Halifax’s Underground Tropical Forest - Interview with Jennifer Lee
Click picture for full interview video!
Written by: Sarah Campbell
Photo by: Sarah Campbell
“They’re like ‘oh wow, you have a lot of plants’ I’m like, baby, this is the house full of plants!” says Jennifer Lee, a local plant lover and creative writer who has combined her two hobbies and given her love for plants a platform on Instagram and on her blog House Full of Plants.
On a January evening the warm orange light in her basement apartment seeps through her four windows and guides me to her warm smile, her dog squeezes by the door as she greets me “Welcome to the House Full of Plants!”
She ambles around her underground secret garden proudly exhibiting the job of her green thumb and swiftly tidying up the kitchen where she has just made 500 dumplings for Chinese New Year. Although she will not be holding the gathering there, as “there’s like 15 people coming, [and they] cannot fit […] here. I don’t know if you had noticed, but I don’t even have a kitchen table!”
Though this small basement apartment wouldn’t fit much human company, she still managed to collect up to 170 plants, clustered mainly around the four windows. With the inadequate amount of light exposure and small space, Jennifer understands that “plants can survive with an incredibly low amount of light, they don't thrive, but they survive.” By incorporating the right type of plants, her underground tropical wonderland flourished and shielded her house from the brittle cold of the January wind. “That’s what I’m going for, like a tropical vibe, ‘cause it’s like minus whatever outside and why not just have a bunch of plants in your home?”
Other than keeping the winter cold out of the house, plants have also helped her learn to treat herself well and balance her mental health. “Plants have been a very crucial mechanism for me […] I have had a few of hard past years […] the metaphor that you find in growing plants, it makes you think about something outside of yourself, in a way that caring for a dog doesn’t,” Jennifer said while gazing off to the towering green leaves that cozied her from the outside world.
Yet sometimes it is the surroundings that trouble her balance and inner peace.
Something that’s been on her mind is the loss of hope because of the climate crisis, since climate change is something that seemed out of her control and exceeds individual power, “the world is truly on fire. So, donate to this foundation to help Australia! And follow House Full of Plants on Instagram!”
Even then, she still manages to find solace in plants, “being able to physically control life and plant life […] is something that very much symbolizes nature in your own homes, I think it [growing plants] is very therapeutic and an excellent coping mechanism.” Everyone has different ways of dealing with climate change’s impact, caring for plants is her way to lift this heavy burden in her heart.
Her unexpected, humorous personality lights up the whole conversation, “I want to do standup comedy someday [and] I want to have my own land and goats and a chicken”. But before launching into the Sunday night comedy channel with a little ball of yellow fur, she’s focusing on expanding her side hustle by providing indoor plant décor, plant care and putting on several workshops in the community.
She also recognizes that people are always interested in listening to others’ stories; therefore, she is also working on sharing more inspiring plant-lover’s stories on her blog. “There’s a lot of amazing people in Halifax who do the same thing, kind of have the same spirit about them,” and she hopes everyone can tag along this planty journey as well!
If you are interested in Jennifer’s work, you can follow her on Instagram and her blog, where she shares tips and ideas about plant care.
Lastly, Jennifer recognizes the struggle for students to grow plants in small apartments or dorms, so she suggests tweaking the type of plants they take in and recommends investing in plants that can survive in low light conditions, like ZZ and snake plants.