INTERIOR DESIGN The majority of Plokhii’s plants are situated in her sun-lit bedroom. On the window sill sits her orchid collection. “Orchids are tricky,” she mused. “One of the things I learned is that they need a cold spell to bloom. I do have one guy who’s blooming over here though.” On the other side of the room, an antique dresser is host to an enormous array of tropical and non-tropical plants. “I have a Chinese money plant, Cuban oregano, a cactus, an African violet, a peace lily, a fiddle leaf fern, a monstera plant, hoya, a string of pearls,” she said, and above all of this, an air plant looks on. She also has a few succulents dotted about. “Succulents are great as a starter plant,” Plokhii suggested. “You only need to water them once a month and provide them with plenty of sunlight.” As well as the plant life, the apartment is furnished with vintage furniture and art picked up locally in Astoria and from Plokhii’s travels to Africa and Mexico. 46 JUNE 2 0 1 7 “The coffee table is a Craigslist find; I think it cost $60,” she said. “It weighs over 100 pounds! We filled it with various trinkets, like seashells from Cape Cod, roses that my husband bought for me, some religious iconography and old keys.” Plokhii loves to indulge in some do-ityourself home projects like a stool she made out of an Ikea table covered in fabric bought at a local shop, Lockwood. On the wall hangs a piece of pressed flower art. This piece was bought locally, but Plokhii told me that she is inspired to create a piece of her own as her next project. I asked Plokhii for some tips for starting your own indoor garden and she told me, “I water all of my plants on Sundays; that’s what most people do in the flower community. Sunday is water day. It makes sense to water plants on the same day each week — that way you can always remember when you’ve done it and don’t over-water. You can grow plants anywhere as long as you have light. It’s trial and error. My suggestion is go to Home Depot, buy 10 small plants and start there.” And if you’re serious about cultivating your own green space, you can definitely find support from others who are doing the same. “There’s a real community of plant hobbists out there,” she said. “I now belong to something called Keiki Club. A keiki is essen
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