Privileged leaves

Are plant parents the new pet parents? They track rare saplings, spend fortunes on cuttings and give India epic gardening goals

- Christalle Fernandes

Philodendron, monstera, anthurium and begonia might sound like they're rock-band names. But for India's growing community of urban gardeners, they're just as cool. They're the broad categories of rare plant species currently trending in urban gardens.

Blame the pandemic for their popularity. While the lockdowns forced people indoors across the world, gardening became one of the activities that, well, blossomed. What else was there to do, anyway? Hybrid varieties of anthuriums and monsteras became the pedigree pups of the plant world. Windowsills, balconies and dining tables became selfie spots, an aroid happily peeking from a corner.

Navneeth Kumar, 29, a Bengaluru-based plant consultant, compares tracking rare and wild species to playing Pokemon. "There's always something new to chase," he says. Amarjit Bey, a plant enthusiast who has over 100 varieties in his garden in Diphu, Assam, says gardening is really an opportunity to bond with plants. "Taking care of a plant is like taking care of a baby," he says. "Every morning, I check for infections, dead leaves, and whether they're doing well."

It's not all sun and games. A pretty Monstera Thai Constellation or a Pink Princess Philodendron takes months, even years, to grow. New collectors are realising that shipping in exotics from across the world is expensive. And no amount of love or money can coax a plant to grow if it isn't feeling at home.