About Us

Welcome fellow growers!

Lesley here (@leaveswithles) to share a little about who we are and how Shadow & Spathe came to be.

My husband, Kevin, and I are the owners and licensed growers of Shadow & Spathe – operating out of the beautiful state of Georgia.

We have two employees who do not contribute in any way other than offering occasional moral support, and sometimes harsh (loud) criticism for no reason – some of you probably already know EXACTLY who is responsible for that bit.

You may already know how much I love collecting plants from my YouTube channel, and what a beautiful thing I think the plant hobby can be. I have been collecting for many years, but much further back than that, my roots travel to my mother’s own love for gardening. Even though it took many years into adulthood for my own passion to bloom, memories of my mother working in the soil to ease seeds and bulbs into awakening; tiny specks of new green growing and changing into something fresh and beautiful and alive – buried themselves in my subconscious to later form the foundation of an intense passion that would grow into so much more.

If you were to ask me why I started my plant YouTube channel, I honestly wouldn’t be able to come up with a definite answer. I just love plant content - the creators and the consumers of it. This hobby truly has some of the most genuinely good, loving, caring, gentle humans that radiate such positive energy that it convinced a die-hard introvert like myself to make videos about my own experience and upload them onto the internet for the entire world to have access to (if that isn’t a testament in and of itself, I don’t know what is). Truly, I just wanted to connect with other plant people. I wanted to talk about growing and failing and restarting, and I wanted to add to the collective knowledge that may help others nurture their own passion.

I find the growing of things, the tending and nurturing, to be one of the most rewarding parts of life; and often feel as though it is a fundamental part of my own purpose here. Nature has many lessons to teach, and growing plants has shown me the importance of slowing down and appreciating the unfolding of a thing as much as the reward of its fruition. What started as a frenzy to collect and experience, has slowed to a gentle way of life that has brought me an immeasurable amount of peace and joy; peace and joy that I can hopefully spread to the new caretakers of these pieces of my collection.

Fast-forward to now, and I find myself settled into another sub-niche (of the already niche plant hobby)- Anthurium. While I will always have (many) other plants, Anthurium are my passion, and the art of hybridization is where I will be investing the majority of my time in the coming years. Unfortunately for myself, and fortunately for you (and my husband), I do not have the space or energy to tend to hundreds of seedlings – which is why Shadow & Spathe was born. Every plant sold here has been grown or propagated from my own personal collection, with love and intention, and is prepared to find its way to its new home (with you?).

We hope you love these plants as much as we do, and that you both grow beautifully together.

Care Q&A

Our preferred method of providing higher humidity in ambient conditions is putting your plant(s) in a propagation bin. This can be any confined container where the plant is still able to receive light from a source outside of the bin. Although we use large plastic storage bins, you can also use repurposed food containers, plastic cups taped together, or covered glass vessels (cups, vases, aquariums, etc.).

If you have invested in a grow tent or greenhouse cabinet, these can be a great way to increase the humidity for your plants.

Alternatively, you may also use a humidifier to increase the ambient humidity for your home. For convenience, we connect our humidifiers to smart plugs so that we are able to schedule the hours we want them to run and only need to remember to refill the reservoir.

To successfully acclimate from high humidity conditions to lower ambient conditions, you want to gradually decrease the humidity the plant is receiving over time. For example:

You receive your new plant in the mail and want to provide it with high humidity before acclimating to your ambient conditions of 50% humidity. You do not have a propagation bin and do not want to start one at this time. You opt to use two plastic cups taped together to form a dome and place your new plant in bright indirect light to give it some time to adjust to your home. After a week, the plant looks healthy and is not drooping or yellowing significantly. There is a new leaf starting to emerge and you can see some new root growth on the outside of the cup, so you feel like it is strong enough to begin the transition to your ambient conditions.

The first week we recommend to only drop the humidity a small amount. If we are using two cups taped together, you can start by removing the tape from one side of the cup and placing it between the rims to form a very thin crack which will allow for additional airflow. If you are growing in a propagation bin, you can unclasp the lid and slide it back a small amount to form a thin crack.

During the first week you will carefully monitor the plant to ensure there are no signs of stress such as crisping leaves, wilting, discoloration, etc.

If there are clear signs that the plant is going downhill, reseal the vessel to increase the humidity again. Wait for the plant to establish a stronger root system and allow some time for it to recover before you try again.

If the plant shows no sign of stress and continues to grow, the next week you may increase the gap between the cups/ lid to allow more airflow.

By the third week, if there are no signs of stress, your plant is likely fully acclimated to your ambient conditions. Good job!

IMPORTANT

Please understand that your process will be dependent on the response from the plant. Some plants are more resilient than others and may need less time to acclimate to environmental changes. You do not want to further disturb a plant that is still recovering from the stress of shipping by drastically lowering its humidity or changing its substrate. We typically maintain very high humidity and wait to repot until we see the plant has active foliage and root growth.

We do NOT recommend transitioning sprouts/ seedlings to ambient conditions. When they are sprout/ seedling size they are working on establishing their root systems and need the additional moisture in the air to remain hydrated. Once their root system is established and healthy, and their leaves are beginning to size up, you may carefully begin transitioning them to your ambient conditions.

Seeds should not be removed from sealed humidity enclosures under any circumstances.

Most growers (ourselves included) will recommend bright indirect light for the majority of indoor houseplants. This means you want to place your plant where it receives sunlight from a close window or door, but is not directly in its rays. If there is a direct line of sight from the sun to the plant with no disruption, such as a curtain or awning, this is bright DIRECT light. If you are using grow lights, keep some distance between the plant's foliage and bulb to prevent burning. It is important to pay attention to the plant for signs that you may need to adjust its lighting.

Signs your plant may need more light:

Very slow growth
Elongated petioles or etiolated growth from the plant reaching for a brighter light source
Less pronounced variegation or browning of variegated areas
Misshapen or mutated leaves
Leaves that are gradually getting smaller
Soil that is staying moist for too long

Signs your plant may need less light:

Chlorotic or bleached leaves
Leaves that are crispy or burnt that are close to the light source
Leaves that are turning downward or away from the light source
Less vibrant coloration

IMPORTANT

Plants can vary drastically from specimen to specimen and from environment to environment. There are rarely any absolutes when it comes to growing plants; so while these may be indicators – it is up to you to gently experiment to determine how to best provide for your specific plant.

The best substrate is one that you are comfortable with. Every grower has a preferred substrate for different genera, so stick to what you know and feel will be the best option for your plant. Most plants can be grown in a variety of ways successfully, but it is important to wait to change the substrate until the plant is settled in and can handle the transition.

It may be important to note that Anthurium typically prefer an airier substrate that allows their roots to breathe while maintaining consistent access to moisture.

You can begin fertilizing immediately; however, we recommend using a diluted strength initially to ensure the plant does not react negatively. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for appropriate measurements.