A truly green initiative

How did you enter the marine industry?

My first job was an executive assistant in a Toyota car dealership – it was fantastic but after a while the job felt very familiar. I always knew I wanted something different to a Monday to Friday office job and switch to a role that forces you to be on your feet all the time with something different every day. 

I considered moving to aviation as a flight attendant but chose in the end to work as general crew on river cruise vessels before progressing to ocean going cruise ships. It was interesting to see how a vessel of that size operates. 

While I was working on cruise vessels, I took courses in floristry and became a specialist in that area and started to take charge of the plants onboard. Then I ended up working on superyachts. I’ve been in the maritime industry for around a decade now.

What led you to forming your own company

I progressed from studying floristry to taking an undergraduate degree via correspondence study in botany – now increasingly known as plant science. I am drawn to how we can use the natural capabilities of plants and translate that into complex environments such as those aboard a ship. I’m still pursuing my studies in this area and have an ambition to go all the way to PhD level, which will take years to achieve. I have studied environmental science as well and have an environmental officer ticket that I took in between jobs. 

I see myself as a combination of an artist and a scientist. I’m focused more on the science side for living green plants. But I also enjoy the artistry of floristry and the different visuals and colours that you can achieve with flowers. 

Vessels with lots of plants have traditionally been supported by gardening and interior landscaping companies that service facilities like hotels and offices. These businesses are terrifically good at their shoreside work, but the environment on the vessel and the way it operates is completely different to anything that they can imagine. And the superyacht moves away from this support when it leaves its berth. 

I noticed that there are so many things that could be improved by someone who understands both the plants onboard and the operational requirements of a superyacht and the people that crew them. That’s why I started my business – Pure Botany. 

Why are living plants becoming more popular on superyachts now?

There are an increasing number of superyacht concepts embracing biophilic design (integrating natural elements into built environments). This is very closely tied to wellness and wellbeing because of all the benefits that living organisms can bring to our human experience. Many studies conducted by universities and independent scientists are measuring the impact of living plants on our mental health. Positive mental health translates to better physical health as well. It is an area that is gaining in popularity. 

A lot of the interest in having living plants aboard comes from the owners. Partly because of the wellness and wellbeing aspect and because of the feeling of luxury that cannot be replicated by plastic or preserved plants. Luxury is more about what you can feel and experience, not what you possess.

Owners like the presence of nature, the ability to touch living plants and the visual effect that they have on the human brain as the greenery and irregular shapes calm our nervous systems. Yacht designers also now see that there are so many things that can be developed and achieved. 

The setups for green living plants are getting bigger onboard superyachts now. We have two and a half metre trees, bonsai specimens and exterior plants in integrated plant beds on deck that are several metres long. I've been fortunate to be on a vessel that had more than 120 plants that were combined into exterior plant beds as well as interior living plants too. The most impressive setups are usually on superyachts over 100m.

How do you establish what living plants work well on a superyacht?

It depends on the project but there’s a balance between scientifically studying the tolerance of plants for the environment we’re putting them in, building knowledge of what works and trial-and-error testing new things. 

When I am fortunate enough to start a project with a yacht’s designers, we can plan everything from the beginning, which is easier. It’s one of my missions in Pure Botany, to try to get everyone involved including designers, shipyards, and owners. I want everyone to understand that plants should not be decoration that is added at the end, but instead an integrated feature of the vessel’s design. 

There’s a great example of this on the 73m Sanlorenzo Virtuosity which includes a living Ficus Nitida tree that rises through two decks. Giacomo Treppo, Head Of Style Department at Sanlorenzo says: “The tree, for us…was not an intuition, but a deliberate architectural choice. A complete project that integrates multiple decks and connects them together” It took Sanlorenzo a lot of time and preparation but that’s the way you should do it.

With our designs we cannot just think about the visual though.  Owners mostly want scent-free installations. So, for interiors we usually enclose plant root balls in non-organic soil so that no smells are produced when watering and we choose species that produce little scent when flowering.

What are some of the key obstacles you encounter?

There are many things to consider about the environment that the superyacht operates in, its intended use and crewing level. Exterior plants are exposed to a wide range of conditions. Interior plants typically have a more controlled environment because of other finishes in the living spaces. The presence of wood, natural stones and other sensitive materials means many superyachts run their air conditioning at a constant 21-21.5°C and the humidity is also kept at a specific level. Although an owner may request a different temperature when aboard, which might cause some issues.   

