Mama Botanica's main goal is to spread plant love. I am Iris van Vliet (32), founder of Mama Botanica, and one of the most famous 'plant bloggers' in the Netherlands.
Bring Pathetic Plants Back to Life
Four years ago I started with a small Instagram account, where I registered how I tried to bring pathetic plants back to life. That has grown into an Instagram account with 65,000 followers, 1 million views on YouTube, two books - "
Stek Je Plant", translated "Plant Cuttings" appeared in 2019, and my new book "A House Full of Plants" will be published October 2020 -, blogs, and many workshops. I want to get as many people as enthusiastic about plants, inspire them to grow them themselves, and get started with a collection. The best compliment I can get is that people write to me that because of me their house is full of plants.
Fascinating Imperfection
I got the love for plants from my father, who surrounded us with plants when me and my brothers grew up. When I started living on my own and found that caring for plants is not always easy, I started sharing my experiences and knowledge via social media. I find the imperfection of a plant fascinating. A plant often looks perfect when you just bring it into your home, but will always adapt to your home. That may result in a yellow petal here or there or a crazy offshoot. But it is precisely these unique characteristics that fascinate me. I think it is very important to not only show pictures of perfect plants on social media but also tell them about those yellow leaves, about what you can do if your plant is not doing well. This gives people more confidence in their own green fingers.
I can't imagine a house without plants. Plants bring life into a home and ensure that you look at your surroundings with more attention. That you relax. I want to give that feeling to people who follow me. The pleasure of a new leaf unrolling or the enchantment of a blooming cactus, such things always cause for wonder.
My Favorite
I find it quite difficult to choose a favorite plant from my own collection; after all, they all have something beautiful and unique. But if I have to choose, I call it
homalomena, because it grows so easily and spreads the jungle vibe. All plants have something special for me, which can range from a nice memory of where I bought it, how it grows with me or because I got the cuttings from my friends or grandparents.
Follow Mama Botanica on Instagram:
mamabotanica.amsterdam
