JUNE 2 0 1 7 I BOROMAG.COM 47 tially a new baby plant that grows off of the stem of another plant. It’s a perfect genetic replica of the mother. It’s quite rare. You can take that keiki, cut it and gift it as a new plant. In Keiki Club, plant lovers in the city gather twice a year and bring their cuttings to share. It can be from any plant as long as it can root and you can replant it and grow it. You exchange them. My monstera plant was grown from a cutting from Keiki Club.” In the kitchen, plants line the window sill — and not all in pots. “I got this from Keiki Club,” she said of one of her plants. “I put it in this champagne glass with water and in a few days, when it has some more roots, I will plant it. This process is called propagation.” She doesn’t just meet other plant lovers in the Keiki Club; there’s also a thriving online community. “I also belong to a Facebook group that exchanges cuttings in the mail,” she said. “I just did an exchange with a guy in Philadelphia. There are 50,000 people in my Orchoholics Anonymous Facebook group!” Now that the weather is starting to warm up, it’s likely that not everyone wants to be stuck indoors, and not every apartment is equipped for such horticultural expression. Green-fingered Plokhii has a solution for that. “I am also a member of a community garden called Two Cloves, here in Astoria,” she explained. “I have a plot there where I grow vegetables. It’s on 30th Avenue. There is a wait list right now, but we are currently experimenting with a new way to give away plots, so you may be in luck!” And if you can join a community garden, Plokhii recommends it. “What’s lovely about a community garden is that you get to indulge in your growing passion,” she said. “I’m not an expert by any means, but you can find peace, quiet and meditation. The other benefit, of course, is that you also can grow produce. This year I’m growing lots of herbs, but also tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers and beans. It really is a community. You meet new friends. You really cultivate a sense of self.” If you’re feeling inspired, check out local store Petals and Roots or take a walk through the beautiful Astoria Park this week. Remember, the park is also host to NYC’s oldest and largest outdoor pool! As the poet Gary Snyder once said, “Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” For Olesia Plokhii, that certainly seems to be the case! Photos: Ruthie Darling/BORO
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