I CAN’T IMAGINE LIFE life with out my admittedly oddball assortment of houseplants, a lot of which have been with me for a number of a long time already. So I used to be delighted not too long ago to satisfy Rob Moffitt, whose Los Angeles-based botanical design studio (above) focuses on matching their purchasers with houseplants which are simply the way in which I like them:
Not simply fairly, however possessing a great deal of character.
Typically sculptural in stature, like residing artworks.
Able to forging a connection to the particular person caring for them … and with the potential to endure, possibly even for a lifetime of companionship.
In a latest dialog, Rob shared some favorites that you could be want to think about welcoming into your life, too, and the place he finds them (trace: most likely not on the massive field retailer or grocery store). He’ll additionally shared a few of the methods for the way he reveals them off to their greatest benefit.
Rob is a former nurse turned plantsman. He based his enterprise known as The Haus Plant 5 years in the past, at first as a plant truck that he’d take to farmers’ markets. The final two and a half years, The Haus Plant has resided in a everlasting house on West third Avenue within the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. He and his workers of 13 create designs to include distinctive crops into purchasers’ houses and companies, and supply plant-care providers, too, for a few of these prospects.
Learn alongside as you take heed to the Dec. 1, 2025 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant beneath. You’ll be able to subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
distinctive houseplants, with rob moffitt
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Margaret Roach: It was so enjoyable to speak to you to do the “New York Instances” column that we did collectively not too long ago, as a result of our conversations round that—and nearly like what’s a houseplant and what does all of it imply?—it actually acquired me enthusiastic about how necessary they’re to me in my life. I imply, I’ve all the time identified it, however it made me aware, I suppose. And so I sort of wished to speak a little bit bit at first right here about what roles they play in our lives. Mine, yours, the purchasers’.
The obvious one is magnificence. And I suppose that’s why folks name you up and say, “Oh, I’d wish to have you ever come and assist me make my workplace or my house extra stunning.” However that’s not the place it stops, is it?
Rob Moffitt: No, in no way. And that’s not the place it actually began for me. Vegetation for me began as a type of remedy. I began accumulating crops as a pastime, and I used to be such as you stated, a nurse at UCLA, and on my days off—as a result of as a nurse you’re working three days every week— I used to journey, after which I began gardening a little bit bit on my patio after which it become accumulating crops and I killed loads alongside the way in which. However that was a part of the training course of, however it was actually a type of remedy and type of the ritual of caring for crops. After which it simply type of developed, and I began working at a pal’s plant retailer after which after some time throughout the starting of the pandemic, he was like, “You’re good at this. It is best to actually think about doing your individual factor.” In order that’s what drove me to begin The Haus Plant.
Margaret: Sure, and I feel one of many issues we talked about once we did the Instances story can be that upon getting houseplant in your residence, there’s additionally that connection to nature. And I’m in a cold-winter space the place we don’t have interaction as a lot with the backyard in sure of the winter months as we do the remainder of the yr, and so the houseplant is like that on a regular basis connection, proper?
Rob: Yeah, completely. We’re very fortunate right here in Southern California. I really grew up in Wisconsin, which had some fairly chilly winter. So after I moved out right here as a journey nurse, initially I’d simply be strolling on the streets in Venice or West Hollywood and would see a few of the unimaginable flowers. And that’s what sort of first piqued my curiosity is simply the year-round alternative to develop some actually attention-grabbing issues.
Margaret: And also you do develop some actually attention-grabbing issues [laughter]. I feel you used the quote within the Instances story that a few of them “are Dr. Seuss crops.”
Rob: Sure. I like my bizarre Dr. Seuss crops.
Margaret: Me, too; me, too. So how did that occur? And possibly we must always say to folks, what’s a Dr. Seuss plant? I imply, I feel the caudiciform crops, I don’t know if everybody will know what these are, however possibly you’ll be able to inform us a little bit bit. These are type of the Dr. Seuss-iest of all, I feel.
Rob: Yeah, I like quite a lot of completely different Dr. Seuss crops, however one in all them, such as you talked about, is the caudiciform crops which have that water-storage fats trunk of a base. And I simply discover them so attention-grabbing. And over time as a part of the caudex will kind beneath the soil, so a variety of occasions when these crops have been in a develop pot for years, you’ll be able to really uplift their roots and expose extra of that. After which over time you’ll be able to form them round rocks and various things like that. So that you get some actually attention-grabbing ones which are type of discovered within the forgotten-about nurseries and completely different collectors. And I’ve enjoyable enjoying round with all of the completely different types and shapes of them.
