Decorating & Design
February 17, 2021
150+ Houseplants Transform This Compact Condo Into A Lush Oasis
In our series, Following Now, we go inside the homes of cool Canadian creatives.
Dorrington Reid bought his first houseplant at the age of 19 when he moved into his first apartment in downtown Toronto. But it wasn’t until he relocated to Vancouver that his plant obsession flourished. “Being surrounded by all the lush nature in Vancouver really inspired me to bring that feeling inside my home,” he says. “I’ve since moved back to Toronto where my collection continues to grow.” On his Instagram account, @dorringtonr, he posts about plant care for beginners, his favorite low-light greenery and his growing sansevieria (translation: snake plant family) collection to his 33,000 foliage-loving followers. We chatted with Dorrington about his plant-filled home and tips for starting a collection of your own. Scroll down!
Dorrington was careful to choose a place that had optimal light conditions for his foliage family. “I have large floor-to-ceiling windows that span the entire east side of my condo unit, allowing an abundance of ideal light for my plants.”
Long, trailing plants like pothos and scindapsus — which hang above his bed — are some of Dorrington’s favorite plants. “They are so easy-going and they grow very quickly,” he says.
In Dorrington’s living room, a set of floating wall shelves from Ikea house much of his plant collection. During installation, he upgraded to heavy-duty toggle bolt drywall anchors which support up to 124 lbs.
A wooden shelf between the kitchen and living space offers another surface for more plants. “Nurturing something and seeing it grow and thrive makes you feel proud and accomplished,” he says.
Dorrington is always changing the setup of his plants, so his home looks a bit different every time he captures it on his Instagram feed. “I’ve been able to acquire many wish-list plants over the last year, so I’m constantly restyling my plant moments,” he says.
For beginners or those with low-light conditions in their homes, Dorrington recommends snake and ZZ plants. “They are amongst the easiest care plants and they can also look quite impactful when styled together.”
Dorrington also reminds beginners not to be too worried if a new plant starts to lose leaves or droop in the days after bringing it home. “Plants from greenhouses are grown in ideal conditions,” he explains. “They will often go through a period of shock when we bring them into our homes since they don’t offer similar conditions.”
This plant is a Hoya Carnosa Compacta or also commonly called a Hoya Hindu rope. “Because of the curled leaves, they can be susceptible to pests, especially mealy bugs, so once a month I’ll give it a preventative spray of neem oil diluted with water,” says Dorrington.
Once you’ve honed your green thumb, you can try bringing some more demanding (but rewarding) plants into your home. One of Dorrington’s favorite high-maintenance plants is the calathea. “They are absolutely worth the effort,” he says. “They are some of the most beautiful plants in my collection with a variety of leaf shapes, textures and a unique attribute of folding their leaves up at night and then down again during the day.”
Courtesy of Dorrington Reid