Bologna plant-sitter cares for travellers’ plants while on holiday

The plant boarding house has exploded in popularity according to the Italian owner. Photo / 123RF

If you are a proud pet owner, planning a holiday away often involves arranging a kennel or a pet-sitter. But what about proud plant owners?

If you live in Bologna, Italy, you simply take them to Green Heart Geek for a vacation of their own.

The one-man company was set up in 2021 by 29-year-old agronomist Enrico Rossi, who wanted to put his expertise to good use.

With the tagline “As long as there is green there is hope”, the company offers several services such as plant health consultations, a “plant hospital” and gardening courses. However, Rossi’s “plant boarding” has become the most famous offering.

The system is simple; much like a kennel for your dog, people register with Rossi, then drop their plants off before leaving for holiday, secure in the knowledge that their beloved basil plant or fiddle-leaf fig is being cared for.

And Rossi certainly cares, giving each plant the exact type of soil, sun exposure, water and pruning it needs, as well as specific fertilisers and biostimulants.

“My boarding service includes maximum care of the plants; they will be treated exactly as they were mine,” Rossi shared in a social media post.

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A post shared by Enrico Rossi - Plant Sitter Bologna (@green_heart_geek)

Much like their owners, damaged or neglected plants often end their holiday healthy and thriving.

Rossi started the company in 2021, after gaining a master’s degree in agricultural science and technology, as a way to share his knowledge with other people who loved plants too.

As it turned out, Bologna was full of plant lovers in need of someone to care for their potted pals and Rossi’s small business quickly flourished. In the summer of 2022, he said his house was filled with plants.

“This summer you have literally invaded my house with your plants,” he wrote on Instagram, in January 2023.

Things haven’t slowed down for the plant-sitter, who had his house and terrace filled with 350 plants from 50 clients this summer, Euronews reported.

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A post shared by Enrico Rossi - Plant Sitter Bologna (@green_heart_geek)

However, the company is far from a get-rich-quick scheme. The plant-loving Italian reportedly charges clients just 55 cents per day.

Rossi said helping people with their plants at home and through online tutorials and consultations was what brought him joy.

“I created this page in 2021 with the intention of helping as many people as possible and bringing many more into our amazing plant world,” he wrote on social media.

“I am satisfied and very happy to be useful and to have found my place.”