Indoor Jungle
With an astonishing 550 plants living inside her Ardross home, Bar Botanik owner Fesi Djojo shares her green passion and top plant care tips.
PHOTOGRAPHY Jody D'Arcy • STORY Amy Collins-Walker
“Getting closer to nature makes me feel good. If I’m feeling down, I normally just stop and enjoy the greenery as plants make me so happy,” says house plant enthusiast Fesi Djojo, who was raised in Indonesia and took numerous trips to the Sumatran rainforest as a child. “Dad used to work in the forest, so we went there a lot as little kids,” adds Fesi, who credits her upbringing with igniting her love of plants.
Designed by architect Gerry Kho and built by Arklen in 2012, Fesi’s light-filled Ardross home was inspired by the Japanese principle of wabi-sabi, which celebrates nature’s imperfections.
“I didn’t build the house around the plants, but I wanted lots of natural light coming in. We also wanted to see the garden from all angles,” says Fesi, who shares the home with her husband and two young children. And with a lush, plant-filled courtyard in the middle of the house, plus hundreds more plants inside, there are green glimpses afforded from every room of the home.
“Primarily, I decorate my house with plants, and I don’t have many other decor items,” Fesi says. It’s a pastime that comes with considerable commitment, though – watering and caring for the indoor jungle takes around four hours to complete every two weeks. And when Fesi isn’t watering, fertilising, cleaning and pruning inside, she rehabilitates struggling plants in her backyard greenhouse. “I love taking care of my plants though, so it doesn’t feel like work,” she says.
An obvious botanic obsessive, Fesi also holds an impressive collection of rare plants sourced over many years through private collectors. “Rare plants are expensive because many of them cannot be tissue-cultured in a lab like most mass-produced plants,” she says, displaying the sort of enthusiasm that led her to leave her accounting career behind to launch her West Perth plant emporium, Bar Botanik, with her brother-in-law in 2017. “I love sharing my knowledge and getting people inspired at the shop. The more nature in people’s lives, the better!”
"Many people struggle to choose the right plant for the right spot and then wonder why they don’t grow,"
— says Fesi, who offers at-home plant consultations for those needing a helping hand.
How to add greenery inside your home
01.
If you’re an indoor plant novice, start with a plant like a Zanzibar Gem as they are impossible to kill. “You can go away on holiday and not water it for two or three weeks and it will be fine as it has tubers under the soil that store water,” says Fesi.
02.
The number one thing an indoor plant needs is light, however the best plant options for low-light conditions include the Zanzibar Gem, Devil’s Ivy, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or the also aptly titled Cast Iron plant.
03.
Overwatering leads to plant stress as most plants prefer their soil to be on the drier side. A moisture meter is a worthy investment if you’re unsure.
04.
Make fertiliser your friend. “I use liquid fertiliser every time I water,” says Fesi. “I just mix it into the water, and it makes such a difference to the health of the plants.”
Visit Bar Botanik
289 Fitzgerald Street, West Perth
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