Margaret: So a few of these ones, these fats crops, these caudiciform crops with this swollen caudex, this swollen base of the stem, let’s identify a few these. I imply, I’ve had for 30-something years a shaving brush tree, which is I feel from the Caribbean and Central America, Southern Mexico. Pseudobombax ellipticum is its identify.
Rob: That’s one in all my present favorites. I sort of undergo cycles with which crops I like to make use of probably the most. And Pseudobombax are most likely one in all my favorites proper now.
Margaret: So it’s not your common houseplant; it doesn’t seem like a Pothos, proper, you understand what I imply? It’s not a little bit bunch of gorgeous little colourful leaves spilling out of a pot or one thing. It has this loopy swollen factor, this storage organ that serves a function. However how would you describe it [laughter] to the client? And do all of them freak out once you first present them this stuff?
Rob: Yeah, I feel one of many issues I really like in regards to the showroom is simply the attention-grabbing issues that we now have in there. Typically folks simply come to stroll via the showroom to see sort of the issues that we now have, as a result of we’re getting crops from collectors which were accumulating these for many years, after which they arrive into our assortment and we’re pairing them with completely different vessels.
However again to your query in regards to the Pseudobombax, a variety of them have this type of actually attention-grabbing inexperienced veining. I do know you despatched me a photograph of yours. The bottom of it has this… It nearly appears like a volleyball or like a tortoise shell sort of like Willy’s shell, our tortoise. [Below, Pseudobombax; photo by Gigi Aly.]
Margaret: And we must always say, simply to offer him credit score, Willy is—how previous is he now? He’s 7?
Rob: Willy simply turned 8. He’s an African Sulcata tortoise that we rescued from a rescue down in San Diego, and he lives at our showroom [laughter] and he’s develop into our little mascot.
Margaret: Or a giant mascot because the case could also be…
Rob: Our mascot, and about to be a lot greater. So he’ll attain to be about 200 kilos sometime.
Margaret: Oh boy. However these crops, the bottom of a Pseudobombax, as an example, it’s not clean essentially. It’s sort of craggy and mine has some inexperienced on it nearly as if it photosynthesizes from the bark, so to talk; there are crops which have that attribute. So folks are available in and so they’re pondering possibly they need to work with you or no matter. I imply at first, do you assume individuals are startled? As a result of I don’t even know what drew me to those sorts of crops within the first place, however they’re positively uncommon.
Rob: Yeah. I feel the one factor that, one in all my favourite issues to do with these extra attention-grabbing, unusual crops, if you’ll, is sort of view them as their very own piece. So a variety of occasions in a home or an inside, you’ll have a plant sort of shoved within the nook. I actually wish to make the plant entrance and middle. So you’ll be able to have this massive stunning room, and we do a variety of picture shoots and work with inside designers, and it’s one factor I like to do is these little tabletop items that may actually take front-center stage on this picture of this attractive inside.
So sort of viewing crops as their very own piece of artwork or object is sort of how I view it. You do something from a small tabletop that’s in a small 12-inch low dish to 15-foot timber. So we do sort of every thing in between. However one in all my private favorites is admittedly working with a few of these extra small attention-grabbing crops to showcase their magnificence.
Margaret: And also you simply stated low dish, and that’s the opposite factor that’s attention-grabbing. footage in your web site and the images that we did for the Instances and so forth, you might be daring in your juxtapositions of plant and pot. You don’t have a variety of issues that seem like a “flower pot,” you understand what I imply—the standard dimensions or no matter proportions.
Rob: Yeah. That’s one factor I actually love to do is sort of exhibit extra of the plant. And I feel when you’ve this low dish, it type of permits the plant to shine. You’ll be able to’t actually do this with each plant, however a few of the caudiciform crops that we talked about, or these Pseudobombax, or Fockea edulis, it means that you can plant these in additional of a shallow container. And that sort of offers a little bit bit extra of respiratory room for the plant to sort of shine, versus taking on a giant typical flower pot on prime of a tabletop, as a result of proportion-wise it is perhaps too tall. So sort of making the pot part of the piece.
And we work with completely different native artists and ceramicists, after which we supply a variety of classic containers as effectively from completely different flea markets or vintage reveals and many property gross sales as effectively. So all the time on the hunt for various attention-grabbing vessels to pair these crops with.
