Get a Tour of a Feline Jungle in This Episode of ‘In the Weeds’

Inside Vionna Wai’s 100-Plus-Plant Brooklyn Apartment

The short video tour wastes little time establishing who really runs the household. Mi and Ding appear before the camera moves toward the apartment’s plant displays, including a large arrangement that Wai and her boyfriend call the “wall of distraction.”

The name is painfully relatable to anyone who has ever intended to water one pothos and resurfaced 45 minutes later holding pruning shears, a moisture meter, and three leaves that “looked suspicious.” Wai would approach the shelves to inspect one plant, then become absorbed in checking the entire collection.

A Plant Wall With Personality

The wall is composed of shelves overflowing with foliage and warm terracotta pots. Instead of looking like a sterile retail display, it feels layered and personal. Plants grow at different heights, leaves overlap, and every container appears to be part of a living composition rather than a perfectly coordinated furniture catalog.

This approach is one reason the apartment feels like a jungle instead of a room containing many unrelated plants. Repeating materials, such as terracotta, visually connects the collection. Varying leaf shapes and plant heights keeps it from becoming a green blur. Trailing stems soften shelf edges, while upright plants provide structure.

How an Architecture Assignment Started the Feline Jungle

Wai’s plant obsession began during architecture school. For a class project, she had to construct a prototype of a green wall incorporating a living plant. She selected a ZZ plant, or Zamioculcas zamiifolia, a famously resilient houseplant with glossy leaves and underground rhizomes that store water.

One assignment became one plant, one plant encouraged another purchase, and the usual botanical mathematics took over. Somehow, “I will just add a little greenery” became a collection numbering in the triple digits.

The story illustrates how houseplant collections often develop. Few people wake up intending to manage a small indoor conservatory. They begin with a plant that survives, discover the satisfaction of new growth, learn that leaf shapes can be wildly different, and suddenly have strong opinions about potting media.

A Reality Check About “Air-Purifying” Plants

Wai chose her original ZZ plant partly for its air-purifying reputation. That reputation grew from laboratory research showing that plants and their associated soil microorganisms can remove certain pollutants under controlled conditions. However, later analysis found that ordinary potted plants work far too slowly to replace ventilation or effective air filtration in a typical building.

Houseplants still contribute beauty, texture, routine, and a welcome connection to nature. They simply should not be treated as leafy substitutes for opening a window, maintaining an HVAC system, or using an appropriate air cleaner. Also, overwatered soil may encourage microorganisms that bother people with certain allergies. In other words, enjoy the junglebut do not assign the philodendron responsibility for the ventilation system.

The Standout Plants in Wai’s Collection

Philodendron Florida Ghost

Wai identifies the Philodendron Florida Ghost as a favorite. It is easy to understand the appeal. Its deeply lobed leaves can emerge pale before gradually changing color, giving a mature specimen a mix of ghostly new foliage and richer green leaves.

Philodendrons generally prefer warm conditions, well-draining organic soil, and bright indirect light. They are popular among collectors because the genus offers an enormous range of leaf colors, shapes, sizes, and growth habits. One philodendron can look elegant and restrained; another appears to have arrived from a prehistoric swamp with dramatic intentions.

Anthurium Clarinervium

Among the apartment’s most distinctive specimens is Anthurium clarinervium, valued for its thick, velvety, heart-shaped foliage and prominent pale veins. It is the kind of plant that makes visitors lean closer and whisper, “Is that real?”

The episode also discusses the possibility of anthuriums producing berries after successful flowering and pollination. Wai jokes about contacting other collectors if her specimen flowers so compatible plants can be found. That moment reveals an important part of serious plant collecting: it is surprisingly social. Behind every rare leaf may be a network of friends comparing growth, exchanging pollen, trading cuttings, and sending one another photos captioned, “LOOK WHAT FINALLY UNFURLED.”

A Philodendron Sword With a Survival Story

Not every plant reaches the Feline Jungle in glamorous condition. A Philodendron sword Wai ordered was delayed in the mail and arrived looking seriously stressed. Rather than giving up on it, she worked to restore its health.

That rescue reflects a patient side of plant care that social media does not always show. New leaves photograph beautifully; weeks of cautious watering, humidity management, pest checks, and waiting are considerably less cinematic. Yet plant recovery can be more satisfying than buying a flawless specimen because each new shoot feels like evidence that the effort mattered.

