One of the best things we get to do as journalists is ask you, our readers, to send us things. We ask for serious things — like what questions you have about the vaccine. We ask for heartwarming things — like whether you’ve fallen in love during the pandemic. With all of our reader callouts, we get a lot of quality submissions. But never have we been so delighted as when we asked you to send us selfies of you with your plants and tell why you love them.
Scroll through this beautiful sea of faces and plants and try not to smile. Almost impossible.
On our @latimesplants Instagram account we’ve created a community for plant lovers. All of these photos came from our followers. If this is the mood you want for 2021, follow along with us on IG. We have fun.
Rubber trees
Yamileth Hernandez, Koreatown
Julie Eunha Kim, Alhambra
Jethro Leynes, Pasadena
Stefany Pesta, Glendale
A listing for a fiddle-leaf fig on Instagram causes houseplant fans to wonder, “What’s your secret?”
Kayla Rozales, Los Angeles
Succulents
Jesse Arias, Long Beach
Isabella Gonzalez, Los Angeles
Michelle Tran, Los Angeles
Monsteras
Jenny Luu, Los Angeles
Amanda Lim, East L.A.
Known as “Mallory With the Flowers’’ on Instagram, Mallory Browne has virtually documented her journey as a self-taught florist.
Tess McDaniel, Westwood
Cynthia Navarrete, Glendale
Irene Pineda, Pomona
Dana Stumbo, Pasadena
Calatheas
Jennifer Chen, Brea
Danny Lopez, Los Angeles
Fiddle-leaf figs
Arturo D. Chavez, Los Angeles
Aaron Mendoza and Kristin Mendoza, Los Angeles
Stephanie Truong, San Francisco
Alexandria Herr and Danielle Hoague, Pico-Robertson
Johnny Johnson, Los Angeles
Andy Doan, Playa Vista
Other plants
Dolly Ave, Los Angeles
Denise Brown, Los Angeles
Courtney Cleaver, Brentwood
Bree Dozmati, San Gabriel
Skye Gonzalez, Koreatown
Ruth Groves, Fresno
Brittany Jones, Ventura
Dee Liang, Denver
Emma Louise, Sherman Oaks
Alexis Lucio, Redondo Beach
Nicolette Medina, Pasadena
Christina Nicolaides, Ontario
Jessica Sandoval, Altadena
Mary Tacadena, Beaumont
Christine Thang, Los Angeles
Plants with pets
Adriana Lopez, Norwalk
Mark Sanders, New Orleans