Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Looking for free, natural ways to decrease stress and increase joy and calm in your life? The answer might be simpler than you think: houseplants, gardening and nature. On Growing Joy with Plants, learn alongside Happy Plant Lady, Maria Failla to care for plants, engage with nature, and use them to manage your overwhelm, anxiety and experience happiness and calm you thought was only available on vacation. Plant care is self care. Come grow some joy with us. Follow along on socials @growingjoywithmaria

The Transformative Power of Flower Essences: What Are Flower Essences and How Can They Help Me?

The Transformative Power of Flower Essences: What Are Flower Essences and How Can They Help Me?

Have you ever once thought about how flowers could do more than brighten your day? What if they could actually support your emotional well-being, reduce your stress, and even spark creativity? After 270+ episodes, this is my first time ordering a guest product right after the interview. Yes, I am on the flower essence bandwagon HARD after this interview.But who wouldn't be after talking with Katie Hess, founder and flower alchemist of Lotuswei, a company dedicated to harnessing the essence of fl

Feb 18, • 56:22

Houseplant Confidence: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Houseplant Confidence: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Lately, I’ve been hearing so many people talk about Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory—this idea of letting go of control, shifting your mindset, and ultimately finding peace. And you know what? I realized that I went through a similar shift when it came to my plant care journey, and I want to share it with you in this episode. I'll talk about how we think about our plants, our plant care, and how that shift in mind can bring so much joy, not just to our plant parenthood but also to our lives.In this

Feb 11, • 36:35

Water Saving Techniques for Your Garden

Water Saving Techniques for Your Garden

How can we conserve water while maintaining healthy, attractive gardens, no matter what climate you're in? Record-breaking heat waves, devastating droughts, wildfires scorching millions of acres, floods turning streets into rivers—we've seen it all this year. As climate extremes test our resilience, our gardens are feeling the impact too. How do we ensure our gardens not only survive but also grow in these unpredictable conditions? Let’s talk about water-saving techniques and strategies to keep

Feb 4, • 52:52

Plant Inspired Vacations

Plant Inspired Vacations

Did you know you can use your plant passion as inspiration for how and where you go on vacation? I'm sure many of us have already done this on a small scale. Maybe you've been on a trip and kept taking pictures of plants that look just like the ones you have at home. Or perhaps you've insisted on visiting a local plant shop or botanical garden while on vacation (guilty as charged!). But plant friends, that can be just the beginning of how you travel and botanize for your plant passion.And we're

Jan 28, • 55:30

Easy Houseplant Care, Houseplant Pest Control, and Motherhood and Plants

Easy Houseplant Care, Houseplant Pest Control, and Motherhood and Plants

If you’re a plant lover, you’ve probably come across Chantel, the brilliant mind behind @channygrayhome on Instagram. Over the past few years, she has built a community of over half a million plant enthusiasts. But there’s so much more to her than her incredible follower count.In this episode, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my chat with Channy—where we talked about her plant history, her love for DIYs, her big move from the Arizona desert to lush Iowa, and how she juggles being a plant mom a

Jan 21, • 51:09

Beneficial Insects For Effortless Houseplant Pest Management

Beneficial Insects For Effortless Houseplant Pest Management

When I visited the Seattle Spheres and saw the famous green wall with its 40,000 plants, I was mesmerized. But what really caught my eye were these strange little plastic baggies hanging off some stems. I wondered if they were hurting the plants at first. But then I looked closer, I realized those bags were filled with insects. Beneficial insects, to be exact. And they were there to manage pests naturally.So if you’re like me and have struggled with pests like spider mites, thrips, or mealybugs

Jan 14, • 52:20

I Grew 40 New Plants in 2024: Ranked from Favorites to Flops

I Grew 40 New Plants in 2024: Ranked from Favorites to Flops

I can't believe we're already in 2025, but I am SO excited to spill all the tea about my wild plant experiment from last year. In 2024, I totally went for it and added over 40 new plant species to my collection—and it was quite the adventure! Some of these plants thrived, some flopped, and yes, some didn’t make it. So in this episode, I’m sharing it all—from my favorites to my fails—and what I learned along the way.In this episode, we learn:[01:51] Reflecting on 2024[04:31] What’s your plant par

