Jul 23, 2019 at 8:51pm PDT Soon, she was fully immersed in plant culture. Recently, Coates even attended her first local plant swap. “That’s when I really started to realize that these plant people aren’t just on the internet ― they’re real people. And there really is a pretty big plant community.” One of those plant people is Jake Berkowitz, 39, who helped organize the LA swap. Somewhat of a local plant celebrity, Berkowitz is highly active in the community and a member of organizations such as the Los Angeles Cactus and Succulents Society and Los Angeles County Arboretum. He houses a whopping 400 plants in his East Hollywood apartment — many of which reside in a dedicated sunroom with precise temperature and humidity controls — and owns the Instagram account @keepyourplantson_la, which boasts nearly 15,000 followers. Because he works from home for a tech company, he’s able to spend several hours a day tending to the collection.