@nikolicvladan aka Mr. Houseplant

Vladan shares all the tips and tricks you’ve ever dreamt of: @nikolicvladan. Plant-care awesomeness.

Ok, so some people apply for a US Green Card lottery and simply forget that they did. Vladan Nikolic is one of them. No biggie, right? Jokes aside – luckily, Vladan suddenly did remember the application process and checked back in. Lo and behold: he’d won! Now there was no time to lose: he confirmed the acceptance of the Green Card (last minute), packed up his belongings, jumped on a plane and started a new life far from his home country, Serbia.

Who knows where we’d all be today, if this crazy story hadn’t gone down as it did. Maybe we’d have to do without “Mr. Houseplant”…!

Once settled in Washington DC, it wasn’t long before Vladan had a job at a humanitarian organization under his belt, as well as one at a plant shop that matched his passion for all things plant-y. He fell in love, too, and the lady of his choosing happened to have an awesome Instagram account. It got him curious: born was @nikolicvladan.

Vladan shows his community how to propagate a pilea. The cut leaf turns yellow and eventually dies, but the babies at the roots are green and ready to be potted

 

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Somehow it is of little surprise that Vladan, sounding warm and jolly over the phone, explains that he pursued Insta with the same precision he applies to plant care. Be rigorous. Find out how things work. Execute. Succeed. At “Little Leaf” in Washington, he takes care of the plants and advises customers. A passion for greenery runs in the family (be sure to check out the pics of his brother’s Venice rooftop on Vladan’s account).

His findings and knowledge are carefully wrapped up in weekly posts and stories, all of which are straight forward and so skilfully edited it makes you realize that plant care can be dead easy – and fun, too. “Whenever you put a lot of energy into something, whether it’s a relationship with someone, or Instagram, or plant care, you will see the results. It’s just a matter of time.”

The results are evident. Perhaps not a green card, but a green thumb for all of us.