Lidia Andreu: Passion for plants

In these interviews that we are conducting with passionate gardeners and indoor plants, we want to know better people who have found in the care of their gardens and green spaces a source of joy, inspiration and connection with nature. For this interview we spoke with Lidia Andreu, although you may know her better as @plantulinas, a true plant lover who lives surrounded by plants in her cozy home with her two cats. For Lidia, her passion for plants comes from her family, who have always had plants at home, so growing up surrounded by greenery came naturally.

How was your love for plants born?

This hobby arose when I became independent. In fact, I have always been surrounded by plants because my grandmother likes them very much and she transmitted this interest to my father and my aunt, but until I had my own house I didn’t start buying them, which was more for decoration and to fill spaces than something more serious. Of course, they all died on me, but I kept trying. During the pandemic, as I had nothing else to do, I dedicated myself more to their care, and from there I think the real hobby started: collecting plants, worrying about how to keep them alive, informing myself about the needs of each one…

During this time I have gone through several phases, from being interested in all the plants and wanting to get them all, to end up focusing on some in particular and only buy the ones I really like or I think they can live in conditions in my house. Surely some of you will feel identified because it has also happened to you. There are also times when I leave them to their fate because I feel overwhelmed and I see that I can not with all of them, other times I come back to them and I really enjoy taking care of them…

What prompted you to start sharing content about plants on networks?

As I said, during the pandemic there wasn’t much to do, I started sharing videos on Instagram of the plants I had, short funny reels on the subject…. And between transplanting and transplanting I thought: Why don’t I upload the moments when I do planting tasks? From then on I have been sharing also my experiences, advances, experiments…. And people have been joining me to form this small community that not only supports me, but also gives me a hand when I have doubts or need help, which is wonderful because that’s what the RRSS are for, to share and enrich each other.

Do you have a favorite plant?

Although I like the great majority of tropical plants, my favorite plants are monsteras and alocasias. It is difficult for me to choose one in particular, because each one has some things that make it special, either for a physical characteristic that I like or for something that it transmits to me in particular. For example, the Alocasia Frydek fascinates me for its velvety leaves, but the Monstera Adansonii (a more common plant) I love because it was one of my first plants, and although it has had several ups and downs, it continues to grow year after year.

What book, podcast or networking profile would you recommend to learn about plants or gardens?

To take care of my plants I use the experience I have acquired so far and when I don’t know something I usually look for information on the internet. I also have some books about plants, some of them essential reading, especially to learn if you are starting in this world. Among them is the Manual to love (and not kill) your plants, by Diego Olivares, which I think is very complete because it talks about the plants that can live in every orientation of the home, diseases, pests, fertilization…. Through RRSS I have met people who know about plants, who are not known because they do not share their knowledge, and who have helped me on many occasions with doubts I have had or things I had to improve, either by private messages or by comments in reels. There are also profiles that dedicate their time to share very useful videos on the subject and that I recommend taking a look, such as @ricinox, a biologist who uploads reels where he explains curiosities related to plants and with scientific basis, @chico_plantas, which deals with both plants and vegetable garden or if you are looking for a more informal and fun profile, I recommend following @andrealoscorc, a guy who dedicates his content to plant humor and plant care.

And speaking of plant care, give us some advice.

I encourage you that if a plant dies, do not stop trying, I will not say that it is an easy hobby because it is not (only grandmothers have that gift to keep alive, green and great plants with minimal care haha), each plant is a world and sometimes even in the best hands can survive because the environment does much: light, temperature, humidity …. And there are plants that, no matter how much we insist, do not resist (for example, in my house with the Pileas Peperomioides there is no way), but thanks to mistakes and experience we learn a lot. And if it does not work for the plant you have today, it will work for the one you have tomorrow.