Plant Ponder: Pilea Peperomioides Edition

Plant Ponder is a little series where I share the spark behind my paper plant sculptures

Around the time I started making paper plants (2015 or so), I became smitten with pileas, apparently, like everyone else! (We have have great taste!) Back then, getting one was nearly impossible unless you knew someone who knew someone. Hence its nickname: the Friendship Plant. As I've heard, pileas don't grow well from seeds and propagate best from offshoots, so it took growers a while to catch up with demand. All the more reason to make them from paper!

Below, on the left, you'll see the photo that was everywhere: on websites, Pinterest boards, and in the hearts of fellow pilea coveters. What a beauty! A few years later, I recreated that iconic image in paper. (If you're the proud owner of this famed plant, step forward and claim your legacy!)

Pilea Peperomioides real vs paper

I remember feeling so lucky when my friend Audrey gave me a little baby pilea. (She, in fact, knew someone! lol.) But while waiting for my real pilea to thrive, I made many paper versions for myself. Below is ano…