Plants have a way of building community – whether we expect them to or not. It’s a theme that rings true in talking with Truman Gerholdt, a Financial Analyst at Flywheel and the winner of our recent houseplant photo contest on Instagram. Truman, of @truthswithtruman, loves plants, and he loves sharing them with the people in his life.
His collection, totaling about a hundred plants, includes one lush ‘mama’ spider plant that throws out tons of plantlets and makes plant-gifting easy. By giving plants and continually swapping houseplant advice, Truman has now converted his circle of friends and family into a community of plant-minded people. And they’ve even come to know him as the friend who gives them plants.
Being raised on a farm and later becoming an avid gardener, Truman has always had a connection with growing things from the earth. It was just a few years ago though that he entered the houseplant world with a sansevieria and his one prolific spider plant – two easy-care plants that were just the start. It wasn’t long before Truman and his now-husband Mike were gifting plants back and forth and his one spider plant had become a whole family.
Truman says the thing that really propelled their plant collecting habits was understanding and experiencing the benefits of being surrounded by plants – including better air quality and peace of mind. He and Mike also came to love the look, replacing much of the artwork in their home with more plants.
The collection now includes fiddle leaf fig, selloum, some palms, and many others. Although Truman recently brought home a new Monstera adansonii – thanks to his photo contest prize – many of the plants in his collection were once rescues that just needed a little love to get back on their feet. His house is bathed in that perfect bright, indirect light that most plants thrive in, and Truman’s plant crew obviously adores it. For his photo entries, Truman decided to see what the entire collection would look like gathered in one space – with each of his dogs in the center. It was Mazie’s winning photo that took first place.
Looking forward, Truman would like to expand into the world of cacti – he certainly has the light for it – and a few more palms are in his future too. But his favorite might always be his original spider plant, which has made it so easy for him to share his love for plants with others.
When asked if he has any advice for new plant parents, Truman immediately says, “Invest in soil and pots.” As Truman explains, having a good potting mix that fits the needs of the plant can make a big difference in the long-term health of your plant collection. “Finding pottery that fits the vibe of your home will help you enjoy your plants a little more too.” He also adds with a laugh, “and don’t water as much as you think you should.” In his experience, more light and less water is usually a better solution. Good advice for sure.
We really loved seeing Truman’s plant collection and so many other beautiful photos from all of you in this year’s houseplant photo contest. Thank you again to everyone who participated! Congratulations also go out to Sophie Lopez of @soph_plants and Hannah Keen of @hannahckeen, our second and third place winners. If you’d like to see all the amazing entries, head over to Instagram and check out #mulhallsplantcontest.
All photos by: @truthswithtruman
