Green Living Hacks: How Neil Keeps 70+ Houseplants in his Small Studio Apartment.
All images in this blog are owned and copyrighted by Lucid Linds Photography
We’re back with another Featured Plant Person from our community of houseplant lovers.
Today we will introduce you to Neil's green oasis nestled within the cozy confines of his small studio apartment in the south Nashville area. As a dedicated plant enthusiast, Neil has transformed the back half of his living space into a vibrant botanical haven. Neil is sharing his passion for seamlessly integrating greenery into his compact living space and showing us how we can do it too.
Currently, Neil nurtures and tends to around 70 plants, with a captivating collection predominantly featuring beautiful aroids and healthy, happy Hoyas. His botanical journey took an interesting turn from a past focus on succulents, particularly cacti, driven by the belief that houseplants and two cats couldn't coexist harmoniously. He used to think that cacti, with their spiny defenses, were the ideal choice. However, Neil's fascination with plants grew, leading him to discover clever ways to safeguard his green companions while also keeping the company of his two cats. It can be done. In case you missed it, here’s a list of houseplants that are cat friendly (the article also explains how “toxic” doesn’t always mean death to your pets.
Through this blog we will show you that even in limited spaces, it's possible to create a comfortable and stylish home filled with houseplants. Neil shared with us that he hopes to empower others to embrace their green passions without compromising on their love for pets or feeling restricted by the size of their living quarters. With a peek into how Neil does it, anyone can transform their small space into a lush and inviting oasis, where nature and pets coexist in perfect, peaceful harmony.
Transforming a small living space into a green sanctuary can be a challenge for houseplant enthusiasts. But fear not, for there are ingenious ways to maximize every inch of your limited area while keeping your beloved houseplants styled beautifully. You can integrate houseplants into your home without compromising on style or sacrificing precious floor space, just like Neil has done in his small studio apartment.
With a touch of creativity, your compact dwelling can become an inviting oasis of lush greenery, filling your living space with life and style. Here are 3 ways to do it:
Shelves: Install sturdy and stylish shelves at various heights throughout your home to create elevated platforms for your houseplants. Choose shelves that are securely mounted to the wall to ensure they can withstand the weight of the plants and are out of your pets' reach.
Wall Hangers: Utilize decorative wall hangers or hanging planters to suspend your green companions from the walls. This not only keeps the plants away from curious paws, but also adds a visually appealing vertical element to your living space.
High Window Sills: Utilize high window sills as natural perches for your houseplants. Placing plants on elevated window sills ensures they receive ample sunlight while staying safely out of your pets' exploration zone.
Your houseplants will not only thrive in their elevated positions, but also become a stunning focal point that brings joy and tranquility to your daily life.
Let’s support a local macrame artist shall we? Check out Nashville Macrame on Instagram. Such cool designs and plenty of plant hangers.
If you do put shelves on your wall, don’t forget to anchor them! I prefer these anchors (but renters beware, you will have holes to patch).
Looking for wall mounted plant pots? Here are a few similar to the ones Neil has in his home. Just be sure to check for the size you want.
Add a tall shelf to help maximize the small amount of space in a small home or apartment. Add in your personality and aesthetic with the type of pots and decor you choose to incorporate with your houseplants.
Get creative. Neil has a shelf above his bedroom door. This keeps his plants up high, away from his cats and still allows his plants to get plenty of light from the french doors directly across from this spot in his small apartment.
As a seasoned plant parent, Neil advises new enthusiasts not to feel bound by conventional guidelines. What works for one person's plants might not work for yours, and that's perfectly okay!
Neil shared that he mostly collects aroids and Hoyas. So what is an aroid? Maybe you’re like me, and even though you have a bunch of houseplants, suddenly you stumble upon a mysterious term - "aroid." and you scratch your head, not knowing what an aroid is or if you have any in your collection. What I found out is that most of us have aroids in our collections. Examples of aroids are; Monstera deliciosa, Philodendron (various varieties), ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), Spathiphyllum, Pothos (various varieties), Anthurium, Alocasia (various varieties), Dieffenbachia, Aglaonema, Syngonium (Arrowhead Plant), Caladium, Colocasia (Elephant Ear Plant).
Keep in mind that this is not a full list, as there are many more aroid species and cultivars out there! 🌿 Hoyas are not considered aroids; they belong to a different plant family called Apocynaceae. Aroids belong to the family Araceae, while Hoyas are part of the subfamily Asclepiadoideae within the Apocynaceae family. No, I can not pronounce any of those, lol.
Neil has a bright window sill above the french doors that lead out to his small studio apartment balcony. He uses this as his plant propagation spot. He also reuses small glass yogurt jars for his props. #repurpose
“It was fun to talk plants with someone who was interested! I wanted to be able to share my collection through someone else’s eye, and I think we did just that.” - Neil
Bella, from Gumball Media (seen in the pic above with Neil) is a fellow plant person from our community and she joined us to get video footage too. 3 plant people in one room, we did a lot of talking about plants! Neil taught us some very useful plant tips. If you’re in our private Facebook group and have a plant question, tag Neil Burton in it, he most likely has the answer.
When I asked Neil why he joined our Nashville Plant People community, he answered, "To connect with locals who love plants. I was in national groups first before thinking about searching for local ones. I am no longer a member of any national groups- I found a lot of them to be very dismissive and condescending within the community. I have not had any of that in the NPP group thankfully!"
I was so happy to hear that. Our group is pretty amazing! I couldn’t be more proud of how welcoming and helpful our community is. Being local keeps it real too, you never know who you will run into at one of our local plant shops. ;)
So where does Neil like to shop for all of his gorgeous houseplants?
Online: Bros with Hoes (use code: nashplantpeople for a discount), Creaky Shed (Etsy), Surfshack Greenhouse (Etsy)
Locally: Hidden Seed Plant Shop and Hewitt Garden Center. Both located south of Nashville.
That’s a wrap! Big thanks to Neil for sharing his home and houseplants with our community and the entire internet, HA! If you would like to follow Neil and his plants (which he shares and sells cuttings of from time to time) you can do so on Instagram here. Thank you to Bella/Gumball Media for the videos from this shoot. We don’t have a sponsor for this blog this month, but if you love our community and all that we do a small donation of just a couple of bucks goes along way to help keep this all going. There’s also affiliate links inside this blog that may earn NPP a small commission. Those are another great way to support your plant people community. We are so glad you are here and a part of our community! We will see you soon at another plant people event! Thank you for your support!
Happy planting!
Lindsey
Nashville Plant People