Amanda Roberts, host of HGTV’s Plant Mama web series, is a full-time grad student who is currently working on PhD in political science. She resides in Ottawa with her partner, their cat Artemis and their dog Gordon. Amanda’s love for plants began as a young girl when her grandmother gifted her an African Violet. After nearly killing the plant, she brought it back to her grandmother who helped bring it back to life. Amanda aspires to that level of green-thumb-ness to this day.
Houseplants have become increasingly more popular with millennials like herself over the past few years. (Which makes total sense as plants are such a fun hobby and a great way to make your home feel cozier too.) Plant care can be really intricate and the amount of great information out there can be overwhelming. With Plant Mama, Amanda’s goal is to keep it simple and approachable while still covering all the basics you need to get started. In the future, Amanda hopes to build on that foundation by exploring niche topics like caring for particular plants or dealing with
pests.
Reflecting on the first season of Plant Mama, Amanda says the biggest learning curve as an introvert was finding ways to keep her energy up in order to be “on” all day. The entire season, including 6 full episodes and lifestyle b-roll, was filmed on set in Toronto over the course of three days. The key was finding time for things that would give her that much needed few minutes of quiet to bring back her enthusiasm . That included things like reading a book for five
minutes while a shot gets set up, having a snack or a coffee, even doing a few yoga poses while the producer adjusts a shot!
Canadian Home Trends – Do you have a personal favorite plant story?
Amanda Roberts – My favorite plant story is about my first winter with my fiddle leaf fig. First I seriously underwatered it and it lost a bunch of leaves, then it got spider mites, then I overwatered it and it lost a bunch of leaves. I was sure it was going to die! I’ve figured out a good routine with it now, but they’re such picky plants when it comes to their
growing conditions. Mine has its own humidifier. I like telling this story to remind people that plants can be tricky and that I make mistakes and struggle with them sometimes too. The houseplant hobby is basically 80% persistence!
CHT – If you could have lunch with any one person in the world, who would you pick?
AR – Ru Paul. In interviews he is hilarious but also makes these really profound observations about society, politics, mental health, and gender. I’m a big Drag Race fan!
CHT – What is one plant you haven’t had a chance to own/grow yet that you’d love to attempt?
AR – I think carnivorous plants are fascinating and beautiful! They can be a bit high maintenance, so I haven’t given them a try just yet.
CHT – What is your favorite room in your house?
AR – I love our living room. It has a big south-facing window, so it gets really good light. My cat Artemis has beds
hanging on the window and she’s there often. The room is crammed with plants on every surface, including the floor. I actually buy more surfaces to put plants on. It’s a problem but I love it!
Find Season 1 of PlantMama on HGTV at http://www.hgtv.ca/plant-mama
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