Jenna Holmes, aka Plant Mama, is a modern guru when it comes to green things. With the ripe heat of summer finally setting in - and our at-times poor plant track record - we asked the colourful creative a few questions to help our greenery thriving. 

We all want a mini indoor jungle these days but it’s a little intimidating to start. What are your tips for building an oasis at home? What plants should we start with and how can we care for them?

I think starting small and easy is the perfect step one! You can begin to learn the basics of watering and light placement, and then once you master that - you can add those more difficult (but beautiful) varieties into your space. Plants don’t need much, but once you understand the basics it can become second nature, and all spaces looks better with plants. A devils ivy or a monstera is a great one to start with.

What are your top three tips for those who have a terrible track record with indoor plants?

1. Match the plants light needs with a location in your house that matches that. There should be a little card in the side of the plant that tells you what type of light they require as they need sun to grow/thrive.

2. Watering is not a rigid set equation, yes follow a schedule like once a week or fortnight, but be okay with being fluid with which days you water. Sometimes it might be extra hot so they need water sooner or something like that, so don’t think it needs to be same day same time every week.

3. Don’t drag your plants out into the hot sun thinking it will be good for them to get some sun rays and energy, many will get burns on their leaves and sometimes never recover. If you place them correctly in the right location in the home then you won’t need to take them outside.

Can we all practice propagating? How do we start?

Yes! It's very very easy. Start with a devils ivy and cut below where you see a node, which is a tiny brown/beige lump on the side or a stem. Cut below the node and place in some filtered water in a sunlight area. Within a few weeks/months some roots will grow out of the node. Place loosely into some good soil into a small pot, and watch it grow!

We’ve read that you love to play tunes to your plants - why should we do this? What are your top three tunes?

I know there have been some studies that have linked plant growth and tunes and how specific music made particular plants grow faster. I just generally play music ALL the time, so I think my plants have just gotten used to all the tunes playing around all the time. I love any Madonna, Diana Ross or Meg Mac tune or album. I like powerful female voices :)

What is your go-to look when working on all your projects?

I just like to wear loose and comfy clothes because I am generally moving around all the time, and I also cannot stand white/black and grey so I adore wearing something colourful! I also lean more towards some more masculine cuts and shorts a lot, so there’s always something Reliquia for me.

Where are you finding inspiration at the moment?

Travelling! It’s been so amazing to leave Melbourne and explore Sydney and the Northern Rivers area in NSW. Since not being able to travel overseas and get inspired, it's been nice to sink money into our own economy through travel and seeing friends and loved ones again. I think I spent enough time in lockdown on Instagram and reading books that right now its all about being outside, eating at restaurants and DOING THINGS. :)

Imagery via @plantmama_