The Fiddle-Leaf Figand Its Surprise Roommate

Near the dining area, hanging plants take advantage of a south-facing window, while a tall fiddle-leaf fig adds the visual weight of an indoor tree. The fig once acquired an unexpected companion: a pepper seedling growing from its pot.

Wai eventually learned that her boyfriend had been dropping assorted seeds into the soil to see whether anything would sprout. It was less formal horticulture and more botanical roulette. Still, the pepper grew, proving that even carefully designed plant collections leave room for chaos.

How to Build a Large Collection Without Emptying Your Bank Account

Rare houseplants can become expensive quickly, especially when a cultivar is fashionable, difficult to propagate, or available only in limited quantities. Wai expands her collection through strategies that replace impulse spending with cooperation.

Trade Plants With Other Collectors

Her Moonshine snake plant came through a trade with friends. Swapping plants or rooted cuttings gives collectors access to new varieties without requiring another full-price purchase. It also turns the collection into a record of relationships: this plant came from a classmate, that cutting came from a neighbor, and the one in the corner came from a trade that somehow included three pots and a bag of homemade cookies.

Share the Cost of Rare Specimens

Wai and her friends divided the cost of a King Anthurium. The plan was to let the juvenile plant become established, propagate it, and eventually distribute portions among the group.

This strategy requires patience and trust. A rare plant is not a pizza; it cannot always be divided the evening it arrives. Roots must develop, the plant must be healthy, and the chosen propagation method must suit the species. Nevertheless, cost sharing makes unusual plants more accessible and discourages the idea that every collector must own a large specimen immediately.

Propagate Carefully

Houseplants may be propagated through division, stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, offsets, or other methods, depending on the plant. Clean tools, suitable growing media, healthy parent material, and realistic expectations improve the odds of success.

Propagation also makes a collection more resilient. A rooted backup can preserve a favorite plant if the original develops root rot or suffers accidental damage. It is the botanical version of saving an important file in two placesexcept the backup occasionally develops fungus gnats.

Design Lessons From the Feline Jungle

Work With the Light You Actually Have

One of the strongest lessons from Wai’s apartment is that plants should be positioned according to available light, not merely according to where an empty corner looks sad. South-facing windows generally provide the brightest household exposure in the Northern Hemisphere, although sensitive plants may need filtered light or gradual acclimation.

Before buying a plant, observe how sunlight moves through the room. Note whether nearby buildings block it and whether seasonal changes dramatically alter the exposure. “Bright indirect light” is not a decorative mood; it is an environmental condition.

Create Layers Instead of Clutter

A large indoor garden becomes easier to view when plants occupy multiple levels. Shelves, hanging planters, stands, windowsills, and floor containers create a vertical landscape. Larger leaves can act as focal points, while smaller foliage fills gaps.

Grouping plants with similar care requirements can also simplify maintenance. Humidity-loving tropicals may share one area, while drought-tolerant plants occupy another. This reduces the likelihood of watering every pot according to the thirstiest drama queen in the room.

Leave Room to Perform Maintenance

A shelf may look wonderfully lush until the plant in the back needs to be removed for watering. Collections need access paths, saucers, waterproof surfaces, and enough space to inspect leaves and soil.

New plants should be inspected and, when practical, kept separate temporarily. Common indoor pests include spider mites, mealybugs, scale, whiteflies, and fungus gnats. Dust should also be removed periodically because clean foliage receives light more effectively and makes pest detection easier.

Important Cat-Safety Lessons for an Indoor Jungle

The phrase “Feline Jungle” sounds charming, but plant-loving cat owners need to take toxicity seriously. Several plant groups seen or discussed in the episodeincluding ZZ plants, philodendrons, anthuriums, snake plants, and fiddle-leaf figsappear on veterinary or animal-poison-control lists as potentially harmful to cats.

Philodendrons and anthuriums contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing them can cause immediate irritation and pain in a pet’s mouth and throat, along with symptoms such as drooling, pawing at the mouth, or vomiting. Other plants may cause gastrointestinal problems through different compounds.

“Out of Reach” Must Mean Out of Reach

A high shelf may stop an elderly cat and mildly inconvenience an athletic one. Cats climb furniture, leap between surfaces, pull trailing vines, and occasionally accomplish feats that appear to violate basic geometry. Hanging baskets, closed display cabinets, plant rooms with doors, and truly inaccessible shelving may offer stronger separation.

Owners should identify every plant by its scientific name whenever possible, research its toxicity, remove fallen leaves, and watch for signs of chewing. Avoid assuming that a cat will ignore a plant simply because it has done so before.