Margaret: And there are different type of swollen-based crops, I feel you employ some baobab timber, Adansonia, and the Queensland bottle tree, I feel that’s Australian, proper, Brachychiton?
Rob: Brachychiton rupestris [above] is the one I like to make use of loads. They all the time have a very attention-grabbing twisted trunk and a root system beneath the soil. And over time you’re in a position to expose extra of the foundation, and particularly I really like once they’re potbound. So when one in all these timber has been grown in a nursery pot for years, they’ll type of begin to twist on themselves. After which once you expose that, there’s all types of attention-grabbing issues taking place and also you don’t actually know—and that’s the fantastic thing about it, too, is you don’t actually know till you uproot a few of these issues and mess around with it.
So I feel one in all my strategies is play. [Laughter.] Having a small nursery—the again of our showroom is sort of a back-of-house nursery inventory space the place we simply have a variety of crops that we simply acquired in from collectors or growers. And a variety of it’s simply experimenting and enjoying and seeing what types of roots you discover beneath the soil.
However the Queensland bottle tree is a very attention-grabbing one which you can mess around with the foundation construction and twist it round a rock, or place multiples collectively to make an even bigger association. So I’ve a variety of enjoyable with these ones for positive.
Margaret: And it’s not like what you’re speaking about is you’re not taking a giant plant out of its pot and making an attempt to shove its roots round a rock and it’s finished that day. It is a course of, sure? This coaching is a course of?
Rob: It’s a combination. Typically with the bottle timber, you’ll be able to get a composition that appears actually stunning and completed as if it’s been skilled for years and years. So generally I’ll do this. However once more, all of it sort of depends upon what you’re discovering beneath the soil with that particular plant.
However yeah, there’s others that I’ll do… I experiment loads, too. So I’ll do one thing the place I’ll pull up a bottle tree, wrap it round a rock, bury it again beneath the soil, and permit that root construction to connect itself across the rock. That takes extra time. And you then additionally don’t actually know what you’re getting a yr or two later once you pull it again up, if it connected or if it grew round. Oftentimes with these I discover actually, actually attention-grabbing issues occur. And as you understand, nature goes to do what it’s going to do, and we might be the artist or the information to it, however it’s nonetheless going to have its personal approach of doing issues.
Margaret: I’d assume the primary time doing that, taking a plant out of the soil, taking a look at its roots after which saying, “Oh, I feel I’m going to coach it round a rock” and put it again in a pot, clearly, however skilled over a rock, so it’s partly uncovered, a part of its root system is uncovered and including to the artfulness, the sculptural high quality of it… It should be a little bit nervous-making although. I feel you stated you do this with, what are they, a few of the rock figs [Ficus petiolaris, below, or Ficus palmeri] as effectively?
Rob: Yeah, a few of the rock figs as effectively, once you manipulate their roots and expose them after which there’s completely different strategies. You’ll be able to put sphagnum moss round it and preserve that damp and the roots will thicken. Or you’ll be able to put it again within the soil and it’ll begin to thicken a little bit bit slower.
Virtually all of the crops that we do that with will go into some sort of preliminary shock, which might be alarming for patrons, or for us. Typically we’ll have one thing planted out, and it appears stunning within the second, however I do know as a result of I simply manipulated the roots and pruned again, it can go into some sort of shock. So simply being cautious with how quickly you’re letting one thing exit the door, simply to make it possible for it recovers shortly. While you’re manipulating that a lot root construction on a plant, generally they even die. I’ve killed a variety of crops, sadly, however they sometimes will go into some type of preliminary shock interval.
Margaret: And notably since you’re in enterprise and also you need to decrease the mortality [laughter], but in addition for these of us who’ve one thing we love, the timing is necessary of once we’re going to uproot one thing and take a look at, whether or not it’s only for reporting as a result of we expect it wants a bigger house or no matter, freshening of the soil. And by the way in which, with the sorts of crops we’ve been speaking about, I’m assuming we’re that means nearly like a cactus combine or one thing once we discuss soil. We’re speaking about one thing fast-draining.
Rob: Yeah, very well-draining soil. And we’ll sometimes add a good quantity of perlite or pumice or a coconut coir simply to assist with the aeration of the soil. Lots of the containers that we use, we find yourself sealing, as a result of they’re happening a really costly desk and we don’t need that to get ruined. So we actually reside by our moisture meter and finger checks with the soil to make it possible for crops aren’t getting overwatered. However with that, you’re eager to just remember to have a very well-aerated soil.
