PLANT A CENTREPIECE FOR THE HOME

In an era when shelves of mass-produced houseplants tempt people at big-box stores and supermarkets alike, Mr Robert Moffitt sets an example for an alternative model to consider.

- Margaret Roach

Mr Moffitt, founder of the Haus Plant, a botanical design studio in Los Angeles, wonders if instead of impulsively purchasing another of those foliage-forward commodity types that too often become what he laments as "a quick little throwaway", people might widen their definition of houseplant.

What if you scoured sources like Facebook Marketplace and estate sales and leant into characterful plants with more sculptural forms like he does - plants with presence, and that maybe possess the potential for longtime companionship?

While you are at it, let's also rethink the generic flowerpot, he proposes, and experiment with extremes of shape, scale and material to show off its resident most artfully.

The plants Mr Moffitt specialises in are not your basic Pothos or Peperomia, and admittedly may require some visual recalibration on home gardeners' part, at least until they are in sync with the beauty of their idiosyncrasies.

"I collected basic houseplants from Home Depot or the grocery store, like many people do," he said. "And over time, I started to just get into the more interesting ones, and the weird ones that you don't see very often."

Mr Moffitt, 37, does not have formal design training. He is a former registered nurse, which is reflected in his take on plants. He worked for a decade at UCLA Health, and during his later years there, he said, "I found myself turning to plants as a form of therapy myself."

They also satisfied another need. "I always had a creative itch," he said, "and I think plants were there for me as my creative outlet."

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE DIFFERENTLY

He started working at a friend's plant shop on his days off, and by 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he knew he wanted to shift careers.