Choose Cat-Friendly Alternatives

A feline-focused home can also emphasize plants listed as non-toxic to cats. Depending on growing conditions and the individual pet, possible options include many peperomias, certain palms, African violets, prayer plants, and appropriately identified ferns. Even non-toxic greenery may cause stomach upset if a cat eats a large amount, so supervision and sensible placement still matter.

When exposure to a potentially toxic plant is suspected, contact a veterinarian or animal poison-control service promptly. Do not wait for severe symptoms, and do not induce vomiting unless a veterinary professional specifically instructs you to do so.

The Best Advice From the Episode

Wai’s most useful recommendation is refreshingly practical: understand what a plant needs before buying it. That means evaluating its light, watering, temperature, humidity, space, toxicity, and maintenance requirementsand then comparing those needs with your actual lifestyle.

A rare plant is not automatically the right plant. A specimen that requires daily attention may be a poor match for someone who travels frequently. A huge fiddle-leaf fig may look magnificent online but become an inconvenient roommate in a tiny studio. A toxic trailing plant may be unsuitable for a home with a determined climber disguised as a house cat.

The right plant is the one you can care for safely and consistently. That principle matters more than price, rarity, popularity, or the number of people currently posting unboxing videos about it.

Why This Episode of “In the Weeds” Is Worth Watching

Wai’s home stands out because the collection feels lived with rather than staged. Plants have histories. Some were traded, some were shared purchases, one survived a shipping ordeal, and another unexpectedly became a nursery for a pepper seed.

The episode also captures the way a collection can combine architecture, art, horticulture, friendship, and pet ownership. The Feline Jungle is not simply impressive because it contains more than 100 plants. It is memorable because each decision reveals something about the people and animals living among them.

Most viewers will not finish the tour and immediately acquire 100 houseplants. That would be ambitious, expensive, and a terrific way to meet every fungus gnat in the metropolitan area. They may, however, leave with a clearer sense of how to layer greenery, use window light, propagate plants, trade with friends, and choose species that suit their homes.

Extended Experience: What Living in a Feline Jungle Really Feels Like

Imagine beginning the morning in a room where the first sunlight passes through dozens of leaves before reaching the floor. Shadows from philodendrons stretch across the wall, hanging vines sway slightly near the window, and a cat has already claimed the warmest patch of light. The apartment does not feel decorated with plants. It feels occupied by them.

The experience is calming, but it is not passive. Before making coffee, you notice that one leaf has curled inward. Is the soil dry? Is the window colder than usual? Is the plant simply being theatrical? You touch the potting mix, inspect the underside of the leaf, and promise yourself that this will be the only plant task before breakfast.

Then you see a yellow leaf on the next shelf.

Living with a large collection sharpens observation. New growth becomes a small daily event. A developing leaf might be checked every morning for a week. Roots appearing in a propagation jar feel like good news arriving by mail. A plant that recovers after losing most of its foliage can create a surprising sense of accomplishment.

The cats add another layer. Every placement decision becomes a negotiation between horticulture and feline engineering. A trailing plant may look beautiful on an open shelf, but it also resembles a premium cat toy. An empty windowsill might provide perfect growing conditions, yet it is already reserved for afternoon naps. Sometimes the cat wins. More accurately, the cat usually wins.

Maintenance develops its own rhythm. Watering is not performed according to one universal schedule because different plants dry at different rates. Pots are lifted, soil is checked, leaves are rotated toward the light, and saucers are emptied. Dust is wiped away. New arrivals are inspected for pests. Dead foliage is removed before a curious paw sends it skittering across the floor at 3 a.m.

A mature collection also changes how visitors interact with the home. People pause beside unusual foliage and ask questions. A plant cutting becomes an easy gift. Friends begin sending photos of unidentified specimens from grocery stores. Conversations that once began with the weather now begin with, “Do you think this node will root?”

There are frustrations. A prized leaf may tear while unfurling. A pest outbreak can spread before anyone notices. Vacation planning requires someone who understands that “water the plants” does not mean pouring the same amount into every pot. Broken stems, spilled soil, and mysterious bite marks become part of the household record.

Yet the appeal remains powerful. An indoor jungle changes gradually, responding to seasons and care. It never looks exactly the same for long. Leaves turn toward windows, vines extend, cuttings become full plants, and once-small specimens begin demanding their own furniture.

That evolving relationship is the real experience captured by the Feline Jungle. It is less about collecting objects and more about caring for living thingswhile accepting that growth is unpredictable, perfection is temporary, and somebody with whiskers may knock over the propagation station.