take up space.” Be sure to tune into this week's episode to get the full tour of Ericka’s apartment and see her plants in all their glory. 

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