The challenges, opportunities and benefits of interior landscaping
INTERVIEW WITH HELLA KEPPO, CHT STEMS INTERIOR LANDSCAPING INC.
BY KARINA SINCLAIR
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I nterior plantscaping is a niche within the green industry that combines horticulture, design and wellness to create indoor environments that inspire and rejuvenate. While the thought of landscaping often brings to mind outdoor gardens, the transformation of interior spaces with plants is equally impactful. This excerpt from the Landscape Ontario podcast (January 2025), highlights a conversation with Hella Keppo, founder of Stems Interior Landscaping in Toronto, Ont. Keppo turned her passion for plants into a career that not only beautifies indoor environments but also delivers real benefits — cleaner air, reduced stress and enhanced creativity, to name just a few. From moss art and blooming displays to impressive living walls, Keppo and her team are transforming spaces and changing how people experience their work environments.
Explain what it is like to have an interior plantscaping business.
What are some of the unique challenges of interior landscaping? One of the big complications, especially when designers or a client has existing containers, is we cannot have those containers leak. A lot of the cheaper big ceramic pots have a drainage hole in them. You just can't water a plant and have a hole in the bottom in the indoor environment because that water is just going to pour through. Then you have a risk of mold growing under the container, like if it's on carpet, or even slips and falls if there's a puddle on a hardwood floor. Our containers are completely watertight, so that's one of the big challenges. Some of the other ones are pests. A lot of the plants will get spider mites, mealybugs, scale, fungus gnats and all of those we're able to deal with and
The main thing we do is install and maintain indoor office plants. It all starts with putting the right plant in the right spot, which sounds simple, but it takes a lot of years of trial and error — seeing what works and what doesn’t in certain circumstances. For most of our clients, we’ll do an initial walkthrough with their floor plan in hand and figure out which plants to put where. Then we go back, do a proposal, send it off and once it’s approved, the real work begins. We deliver all the plants. It’s funny because when we deliver them, people will literally come out of their offices and ask, “Do I get one in my office too?” People just get so excited when this cart of plants rolls by their door.
32 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
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