Margaret: Proper. So that you’re testing with a moisture meter; when it doesn’t have drainage, you’re testing with a moisture meter commonly to offer you a touch—it’s not the final word.
Rob: You’ll be able to’t actually belief them completely. However one other factor we’ll do is put a picket stake in there, and once you pull it out, you’ll be able to sort of see a little bit bit additional down if the soil remains to be damp, or finger checks and that type of factor as effectively.
Margaret: In case you have been saying to folks which plant to begin with, so to talk, in the event that they wished to delve into, say, these crops with these swollen bases, these very naturally sculptural ones… And by the way in which, a variety of these are timber of their homelands, and so they come from locations which have a extreme dry season often, which is why they’ve that massive swollen storage place, for what they should get via the robust occasions. However you’re nearly like bonsai-ing them.
Rob: Yeah. In case you ever see the Australian bottleneck tree out within the wild, I imply, a few of these trunks flip into these fats five-, six-foot spherical diameter trunks, and they are often brief fats little timber. Like at The Huntington gardens, the place I first acquired actually enthusiastic about a few of these crops, you’ll be able to see a few of them there which are simply wild, simply how massive they get. And what we do is take them at a youthful age, or a few of them are a lot older, however they’ve been contained to this nursery pot, so it’s nearly like self-bonsai a little bit bit. So it retains them contained. It’ll begin to fatten the trunk or the bottom. So yeah, I suppose what we’re doing is a type of bonsai, positively not your conventional bonsai, however I suppose, I don’t know if I’d name it bonsai or not, however we’re manipulating crops, so I feel it’s some type of it.
Margaret: Yeah, no, I simply meant it by way of, it’s nearly like the method if with a really completely different plant palette. And despite the fact that I’ve had, as I discussed, the shaving brush tree for thus many a long time, I’m embarrassed to confess I by no means even realized I might prune it. I’m the one particular person I knew who had this plant. I purchased it on the Philadelphia Flower Present within the vendor space one million years in the past, and I introduced it house and I didn’t know something. And it’s not like there’s a handbook that has all this in it, particularly not 30-something years in the past. And so that you additionally, apart from enjoying with possibly exposing some roots of a few of these crops, you additionally do some changes to the tops of them?
Rob: We closely prune crops, and I feel that enables it to open completely different canopies. And likewise relying on what house you’re placing it in, you might have it on a espresso desk the place you need to have the ability to see via it, so we’ll open up the cover a little bit bit. However yeah, we’ll prune again crops fairly a bit. Finest to try this and late spring, early summer season, and that approach it permits the tree to sort of, because it’s getting into its progress part, to pop again fairly fast.
Margaret: We’re not going to do that once they’re dormant as a result of a variety of these crops do go dormant; once more, a variety of these caudiciform crops do go dormant. They arrive from locations the place they’re accustomed to having a dry season. And so equally with the repotting, you don’t simply do it any previous time, proper? You time that fastidiously, too, don’t you?
Rob: A few of them are extra forgiving than others, however it can simply sort of have an effect on the timeframe by which they’ll come again. So a variety of the rock figs, not less than right here in Southern California, they’ll dangle onto their foliage many of the yr. They positively skinny out within the fall and winter, however particularly if we now have one indoors with subsequent to a window with actually good gentle, I feel a variety of it has to do with the temperature modifications. So a variety of these, even the Pseudobombax—I’ve a pair purchasers which have a very stunning Pseudobombax, and it’s in a southern-facing window and sometimes outdoors all of mine will lose all their foliage, which I think about yours most likely does, too.
Margaret: Mine does. It hasn’t gone to sleep this yr, and I don’t know why but, however it sometimes would by round now, and it stays asleep for a lot of months. And I don’t even water it in any respect throughout these months as a result of I’m a horrible particular person. Nevertheless it appears to have been high quality with that.
Rob: You’ve had it for, what, 30 years you stated?
Margaret: Thirty, 35 years, yeah.
Rob: Wonderful.
Margaret: And I haven’t repotted it in not less than 25 of these years.
Rob: Oh, unimaginable. Yeah. Lots of the crops I wish to work with fortunately are fairly forgiving. I feel a few of the tropicals which are a little bit bit heavier fertilizer feeders, you do like rule of thumb for houseplants, which is potting each two to a few years. However a few of the Fockea, the Pseudobombax that we’ve been speaking about, these are fairly forgiving in many alternative methods so long as they’re not getting waterlogged.