Jan 7, • 47:40

The Role of Nature in Personal Growth

The Role of Nature in Personal Growth

What role do you think nature plays in your life? For me, it has always been a deeper way to improve my mental, physical, and emotional health. In fact, it’s not just me who thinks this way. The minute I hopped into the digital recording studio, I knew that my guest was someone very similar to me! I’ve been following Marcus Bridgewater, better known as Garden Marcus, for years, and I’m so happy to say that he surpassed my dreams of what this conversation on plants and wellness could have been.In

Dec 31, 2024 • 57:30

Carnivorous Plants: The Houseplant Pest Control You Never Thought Of

Carnivorous Plants: The Houseplant Pest Control You Never Thought Of

Plant friends, did you know your houseplants can double as pest control? Carnivorous plants don’t just survive—they hunt. Venus flytraps can snap down on unsuspecting flies, while pitcher plants lure bugs into their slippery traps. These carnivorous plants themselves are nature’s own pest management system.So I’ve brought on a guest who knows everything there is to know about them: Kenny Coogan, the head of education at the International Carnivorous Plant Society.Kenny has been growing carnivoro

Dec 24, 2024 • 1:01:59

How to Work with The Winter Equinox

How to Work with The Winter Equinox

As the winter solstice–or the longest night of the year–approaches, how does it reflect and represent you? This is the season of dormancy, a time when plants, the earth, and even we are drawn to rest, recharge, and prepare for growth. In this final installment of our 2024 seasonal sessions, on the pod once again is my dear friend and our resident green witch, Rachael of Our Infinite Nature. She shared with me how the winter solstice can help us honor cycles of rest and renewal. It was a lovely w

Dec 17, 2024 • 1:00:28

Create a Biophilic Office Space: Boost Your Workday Motivation by Adding These Plants to Your Office

Create a Biophilic Office Space: Boost Your Workday Motivation by Adding These Plants to Your Office

According to a Human Spaces report, “workers in office environments with natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, are 6% more productive at work and 15% more creative.” Personally, they’ve been my number one most useful tool for increasing joy throughout my workday, and they help me reduce eye strain from staring at my computer all day. So in this episode of Growing Joy with leafjoy® miniseries, we’ll be talking about biophilia, common problems of office plant care, and some practical ti

Dec 10, 2024 • 25:06

CaliKim on "10 Time Saving Tactics for a More Efficient Garden"

CaliKim on "10 Time Saving Tactics for a More Efficient Garden"

How do you have a life and a garden? Between busy schedules, family time, and pretty lengthy to-do lists, how can we fit gardening moments into our lives without sacrificing precious time? As we close out our 2024 gardening season, it’s a great time to reflect on what worked, what flopped, and how we can make our gardens even better for 2025. This is exactly where CaliKim shines the most, and her new book, The 10-Minute Gardener, helps us become more efficient gardeners who can, as she says, “ha

Dec 3, 2024 • 56:34

Winter Houseguest Plants: Outdoor Plants That Can Grow Indoors This Winter (and go right back outside next summer!)

Winter Houseguest Plants: Outdoor Plants That Can Grow Indoors This Winter (and go right back outside next summer!)

What if there’s a way to enjoy your favorite outdoor plants year-round, save money, and keep them inside as houseplants during the winter? The answer lies in overwintering outdoor plants indoors, which is a brilliant technique I talked about with my friend and gardening expert, Janey Santos from Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat. Janey is a master gardener, YouTuber, and just an all-around plant genius, and she shared five incredible plants that can grow successfully indoors over winter and head right b

Nov 26, 2024 • 44:37

Vacation Proof Your Plants

Vacation Proof Your Plants

How do you vacation-proof your plants before going away? The holiday season is fast approaching, which means many of us have already booked out-of-town trips that would require us to be away from home for a longer period of time. So how would you keep the plants back home alive while on vacation? It's not like we could water our plants while away, right? So in this episode, I want to make sure that stress never happens to you. I'm going to set you up with all that you'll need to know

Nov 19, 2024 • 27:26

Give the Gift of Growth // Holiday Houseplant Gift Guide

Give the Gift of Growth // Holiday Houseplant Gift Guide

Why are plants the perfect holiday gift? Plants symbolize so many things such as growth, life, and connection, so it only makes sense that we want our giftee to feel this. And unlike typical presents, if you pick just the right plant for whoever you’re gifting it to, trust that this will continue to grow and evolve long after the holiday season is gone—making them think of you every time they look at it. But if you’re not careful (and well-informed), that gift could turn into a time bomb of wilt

