To say one is stunned upon walking into James Wisniewski's plant loft is an understatement.
As the door opens, guests are instantly transported into a tropical plant paradise, covered from floor to ceiling with dozens of both familiar and unique plants. There are glass cases flanking his television, its shelves filled to the brim with greenery, and two greenhouses that encase James’ carnivorous and specialty plants.
Panther Chameleon Milo hangs out behind a Philodendron Billitae.
Blink and you might miss the iguana camped out on a pair of Yeezys on the shoe rack by the door. It may be an hour before you notice the lizards holding court on the rafters above the greenhouses or a bearded dragon lying in a cat bed. To us, it’s an astounding sight that many have never experienced—for James, it’s just home.
You may have spotted a peek of James’ plant loft on Instagram (@propagate_the_city), where he shares regular updates on his ever-growing private collection of tropical plants. His collection is purely a passion project; James doesn’t sell his plants, aside from twice during the pandemic, which were specialty cases, or the occasional trade with other plant enthusiasts.
Moving into the downtown Buffalo apartment in 2018, James was drawn to the industrial-style loft with its exposed beams and metal rafters that would prove to be the perfect hanging spots for his plethora of potted plants. The space has zero exterior windows, instead offering a series of skylights.
“The only things I put in here was the furniture,” James says. “And all of the plants.”
James’ indoor greenhouses are a tribute to his love for carnivorous plants. It’s home to his collection of Nepenthes (pitcher plants) along with variegated varieties of Philodendrons and Monsteras.
But it’s that vast collection of plants that transforms the blank-slate space into a private botanical garden, housing rare and complex greenery that he’s collected over the years. This includes the nepenthes mirabilis that he purchased four years ago from Red Leaf Exotics, a nursery that specializes in the carnivorous plant, which sparked the beginning of a great friendship between James and owner Domonick Gravine. Since then, James has been down to the Tennessee-based Red Leaf Exotics nursery to learn from Domonick and even take care of the entire operation while he was away on vacation.
For his troubles? James received a rare cutting of the variegated Philodendron spiritus sancti, a genetic mutation that the owner created himself—only the second person in the world to have bred spiritus sancti and produce horticultural seed.
The price tag for such a rare plant? $25,000.
James has also dabbled in crossbreeding. The way he explains it seems easier said than done: “The female one that opens, they kind of look like little oval pods, with a little almost sucker like pouty lips on the end. And the males that come out almost like pom-poms with a yellow pollen on them. Then clip a piece off with the pollen and you touch it right to the end, and then you made a cross.”
Wondering how long it takes to water and care for these many plants? Not as long as you may think. James says watering only usually takes around 10-15 minutes, which makes sense when he shares that the greenhouses have its own automatic watering system that’s set up on a timer. For the larger, standalone plants, it depends on the season. In the warmer months, James is usually watering about once a week using his three-gallon pesticide sprayer that’s filled with the water from his reverse osmosis (RO) system that keeps the plants happy and thriving.
“Mondays I call my heavy water Monday,” James says.
If you’re wondering why you keep killing your plants, it could be because you’re watering them too much in the name of love, he shares. Or that you’re using the wrong water. These tropical plants are very delicate, with roots that need specialty water, so if you’re using tap, try switching to distilled if you can’t invest in a RO system like James.
As a labor of love, James doesn’t have a favorite out of the dozens upon dozens that fill up the plant loft, though his carnivorous collection holds a special place in his heart. But his favorite part of growing and building up the collection? Having fun with it. Continuing to learn about the different plant species and building up his collection of rare tropical plants.
The thrill of the hunt, if you will, means that no two days are the same. You might think James is starting to slow down given the collection he’s amassed, and he’s almost there—but there’s still room for growth.