Irrigation systems can reduce maintenance but these need to be planned at the build phase and won’t suit plant species that require hand watering and those that need to dry out between waterings. A bonsai tree for example must be watered very carefully.

I work with a lot of companies specialising in plant lights and irrigation systems. The growers that I work with are the best in in the world. I like the part when I put those resources together with superyacht engineers and designers. There are challenges with creating living plant environments, but it is fortunate that we work in the marine industry where everyone is very accustomed to problem solving. I love working with engineers, the deck department and carpenters as they are always willing to find a solution.

How do you support a ship with a failing plant installation?

If an installation is not working, we apply science to the issue and take light and water measurements to find out why the setup is not performing at its best. Sometimes the wrong species has been used, the care plan is not working, or the environment is not supporting the failing plants. What is needed also depends on where the yacht is intended to operate and how many crew it has. 

One of the services we offer at Pure Botany is specialised plant care training. Following a visit on board to check the set-up and superyacht’s operational profile I prepare a programme for their specific plants to train the crew in daily care and maintenance.   

What are the obstacles when moving from country to country with living plants aboard a vessel?

There are biosecurity rules for vessels that are carrying organisms such as humans, food and plants. Each country has its own rules and it’s a big topic. 

Biosecurity rules are very well developed when it comes to import, export and transit. However, there is nothing in place to cover living plants used as a decoration on a vessel because the emergence of this trend is so new. Cruise ships avoid this challenge altogether by replacing living plants with artificial installations when their programmes take them to regions where there might be issues. Biosecurity requirements include ensuring that no organic waste from the living plants is deposited ashore and onboard treatment of water run-off from installations and preventing it from entering the sea. 

At the beginning of the year, I got in touch with the plant protection side of the Food and Agriculture Department of the United Nations. We are working on getting a framework for vessels that use plants as a decoration. It’s modelled on documents like the IMO Garbage Record Book. I’ve been getting input from the superyacht and cruise ship industries and I’m in touch with Australia and New Zealand, who have the toughest regulations globally. If we can agree with those countries what needs to be done with living plants on board as decoration, then it should be relatively easy to address other jurisdictions. It’s a very interesting part of what I have got myself into and work is in progress.

How has the Young Professionals Club and Metstrade helped you?

I used the Young Professionals Club a lot last year and it was wonderful experience. 
The first thing to mention is the people you meet in the lounge. I've met so many lovely young professionals from a wide range of trades. When you run a business, you encounter many people, but they are usually either your clients, partners or collaborators. Sometimes the journey of a business founder is lonely.

Being in a space where those attending are of similar ages and doing similar things, but in different fields, is great. I met an engineer specialising in titanium engineering and two young technical apprentices – we would never normally run into each other because we work in separate disciplines. But it broadens your perspective to learn from the experience of others and their industry sectors.   

I really enjoyed the Meet the Expert sessions too. Particularly Henk de Vries from Feadship. The experts were approachable and happy to chat afterwards, and it was great to meet the leaders from those successful companies. For some young professionals it might be their only chance to engage with business leaders like that. We need to learn from people of have been doing things for longer than us.

The lounge itself was also good – the staff checking us in and out were fantastic and it's a welcome quiet peaceful stop for a cup of tea or water when you’re walking what feels like hundreds of kilometres a day around the show!

I consider Metstrade one of the top events in the calendar. Being B2B focused it has a different energy to it and it runs for the perfect number of days. You can see everything you want, meet with everyone you need, and everyone is focused. There are no distractions with the boats on water, or with yacht clients.
Metstrade 2025 was very productive and helpful for my business. I’ll be back this year.

About the Young Professionals Club

The Young Professionals Club was founded by Metstrade in 2011, created to support the leisure marine industry’s efforts to recruit and retain young talent. Many thousands of students and professionals in the earlier stages of their career have been supported directly by opportunities through this unique programme.

Access to the Young Professionals Club lounge and its associated programme is free to all registered visitors and exhibitors at the show under the age of 40.
To connect with and stay in touch with members please join the Metstrade Young Professionals Club LinkedIn group.