Nov 12, 2024 • 20:12

Holiday Plant Care: Poinsettia/Christmas Cactus/Norfolk Pine Care

Holiday Plant Care: Poinsettia/Christmas Cactus/Norfolk Pine Care

Christmas and the holiday season are coming! Which “festive” plants should you grow and how can you help them stay alive? For many people, nothing makes the holidays lovelier than getting a beautiful poinsettia or holiday cactus during this time. But there’s absolutely nothing worse than seeing the holiday plant that you fell in love with just wither before your very eyes because they need a different care than you’re used to. So today we’ll talk about how to care for classic holiday plants with

Nov 5, 2024 • 1:01:46

The Best Low Light Plants for Dim Spaces

The Best Low Light Plants for Dim Spaces

What plants are great in low-light homes? That’s one of the most common plant questions that I get asked a lot. It’s popular because a lot of us don’t have those floor-to-ceiling windows that we often see on Pinterest and Instagram. The majority of us just have normal, low-light homes. Even my new house in Florida is actually extremely low-light! But of course, we all want our indoor garden to grow well, no matter what our lighting circumstances are. So here’s another Proven Winners episode to t

Oct 29, 2024 • 27:05

This Trick Will Save You 100s at the Garden Center // Plant Parent Personality

This Trick Will Save You 100s at the Garden Center // Plant Parent Personality

Are you struggling to keep your houseplants alive? You might be one of many aspiring plant parents who find themselves in this annoying cycle, and you wonder why you can't seem to keep even the "easiest" plants alive. The problem is not finding the “right beginner plant” but understanding your own plant parent personality. So in this episode, I’ll tell you the five distinct plant parent personalities and how they can help you choose the right plants for your lifestyle.In this episode, we learn:[

Oct 22, 2024 • 46:44

Behind the Scenes with a Garden Center Owner

Behind the Scenes with a Garden Center Owner

What makes your local garden center feel so special? Don’t you notice that there’s something magical about them? It’s kinda shocking how little we understand as consumers about all the effort that goes into getting plants to us and onto our windowsills. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes at the Garden Center that we don't know about. That's why I'm committed to having more people on this podcast to peel back the curtain of the horticulture industry and help us better und

Oct 15, 2024 • 47:17

Budget Friendly Ways to Elevate Your Garden

Budget Friendly Ways to Elevate Your Garden

Plant friends, if you are anything like me, you LOVE a good deal, especially when it comes to your garden. After all, it can be costly to buy every gardening tool out there that just seems to drain your bank account. Luckily for us, I picked the brain of my new plant friend—Robbie from Visit Our Garden. Robbie’s garden is a marvel in itself, but even more exciting is how he has mastered the art of making it look luxe on a budget. So in this episode, I’m sharing some of his budget hacks that you

Oct 8, 2024 • 49:05

How Plants Teach Us to Adapt to Change

How Plants Teach Us to Adapt to Change

Have you ever felt lost while experiencing change? In fact, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of transplant shock lately, as it has been a beautiful metaphor for what I am personally going through right now after moving 1,500 miles from New York to Florida. It's a plant-life parallel that gave me so much comfort and guidance during this season of discomfort and change, and I have a feeling that it will resonate with many of you. So in this episode, we’re talking about “transplan

Oct 1, 2024 • 28:38

What You Need to Know About the Autumnal Equinox // Seasonal Sessions

What You Need to Know About the Autumnal Equinox // Seasonal Sessions

No matter what season it is, now being summer into fall, the shifting of the seasons provides an opportunity and an external trigger for us to reflect internally. I had my dear friend Rachael from Our Infinite Nature back on the show to help us navigate the upcoming season. If you've been following me, you know how magical she is—she’s my go-to for everything seasonal and spiritual. We’ve been doing these seasonal check-ins, and this episode is all about celebrating the fall equinox.Let’s ch