I feel that’s the principle factor that folks do is love their crops a little bit an excessive amount of. They see possibly some leaves begin to yellow—particularly on a few of these extra deciduous crops which have a relaxation interval—they see yellowing leaves or drooping leaves, and so they simply go, “Water extra,” as a result of that’s what we all know to do with them. And that’s often what finally ends up killing the crops, in my expertise.
Margaret: I agree. I wished to ask you about—I type of hinted within the introduction—it’s simple to search out houseplants, they’re in every single place. They’re even within the grocery store [laughter]. However a few of these not a lot. So like I stated, I purchased mine years in the past on the vendor space of a flower present; specialty locations. Is there commerce in these—authorized and conscientious commerce, I imply—how do you discover them? I imply, the place do you search for uncommon houseplants such as you wish to undertake?
Rob: Yeah, it began with going to a variety of the nurseries that I knew, after which simply sort of plant folks. And often even these people who have nurseries which are promoting extra commercially to workplace buildings and simply your typical houseplants, a variety of these folks even have areas within the again which have issues that they’ve come throughout or collected over years that they’re keen to surrender. Typically that’s additionally the place you discover the crops that aren’t on the market, which I’m all the time after [laughter].
Margaret: So those which have nearly been forgotten about, which were put within the again and so they don’t need to throw them away, however they’re not likely… They don’t really feel that they present effectively out within the entrance on the shelf with the opposite stuff.
Rob: And that’s the factor: I discover that a few of these are probably the most stunning. They’ve attention-grabbing shapes, and so they don’t essentially must be a “uncommon plant.” They’ll generally simply be overgrown and have attention-grabbing kind for them to be. And I feel generally they only want that pruning, or to be paired with the appropriate container, to indicate off what they actually might be. However yeah, we’re all the time on the hunt for attention-grabbing crops, particularly right here in Southern California and we’re subsequent to Arizona the place there’s some attention-grabbing growers, the place I’m at a few of these commerce reveals, just like the one that you simply have been at, and assembly the distributors after which speaking to them about what I’m in search of, what I love to do. And so they’re like, “Oh, I’ve this assortment, or I do know this particular person.” So it’s all about relationships, too, it’s simply attending to know a few of these completely different collectors and growers who’re displaying crops at a few of the inner-city reveals and issues like that. [Above, a Dioscorea elephantipes vining caudiciform plant.]
Margaret: Most likely property gross sales, even generally yard gross sales generally. And Fb Market, have you ever finished that? Do you do this?
Rob: We’re on Fb Market on daily basis. We’re at property gross sales. I’ve developed relationships with estate-sale managers, so a few of them will let me know first as a result of crops aren’t most likely the principle factor that they’re making an attempt to promote at these property gross sales. They’re type of an afterthought.
So I’ve developed relationships the place I get to run into these property gross sales earlier than they open. Typically I’m discovering nice containers, however a variety of the occasions what I’m in search of is the crops.
There’s attention-grabbing estates up in Beverly Hills. I used to be at one final yr the place I simply discovered a bunch of unimaginable crops that have been simply in these terracotta pots and simply supplied to take all of them. So I’m all the time discovering stuff like that.
Really at the moment, one in all my designers, he’s down with our truck in San Diego, and he has about 15 completely different nurseries that he’s going to. And he’s been sending me pictures yesterday and at the moment of issues that he’s discovering. So between myself and my three designers, we’re all the time on the hunt: completely different markets and property gross sales and Fb Market. So we’re all the time on there. And it’s humorous, a variety of occasions he’ll ship me a list on Fb Market and I’m like, “Yep, I already noticed it. I already put a proposal in.” It’s like a little bit little bit of a treasure hunt. We’ve got a variety of enjoyable with it.
Margaret: Yeah. Nicely, I’m so glad to speak to you, Rob Moffitt from The Haus Plant in Los Angeles. You remind me, the way in which you’re speaking simply then, jogs my memory of a pal of mine who has an vintage retailer and he goes “junking,” as he calls it, you understand what I imply? And he’s like simply scouring locations, scouting, and he has all his particular sources. So it’s sort of enjoyable to consider that. And subsequent time I am going to my favourite nursery, I’m positively going to ask the proprietor in the event that they’ve acquired some stuff stashed within the again that’s a little bit neglected, and possibly I can undertake any individual with character [laughter].
Rob: You’ll must let me know once you discover some attention-grabbing issues.
(All pictures from The Haus Plant, besides as famous.)
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