How a Melbourne Optometrist Transformed a City Apartment Into a Lush Indoor Jungle
In short: Shajan Velaeden, a Melbourne-based optometrist, has turned his urban apartment into a vibrant green sanctuary. By utilizing heavy-duty shelving and specialized micro-ecosystems, he manages a diverse collection of aroids, orchids, and succulents, proving that limited space is no barrier to cultivating a thriving, living indoor environment.
Shajan Velaeden’s journey into indoor gardening began in Singapore, where he was raised by parents who nurtured his early interest in horticulture. His mother, an avid orchid collector, tasked him and his siblings with watering her plants, a routine that laid the foundation for his current passion. Today, living in a Melbourne CBD apartment, Velaeden has maximized his limited space by integrating plants throughout his home, creating a calming atmosphere that he describes as a refreshing, oxygen-rich haven.
The centerpiece of his indoor collection is a vertical wall featuring anthuriums, philodendrons, and orchids. To support the significant weight of these plants and their integrated water reservoirs, Velaeden utilized a 1000kg load-bearing garage shelf. Because the high humidity required for these species can cause corrosion, he ensured the steel structure was powder-coated to prevent rust. This setup allows him to display prized specimens like the dark purple Anthurium luxurians x papillilaminum and the leathery-leaved Anthurium veitchii x ‘Red Beauty’.
Beyond the vertical wall, Velaeden maintains a paludarium—a self-contained, climate-controlled ecosystem. This setup uses heat from grow lights and a pool of water to support carnivorous plants, ferns, mosses, and begonias, which thrive with minimal maintenance. Outside, his courtyard hosts a collection of succulents and cacti, including the Medusa’s head euphorbia and the Mexican boulder. These plants are housed in a glasshouse, where he focuses on what he calls 'ugly beautiful' specimens—gnarly, oddly shaped caudex plants that he finds deeply rewarding to cultivate as they change and grow daily.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Touring an apartment full of indoor plants | Indoor Plants and Balcony Gardens | Gardening Australia
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