Sep 24, 2024 • 1:01:19

I Moved 80+ Plants Across the Country: Here's What I Learned

I Moved 80+ Plants Across the Country: Here's What I Learned

I don’t know how I survived moving all 80 of my houseplants across 1500 miles from New York to South Florida with my husband and our parakeet in our rented minivan. It was quite an adventure, and I learned so much along the way. Despite all the chaos, I only lost two and a half plants, which is an achievement! My husband got an amazing job opportunity. I am fully digital with my business. We wanted to move closer to family. So we decided to go for it!In this episode, we learn:[01:18] Why moving

Sep 17, 2024 • 36:02

Hoya Care for Beginners

Hoya Care for Beginners

There are so many different reasons to love hoyas, plant friends. They are gorgeous, drought-tolerant, and relatively easy to care for once you nail down a few key tips! Hoyas had a moment on social media in 2021 and 2022 due to their incredible diversity—Hoyas can look so different from each other, and if you’re a curious plant collector (see which one are you with my plant personality test), this is the perfect genus for you!In this ongoing mini-series, I’ll take you through how to care for ho

Sep 10, 2024 • 23:20

5 Tips for Growing in Hot Climates

5 Tips for Growing in Hot Climates

Big news, plant friends. I've moved! After four wonderful years living in the Catskills my husband and I have packed up our lives–and my plants–and headed south to Florida. That’s from Zone 6B to Zone 10B! As a lifelong New Yorker, I've only ever known four distinct seasons. But now, I’m literally going to experience a whole new gardening action in a climate that feels almost tropical. And I'm feeling like a total beginner again. So, I called in the big guns—my friend Janey from Dig,

Sep 3, 2024 • 47:53

Pet Friendly Plants

Pet Friendly Plants

You've probably seen that funny meme going around that says "pets are the new children, and plants are the new pets." I couldn't agree more! We're all out here treating our plants like our babies and our pets like our kids. But what happens when these two loves collide—and your toxic plant harms your pet? In this episode, I share the different plants that are safe for our furry babies, how to keep pets away from toxic plants, and other things to keep in mind when caring for both plants and pets.

Aug 27, 2024 • 18:03

Anthurium Care 101

Anthurium Care 101

Anthuriums have everything a plant parent could want. This genus has the most widely distributed, easily grown plants as well as some rare and expensive collectibles. Both its leaves and flowers are also indispensable. I especially love it because of its heart-shaped leaves and its gorgeous long, skinny stems. And I’ll tell you all about it and how to care for it in this episode of Proven Winners Mini Series.In this episode, we learn:[02:17] Why I love Anthuriums![02:55] Anthurium mental wellnes

Aug 20, 2024 • 23:45

The Business of Horticulture

The Business of Horticulture

How do you level up from being a casual plant lover to a true pro in the horticulture industry? What does it take to become one? There are plenty of things we don't get as hobbyists about the horticulture industry—so much more happening behind the scenes than we can imagine. Fortunately, Leslie Halleck, a favorite guest on the podcast and one of my best plant friends, is here to tell us about how the horticulture industry works and how you might become part of it! In this episode, we learn:[

Aug 13, 2024 • 1:04:38

How to Use Nature as a Spiritual and Wellness Tool with Jessica Zweig

How to Use Nature as a Spiritual and Wellness Tool with Jessica Zweig

How many times have you heard someone say "My garden is my therapy" or "Plant care is self-care”? These phrases have become so popular lately, and they're absolutely true! As someone who's written a whole book on this topic, I can tell you that being connected to nature gives us so many gifts: perspective, gratitude, love, and as we'll explore today, reverence and reciprocity. I have a deep-rooted connection with Gaia (or Mother Earth) that I’m gonna share with my equally

Aug 6, 2024 • 41:56

Garden to Table Recipes

Garden to Table Recipes

Are you running out of ideas on how to use the tomato and cucumber harvest from your garden? As summer goes on, many gardeners end up with a ton of produce they don't know what to do with. Those eight tomato plants that seemed like a good idea in spring are now producing more than you can eat! But my guest this episode has got you covered with some of her delicious and creative ways to use up your garden bounty. I had an amazing conversation with Julia from Lemon Stripes about her new cookbo

Jul 30, 2024 • 54:26

Growing Joy "After Dark": Spilling the Planty Tea

Growing Joy "After Dark": Spilling the Planty Tea

Here’s a special late-night edition of Growing Joy with Plants: After Dark where I spill the planty tea and share a cocktail with my two incredible plant friends, Agatha Isabel and Kamili Bell Hill. You might know Kamili as @plantblerd on Instagram and Agatha as @agathatisabel on Instagram. They've been my real-life plant friends for years, and we recently had a blast at the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show—and had a sleepover at Kamili's house the night before, which resulted in this episo

Jul 23, 2024 • 57:58

What is Regenerative Gardening and Permaculture?

