Plant Lessons of Lockdown: Philodendron Birkin

When I found out the name of this plant, two things hit me. One, it must be new and man made. Two, it has to be designed to appeal to the Instagram world. A little digging and it seems I was wasn’t far off.

The Birkin is indeed manmade but what fascinated me was the plant it is supposedly derived from - the Rojo Congo. It’s so different in looks I’m wondering if I’m going to have another plant by the end of the year. Very little can be found about how to care for it because of its short history. Everyone will tell you it’s easy to care for.

But who can resist this very fashionable looking plant for now? Mine is about 5 months old, and I’ve kept it indoors. I’ve only just moved it to a brighter spot, wondering if that would improve the variegation of leaves.

I am now wondering how this plant will pan out. Will it outgrow its stripes eventually and go back to green? Should I put in an even brighter spot to see if the variegation changes? Does temperature have anything to do with it?

More updates in the coming weeks.

Light: Bright, but away from direct light.

Water: About 4 - 5 days depending on the weather.

Soil: A mix of potting soil, peat and perlite.

Plant Lessons of Lockdown: Philodendron Mayoi

What’s a creative to do when walking to the water cooler, grabbing tea at the coffee shop, or bantering with team mates for a breather no longer exists? Dig up history about plants. Here’s a Philodendron Mayoi. Discovered in the year 2000 in the rainforests of Brazil. With the double talent of being both a terrestrial (creeps along the ground), and a hemiepiphyte - the kind of species that can begin life growing out of the ground and then climb up a tree, or root on a tree as an epiphyte and then grow roots down to the soil.

Light: Medium bright. I have it about 6 feet away from the corridor ledge, clustered with other philos.

Water: A deep water through, every 4 - 5 days, but it really depends on the weather.

Care: Low maintenance. Similar behaviour to other philos. If you can keep a money plant alive, you can keep this one.

Where did I buy it: Terrascapes LLP

Plant Lessons of Lockdown: Philodendron Burle Marx

With Covid-19 and the time I’ve gotten back in 2020, it feels great to be back rejuvenating the corridor jungle I neglected. So I’m back recording down my lessons and observations! Great news is, the plants that hated me in 2019 are starting to love me back. Am I glad this variegated Philodendron Burle Marx survived.

Care: Bright light but out of direct sun. This plant does best for me when it’s clustered with other plants.

Watering: About once a week. I do wait for it to dry out an inch from the top before watering.

Difficulty: Great for beginners. It survived being ignored for over two weeks, followed by sporadic watering for a few months when work took me away. The leaves will wilt and look sad but it perks up quickly. I’d classify this as resilient and hardy.

Where did I buy this: Raymond’s Alcove