This article was originally written by Elizabeth Hunter for at SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
At a bright blue building on Newhaven Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, admitted patients receive similar treatments to those of any other ailing individual. Sometimes they’re put on drips or quarantined, for example, all with the goal of restoring them to full health. But here, appearing green is a good sign: It’s a hospital for plants.
Founded by Rosanna and Tom Costello, the Hilda Houseplant Hospital helps customers revive indoor plants in need of extra care. Amateur horticulturalists can drop off their greenery for “surgery,” repotting, pest removal, and more. The infirmary is just one aspect of the couple’s plant shop, Hilda (named for Tom’s great-grandmother), which also holds workshops and offers online care guides. The business went from a pop-up to a brick-and-mortar location in 2023, and according to its website, its houseplant hospital is the first of its kind in the U.K.
“I’d been into plant shops where you could buy compost and things to repot your plants at home, and even though I knew how to do it, I still wanted either somewhere else to do it and make a mess, or somewhere with advice on hand to avoid any pitfalls,” Rosanna told SWNS of her motivation for starting the hospital. “I’d had this idea from when I first got into houseplants, because that was what I had wanted.”
A patient’s stay starts with a consultation, during which customers describe the issues they’re struggling with. Rosanna and her team then quarantine the plant if pests are involved, and repot and trim according to the client’s needs and living space.
“They bring their plant in and we take a ‘patient history’ — essentially find out how long they’ve had it for, what they think might be wrong, and what they want to happen with it,” said Rosanna. “I’m a big believer that it’s your houseplant, it lives in your home, it has to work for you. So if you want it split into two, if you want to keep it in one pot, if you want it to not grow much bigger — all these considerations.”
Rosanna herself is a “reformed plant killer,” per the website, and Hilda’s marketing certainly speaks to the desperate but good-intentioned home gardeners among us: “Whether your monstera’s looking droopy or your maranta has seen better days*, the Houseplant Hospital is here to help,” the website reads, along with the footnote, “*or you haven’t a clue what your plant’s even called.”
“There’s an awful lot of feelings and emotions attached to the houseplants that we see, and when [clients] come to collect and get care information, that’s always relatively simple, and there’s so much relief and joy,” she explained. “Leaning on the vernacular of Houseplant Hospital and patients means that people understand what we’re talking about. We’re not trying to make it overcomplicated or make people feel like they need a whole new degree in science to understand.”
One of her most commonly seen patients is indeed the monstera — a large, tropical plant that’s notoriously tricky for new gardeners to maintain. “They are such a popular houseplant, but they can very easily go a bit wild,” Rosanna said.
Her standard protocol is to first put them onto moss poles to train them to grow upward rather than out, so they don’t take over people’s living rooms. The next step is giving them “a really good clean because they’ve got such beautiful big leaves,” and finally, a hearty dose of plant food.
Rosanna believes houseplants are a key part of experiencing nature for those living in cities. “I always think back to the pandemic, when we realized how important houseplants were, because we were inside all the time. I think city living in flats, people really need their houseplants to have that healthy home life. Then they need help with those houseplants because you don’t want to keep a huge bag of soil under your sink or be repotting on your dining room table.”
She said her dream is to open a second Hilda in another city soon, with the aim of “helping more people to have happy plants.”
Have an ailing plant patient of your own? Read on for Rosanna’s top three houseplant mistakes and how to fix them, along with some of her tips for getting your greenery through a heat wave.
Rosanna’s Recommendations
1. Houseplants do not need to be watered once a week: It’s best to water only when they need it. The best way to know is to pick up your plants and feel how heavy they are. If they feel light, it’s probably time for a watering. Always let them drain before putting them back.
2. Using outdoor compost on your houseplants is not advised. Outdoor compost is not free-draining enough and will often come with fungus gnats as an unwanted addition.
3. Don’t be afraid to trim off leaves and stems; it’s a perfectly natural part of the growth cycle and has added benefits. Not only do the plants look better, but you take away potential pest hiding places.
Heat Wave Tips
Don’t be tempted to put your houseplants outside for a “vacation.” The sudden change and increase in intensity of light is likely to burn and frazzle the leaves.
Check and move plants back from the windows if the sun is blazing, particularly south-facing sunny spots, so that they don’t get burned.
Houseplant compost will dry out much quicker when temps are high, so give your plants the aforementioned weight test more often during these spells. This is also a great time to check the leaves for any signs of pests, as open windows and warm weather are perfect for uninvited houseplant pests to get to your plants.
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