What is Regenerative Gardening and Permaculture?

Have you ever come across the terms "regenerative gardening," "permaculture," or even "chaos gardening"? These are all over social media lately, but what do they actually mean? And more importantly, how can we use these practices to grow happier, healthier plants while also helping Mother Nature? Today's episode is a deep dive into all of this with my new plant friend, Stephanie Rose, founder of Garden Therapy and author of 12 books, who is so committed to helping you

Jul 16, 2024 • 1:04:07

Understanding Natural Light Levels for Thriving Houseplants // Do You Have Bright Light, Bright Indirect Light or Low Light for Houseplants?

Understanding Natural Light Levels for Thriving Houseplants // Do You Have Bright Light, Bright Indirect Light or Low Light for Houseplants?

You are likely overestimating how much light you have in your home for your houseplants, plant friends! Yes, it's a tough truth to swallow. In fact, the largest cause of houseplant death is a misunderstanding of light. That’s because our houseplants perceive light differently from us. Don’t worry, because I have your back. I've spent seven years learning about light and distilling everything I've learned into this one short episode to break down how you can confidently assess the nat

Jul 9, 2024 • 35:32

Interior Design for Beginners // Interior Design Principles for Houseplant Lovers

Interior Design for Beginners // Interior Design Principles for Houseplant Lovers

Plants just help liven up any space, that’s a fact. And I don't know if you know this, but I suck at interior design. It does not come naturally to me. I often overlook details—and interior design in general is about the details. I came to houseplants for the aesthetic because plants seem to be the common thread of all the design magazines, articles, and inspirations that I was reading as I was curating my apartment in New York City.And when you have a lot of houseplants, that can create a c

Jul 2, 2024 • 1:03:22

Stop Killing Ferns! How to Care for Ferns

Stop Killing Ferns! How to Care for Ferns

I have always been a fan of ferns, but for some reason, I could never manage to keep them alive. But those days are over, and I have done a complete 180 on ferns! If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you've probably heard me say how I don't like ferns and how they're just not my recommended houseplant. However, for the past year or so, I've been successfully caring for ferns, and I'm obsessed. I've learned so much, and I can't wait to share my top

Jun 25, 2024 • 27:05

Why You Should Care About the Summer Solstice

Why You Should Care About the Summer Solstice

Can you feel that summer energy in the air? The summer solstice is upon us—the longest day of the year and the official start of the summer season. For us plant parents, this transition is everything. All our patient tending in the spring is paying off as our gardens burst into full bloom.The summer solstice is a powerful energetic pivot point that I always like to honor and celebrate. And I am so delighted to have my dear friend Rachael of Our Infinite Nature join us again in this episode! Rach

Jun 18, 2024 • 56:18

Small Space Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners

Small Space Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners

Some of my happiest childhood memories are of my mom's garden bursting with homegrown flower bouquets. Whenever we had visitors, she'd snip whatever was in bloom, bundle it up with herbs from her kitchen garden, wrap it in a wet paper towel and tinfoil, and gift it to our guests. I just thought it was the simplest, kindest way to grow joy for herself and for her friends—and that's the beauty of growing cut flowers.Speaking of beauty, I couldn’t get enough of this episode’s guest and

Jun 11, 2024 • 1:11:29

How to Move with Houseplants

How to Move with Houseplants

Moving is such a pain in the neck. Packing boxes, saying goodbye to familiar surroundings, and navigating new neighborhoods—it's enough to make anyone break a sweat. But you know what can be worse than that, plant friends? Moving with houseplants!If you know, you know, and if you haven't moved with your houseplant collection yet, consider yourself lucky. Our guest today just moved across countries and into a different garden zone. We've both moved multiple times in the last few years

