Marie Feliciano has a weakness for a special plant species — the monstera, also known as the split-leaf philodendron or Swiss cheese plant. Feliciano has 16 varieties of this tropical plant in her League City garden, including some very rare and very special species, which she cares for daily, monitoring their growth and expanse.

“This is my favorite,” she said, standing next to a towering 3-year-old monstera deliciosa Thai constellation. “I call her Nirvana because she makes me happy.”

Each day, Feliciano and her husband, Leo, spend time in their garden, pruning, plucking, trimming, watering and talking to the plants. The Felicianos, both nurses, like to propagate the different plants and expand the varieties.

Walls of the garden are decorated with bright murals of butterflies, bees, sunflowers and other blooms, all painted by Marie, a self-taught artist. She also painted some walls inside her house, creating a giant golden monstera in a powder room.

“I paint the walls outside because in the winter, when the plants are dormant, this makes my garden alive with color,” she said.

Several years ago, when Marie’s father passed away, many friends gave her live plants as gifts. She wasn’t much of a gardener then, but didn’t want to see the plants die. So, she learned how to take care of them and the couple began growing other plants. She was more attracted to the monsteras, as well as plumerias and other philodendrons.

Marie goes into the garden each morning, watches the sun rise, drinks her coffee and talks to her plants, she said.

“I talk to them and sing to them like a crazy plant lady, but look — they are all thriving,” she said.

She has a separate garden and staging area for the plumerias. She doesn’t yet know what colors they are and will patiently wait until they bloom, she said. She has one variegated plumeria, which has bright pink blooms.

As she walks around her garden, she points out some of her favorite monsteras — the large-leafed Adansonii blanchetii; the tri-color adansonii; the very rare monstera dubia that changes as it grows vinelike; and Monstera esqueleto, with its showy large leaves.

She has a variety of other philodendrons: the pink princess, with pink and green leaves; the Philodendron rugosum pig ear, which starts out crinkly but straightens itself; and the Texas Jose Buono, with splotches of white and green on its leaves. She also has three types of plants with distinct heart-shaped leaves or Sweetheart plants: a Hoya kerrii, a variegated albomarginata and an Albo reversa — the green and white colors are reversed from others in the species.

In the corner of the garden is a memorial to her cat, Cookie, a silver Persian who died a few years ago. Purple morning glory vines brighten the sentimental spot for Marie. The yard, however, is now a playground for their two dogs, Sir Winston and Aurora.

Leo has been experimenting with propagating plants via aeroponics, which is growing plants without soil. The roots are suspended and dangled in a box and irrigated with a nutrient-dense mist. This differs from hydroponic systems in which plant roots grow in a nutrient-rich solution. Because of his training as a nurse, he carefully documents daily the growth patterns of the different plants, he said.

“I am finding ways to root faster,” he said.

He points to plants with 6 inches of root growth.

“These have been here for about two weeks,” he said.

He also monitors the watering and misting of all of the plants using an app on his phone that measures humidity and moisture.

The freeze of 2021 made the couple realize their garden and plants could be at risk if another cold spell returns. In the past, Marie would carry each plant inside if frost threatened. But because everything has grown so large, she can’t take plants into the living room again. So, she’s planning to enclose their patio to protect the plants from bad weather, she said.

Her plants are like her pets, she said.

“You know what they say: Your pets are the new kids and the plants are the new pets,” she said. “I have quite a few pets.”