Ever since I took an interest in caring for houseplants, I’ve found it nearly impossible to walk past a flower shop without checking. Each visit draws me in a little deeper. I linger over unfamiliar leaves, read the care tags, and leave knowing a bit more than when I arrived.
My social media feeds and video apps caught on quickly, and now they serve me a steady stream of plant content. Most of the time, I watch the videos and read the captions all the way through, picking up care tips bit by bit. In the back of my mind, I’m always asking myself the same question: could I actually take care of this one? If the answer feels like a hopeful yes, the plant earns a spot on my mental wish list for someday.
One day, in the middle of a doomscrolling session (or, to put it less kindly, while rotting my brain), I stumbled upon an announcement for Huonekasvi-Minimessut, the House Plant Mini Fair, taking place at a shopping center in Helsinki.
A Fair Made for Plant People
Huonekasvi-Minimessut is organized by Huonekasviseura, a Finnish houseplant society, and it’s an event for plants and the people who love them. For a newcomer like me, the timing couldn’t have been better. Where else could I find green plants ranging from the everyday to the truly rare, all under one roof with pots, accessories, growing media, and stickers? The stickers sealed the deal even more, since I keep a journal and love collecting stickers to decorate its pages.
The program had even more to offer. There was a Plant Date, where visitors could bring a green plant and swap it for another one, completely free. For anyone hungry to learn, there were also talks and panel discussions on all sorts of plant topics.
Ten O’Clock, Doors Open
I arrived a few minutes early, and a small crowd had already gathered in front of the hall doors. At ten o’clock sharp, I walked in and stopped in my tracks. Table after table overflowed with plants, many of them sold as small starter plants or young propagations, which kept the prices wonderfully budget-friendly. I even spotted a few plants I had never seen before, despite all my hours of scrolling.
As if the fair needed any more charm, visitors could take home a tiny Anthurium nestled in a little tube, free of charge. Besides the Plant Date swap, there was also plant bingo, and the whole hall hummed with a playful, friendly energy. My one regret was coming unprepared. I hadn’t brought a cutting of my own, so I had to sit out the swap this time.
Choosing My Next Challenge
Everywhere I turned, something new caught my eye: adorable ceramic pots, sheets of stickers, and, of course, one wonderful plant after another that left me starstruck all over again. I wandered back and forth between the stalls for a long time, unable to decide. Part of me wanted to take home the most fascinating plant in the room. The more sensible part kept reminding me to be realistic and choose one I truly believed I could care for, especially with winter approaching. Even with grow lights and a humidifier already set up around my plants at home, I’ve come to realize that the short, dim days make a little harder, and some plants need a few adjustments to cope.
In the end, I went home with a Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’. I already have a plain green Monstera deliciosa that has been doing well so far, so this felt like the natural next step. The Thai Constellation is a variegated form of the same species, speckled with cream, and a touch more demanding than its all-green sibling. Bringing it home feels a bit like leveling up my plant-care skills, one step at a time.
To be honest, I had been hoping to find a pink plant, like a Philodendron ‘Pink Princess’, but none crossed my path, or at least none that I managed to spot. (When I went to upload a featured image for this blog post, I noticed I had actually taken a picture of an Alocasia ‘Pink Dragon’ instead. I guess I’m really bad at noticing things when there’s so much in front of me.) That’s alright. For now, I’ll focus on giving my Thai Constellation the best care I can. By the time a Pink Princess finally finds its way to me, I hope my skills will have grown enough to do it justice.
Later that afternoon, I settled my new plants into suitable pots with fresh potting mix. Wish me luck in keeping them happy, because it’s already October, and the cold season is almost here!
I truly hope Huonekasvi-Minimessut will be held again. If it is, I’ve promised myself I’ll come prepared: I’ll bring a cutting of my own to trade at the kasvitreffit (Plant Date), arrive with a clear idea of which plants I want to bring home, and look around much more carefully so I don’t miss any plants I want to buy.
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