And, you know, it's difficult online to explain these things because there's so much information out there saying that this is the right thing to be doing that it becomes factual almost, fake fact. Whereas once you start breaking that down in 'Okay, so how much how much potassium is actually in a banana skin? How do the plants access that?' You pretty much can't in a house plant. So then you can start breaking things down. And once you've broken the, the non-facts down, you can say, 'Okay, well, how do we fertilise our plants?' So throughout the book, it's really about bringing together science and helping people understand why we do these things, not just telling people to do something, but really getting an understanding for your plants. Jane: Yes, that's a really good perspective, otherwise we give ourselves a world of pain, don't we? Tony: Strangely, all of the Monstera adansonii are very unstable in their variegation. They either go all green, or white, or stop variegation. Tony: Huge! They have just a nice powdery texture, as well, and the ribs on the leaves here are just phenomenal.

Oh, well. It's lovely. Well done. It's fantastic. So congratulations, Tony and I'm sure you'll get a fabulous response from people who do go out and invest in a copy. Jane: Earlier today - yes today! I'm turning around the episode that fast! - I went to visit Tony Le-Britton aka @notanotherjungle. Here's what happened... Oh I love it. I love being in the shop, it's, I think I, if I could just be in the shop all the time, which to be fair, I pretty much am. Jane: This is where Aroid taxonomy is mind-blowing, isn't it? I always laugh when you see people selling something like Philodendron brasil and, obviously, that's a hederaceum cultivar and then there's all these kind of variations on the theme and it's just hederaceum being this weird thing of doing lots of different stuff. Since then, he’s moved to a house with a garden and opened the Not Another Jungle shop. Yet, despite now being able to grow veg and flowers, it’s the houseplants that hold his heart.

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You're looking at, you're wiping down that plant with great love. That's all I can say about that picture. Tony: There is an answer. There are a couple of different answers. So there is Mosaic virus in Adansonii, but the absolute majority that you get are this form of Monstera, that we don't actually know is adansonii. We think it is,but it's not an Adansonii that's known. We think it's actually some sort of tissue culture freak that's happened. There's no evidence and there's no record of it first being brought into cultivation, so we don't really know where it came from or what it really is. But that particular plant, for some reason, is incredibly hungry and it shows signs of that very readily in the leaves. So you get that patination and, usually, after a good fertiliser and a little bit of extra light it recovers. I know some people do get really scared. The best thing if you have any worries, just separate it from the rest of your plants. Mosaic actually isn't that easily transmitted between plants. You've really got to be cutting and using the same tools on multiple plants, but if you have any question, just separate it and figure it out. Jane: You can tie yourself in knots worrying about getting the latest cultivar of that but, actually, it's just nature being variable, like we're variable. Tony: No, absolutely not. It's really strange. A lot of people online look at my collection and they think that I just buy everything. That's not a smart way to do it and it also takes the joy out of it. I think the most wonderful thing, for me, is swapping with someone. Sending them something like this, this I got yesterday from someone. I sent them one of my variegated Adansonii, they sent me this Aurea one and we didn't pay a penny for it. Tony: Well, that's the thing, is eventually it'll get there, the price will drop, it will become more accessible and this is actually out in Europe at the moment, figuring out whether it can be tissue cultured. So I sent one out there to a company and they're figuring out whether it can be - probably not because of the variegation, but it's always worth a shot and it will make it more readily available to people. Rhaphidophora regular is such a popular plant. When this gets secondary fenestrations, which I've had before, it is unbelievable, it's just stunning and the variegation improves when it grows. That's a really special plant to me. It's the one that got the most press. It was all over the world and newspapers and interviews and crazy things. I think that is wonderful because it means that the regular press is recognising the importance of plants. Even if they're publishing it because it's really expensive, at least they're publishing something about plants! A few years ago, they would never have done that!

Tony: The more roots, the more nutrients it's going to take up, the bigger the plant is going to get. Tony: I showed people online why it's called Elephant Ear. When you shake it like that, it's like an elephant walking, isn't it? Tony: This one is called Tina; Tina Turner! I don't name my plants but they just have comedy names. That one is Bob; Bob Marley. Can you see that? So the peaks have to be the plant processes, for me. They're the parts in the book that I knew about, but just writing them and realising just how amazing the plants are around us and the things they're doing without us even knowing. And, and what I'm really proud about is that the people who've read this, so far people in the press that some of them might not even have houseplants. But they're really fascinated by the book, and it's making them stop and say, 'Wow' and then from that you get an appreciation from them. And maybe you want to get a houseplant, or you want to learn about your own house plants a bit more. And that's what it was all about. So they're the they're the peaks for me, because it's not only sharing amazing things, but it was also almost exciting me a little bit more as well. Because as you know, in when you have a lot of plants, it can sometimes just become a bit of a burden or just becomes a lot, right? And it just these little nuggets of really interesting things just inspired me and helped me plough on with the book as well.Jane: Pressure! A bit of pressure there! It's so interesting, the different kind of motivations that people have for wanting plants. As I say, looking at it objectively, I can be, like, "Oh my gosh! This is, like, a world-famous plant!" but it doesn't make me, personally, go nuts. Again, there might be something else in your collection that is quite a workaday thing, that I would absolutely fall in love with. You've got to find what you're into. Jane: See, folks! Don't fiddle around with your leaves. People are terrible for, like, getting things... Jane: So that's blowing my mind because I'm looking at that and going, "Mosaic virus!" I'm getting cold chills.

The book busts dozens of myths which its author has researched and debunked on behalf of his expansive plant-loving community. Here are five of the biggest offenders: Myth: Bottom watering is best Jane: I think, with Tradescantia, I've killed a few little ones, the little Pink Panther one, whatever that's called. It's always because I've fiddled around with it too much. I've repotted it and then, as you say, they like to just be left alone to do their thing. Tony: If you imagine, when they get big and have that gorgeous reflective texture, it's going to look spectacular!

Jane: It's really nice. I think this should be your gateway plant into growing more Gesneriads! I know you have got some Streptocarpus, but I feel like there's more Gesneriads you need to get into!