Jun 4, 2024 • 1:06:49

Bird-Friendly Gardening

Bird-Friendly Gardening

While we are stewards of the land, we are also stewards of the native animals that call it home. And birds, with their declining population, need our help to keep them flying high in our shared environment. Our responsibility is to protect their home, provide them with food, and minimize the threats they face.When I realized there was someone else who shares my deep passion for birds AND gardens, and that she wrote a whole book on making bird-friendly gardens, I knew I needed to meet and befrien

May 28, 2024 • 1:02:23

Hydrangea Care

Hydrangea Care

Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers, and they represent a wide range of emotions in different cultures. Yes, they can be tricky to grow, but they are relatively low-maintenance with the right care! In this episode, you will learn everything you need to know about hydrangeas from Ryan McEnaney aka @ryanplantsplants, your new best plant friend. I bumped into him in Seattle during the Northwestern Flower Show a few weeks back. We grabbed dinner and it was crazy how much we clicked!Ryan is a fifth-gene

May 21, 2024 • 54:44

How to Water Your Houseplants: Everything You Need to Know About Watering

How to Water Your Houseplants: Everything You Need to Know About Watering

Did you know that watering is one of the most common causes of houseplant death? You saw a gorgeous new plant baby from a store, and then you brought it home full of excitement and good intentions. In fact, you wanted to do your best, so you read the watering instructions in the packet and tried to follow them as closely as possible… And then tragedy happens. The once vibrant leaves start to wilt, turn yellow, or fall off entirely.It’s a rookie mistake! But I’m here to share my hard-earned water

May 14, 2024 • 34:44

How to Use Nature to Improve Your Mindset

How to Use Nature to Improve Your Mindset

How can you use plants to promote more mindful thinking? In this episode, I had the most amazing chat with my longtime plant friend Brittany Gowan (@brittanygowan). Brittany and I go way back to our NYC plant mom days when we used to have plant swaps and brunches together. It is pretty wild how plants can bring people together like that.Brittany is one of a kind—she blends her skills in psychology and coaching with her deep love of nature. On the show, we discussed how plants can reduce stress,

May 7, 2024 • 52:01

How to Care for A Lot of Plants (AKA Have a Large Plant Collection)

How to Care for A Lot of Plants (AKA Have a Large Plant Collection)

If you have 250 plants in your home, what would you do? That seems like WAY too many plants to care for, right? But for Samantha Hermann, better known as @houseplusplant on Instagram, this is her second nature. She’s my newest plant friend, and I’m so excited to have a casual conversation with her on this episode (let me know if you want more episodes like this). Samantha has been successfully keeping that many plants alive and happy for years, and I’m sure it’s a lot of work. But she’s here to

Apr 30, 2024 • 1:21:42

Eco Anxiety

Eco Anxiety

Have you ever felt a sense of worry, fear, or anger when you think about climate change and the state of our planet? If so, you may be experiencing what's called "eco-anxiety." As plant lovers who are so connected to nature through our gardens and houseplants, it makes total sense that eco-anxiety could affect us. We care deeply about the Earth because we are part of it. So, let us spend some time with my dearest friend and resident green witch, Rachael Cohen, to better understand th

Apr 23, 2024 • 50:40

Composting Basics

Composting Basics

You may have heard that compost is the key to a healthy garden, and feeding the soil is more important than feeding your plants. And if you don't garden, you've probably heard about composting as an eco-friendly way to live more sustainably and support the planet. That is why I dedicate an entire episode explaining what composting is and how it works.My guest, Michelle Balz, is a true composting guru who has written, not one, but two incredible books solely focused on this amazing soil a

Apr 16, 2024 • 1:09:22

Everything You Need to Know About Philodendron

Everything You Need to Know About Philodendron

If you're a houseplant lover like me, chances are you already have a philodendron or two in your collection. These awesome tropical plants are some of the most popular and beloved houseplants for good reason—they come in tons of different shapes, colors and sizes, and they're relatively easy to care for too! In this episode, I'm going to give you the full rundown of everything you need to know about growing these amazing plants at home. We'll cover the basics of their natural hab

