It was happy happenstance that I came across Saffron de la Rouviere’s profile on Instagram.

I had put the call out on my story – being a newish plant mom and looking to grow my plant family – for recommendations for new plants and where I could buy them. A dear friend of mine pointed me to Saffron’s Garden.

I made my way to her profile, thinking I’d find the normal plant account/plant shop, only to be (very) pleasantly surprised.

Read my Q&A with her to find out why.

Tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m Saffron – yes that’s my real name 🙂 I grew up in the Karoo and I now live in Hout Bay with three cats, a dog, a very feisty toddler and over 200 indoor plants. I love plants, swimming, eating melktart and listening to my toddler sing. 

When did your “plant mom” journey start?

My husband and I lived in a very small apartment in Tapei, and after a year of doing that, I realised that I missed having a garden and direct access to plants. When we moved back to South Africa, I insisted on a small garden so I could start gardening. My mom was also very heavily into gardening and plants and we bonded over becoming succulent-obsessive together. 

I love the idea of your plant club (Yes, she has a plant club!) When and how did this come about?

Over time I realised there was a very large community of plant lovers on Instagram and so I reached out to a few with the idea that we organise a meet-up – this turned into the official Cape Town Plant Swap and we had so much fun at these events that I realised I really enjoyed the sense of community that plants could foster in people.
 
I wanted to find a way in which people could experience this sense of community in their very own day-to-day lives – and then that’s when I thought of a plant club, and even better, one where members would get a surprise plant every month, adding to a collective buzz and excitement in the community.

I also decided to add local businesses to the offering of each month’s package, thereby expanding the community to not only plant lovers, but plant-related businesses.

Blogger side-note: I can’t believe no one ever told me plant clubs exist! How cool is this?

How do people sign up to the club?

They can purchase a subscription to the club, via my online shop, or simply by sending me an email or a DM on Instagram.

What was your very first plant?

My very first plant was a cactus that I bought when I was about nine years old. It was tiny and now it’s pretty large. It’s been through neglect and even a teenage friend setting it on fire (Blogger: hahaha – I don’t mean to laugh, but this is funny!). Now I’m waiting for it to bloom.

Your top 3 favourite plants?

That’s a very difficult question to ask any plant lover. But I’d have to say the rarer Philodendron plowmanii, the ever-so-reliable and profoundly beautiful Monstera deliciosa and the exotic-looking Calathea orbifolia.

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Any advice/words of wisdom for other plant lovers out there?

Even expert gardeners have plants die on them. Green-thumbs don’t exist, only a few set of rules: Always feel the soil of your plant before you water it, indirect sunlight satisfies most indoor plants and keep an eye out for pests.

Photos Supplied by Saffron.