Apr 9, 2024 • 38:52

How She Grew The Sill: Plantrepreneur Eliza Blank

How She Grew The Sill: Plantrepreneur Eliza Blank

If you interact with the houseplant community online at all, you've definitely felt the impact of The Sill on our plant niche. I honestly can't believe that it took me a whopping 230 episodes to finally have Eliza Blank, founder of The Sill, grace the Growing Joy with Plants podcast! Her female founder story of recognizing a need for a houseplant brand and building it into a million-dollar company would make you feel empowered, as it did me.In case you didn’t know, The Sill was one of th

Apr 2, 2024 • 37:59

Climate Proof Your Garden

Climate Proof Your Garden

Climate change is real, plant friends—and it’s impacting our world too fast! Because of that, it’s becoming extremely important for us plant parents/gardeners to adapt our practices to ensure our gardens can withstand the challenges that lie ahead. In fact, it’s already impacting our gardens in SO many ways—from unpredictable weather to increased pest infestations. So in this episode, I invited a new plant friend, Kim Stoddart, who is a passionate gardener, climate advocate, and author of "T

Mar 26, 2024 • 57:09

Why You Should Care About the Spring Equinox

Why You Should Care About the Spring Equinox

What are your plans this Spring Equinox? Spring equinox is like a special day when light and dark are balanced just right. As it draws closer, it comes with a reminder that nature has its own patterns that repeat over and over, and this particular event shows us that winter is ending and spring is starting… bringing new life and growth. Tuning into the Earth's frequencies during this season can help us grow and feel refreshed too. In this episode, I’m so happy to welcome back our residential

Mar 19, 2024 • 1:12:32

Everything You Need to Know About Calathea

Everything You Need to Know About Calathea

Calatheas have a bit of a reputation among plant parents for being dramatic "divas." And I'm not going to lie—they can be particular about their care. But don't let that scare you off! If you try to understand their preferences, you can totally grow lush, vibrant prayer plants at home. That’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode!In this episode, we learn:[01:44] Understanding calathea (now also called Goeppertia)[02:21] Why calathea isn’t for everyone (so set your expec

Mar 12, 2024 • 37:34

Homesteading Basics

Homesteading Basics

Is homesteading your ultimate dream? Because mine too, plant friends! Like most gardeners, I've always dreamed of someday creating a homestead and being more self-sufficient. I very much enjoy growing my own fruits, veggies, and herbs, but starting homesteading seemed a little scary. That’s why I was so excited to speak with gardening influencer Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening, who has spent the last few years turning his suburban property into an enviable homestead. Kevin shared his advice

Mar 5, 2024 • 52:03

How to Repot Houseplants

How to Repot Houseplants

Do you know that repotting and potting up mean different things? As our houseplants grow happily under our care, eventually they will outgrow their current pots. Determining whether your plant needs to simply have its soil refreshed (repotting) or be shifted to a larger container (potting up) can be challenging for new plant parents. In this episode, I will walk you through when to pot up versus repot, proper techniques for both, tips to avoid issues, and how to turn repotting into an uplifting

Feb 27, 2024 • 41:14

Indoor Plant Projects for Stress Relief

Indoor Plant Projects for Stress Relief

Do you feel a little sad or bored being stuck inside this winter (at least those in the northern hemisphere)? I hope the winter months haven’t got you down too much because I know we’re all feeling a bit cooped up lately. That’s why I brought on a new plant friend, Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago, a gardening expert and horticultural therapist, to share some of her favorite simple DIY indoor plant projects to spark joy during these months. Note that these are all featured in her new book ¡Verdura!

Feb 20, 2024 • 55:32

Everything You Need to Know About Ficus Care

Everything You Need to Know About Ficus Care

I am completely obsessed with ficus! Over the last few months, I've been slowly collecting different ficus varieties and learning how to help them thrive. There's just something about the colorful leaves, sculptural shapes, and tree-like growth that makes me love this plant genus. I love my ficus collection and feel like this genus has been overlooked, with the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) getting most of the hype. But there are so many gorgeous, easy-to-grow ficus species that make ex

Feb 13, 2024 • 32:38

Cultivating Intuition with Nature

Cultivating Intuition with Nature

How can we use plants to connect with intuitive energy? If you're anything like me, simply being around plants makes you feel happier, calmer, and more like your true self. I've always felt plants have some extra special magic that goes beyond their pretty leaves. That's why I was so excited to welcome back our resident “green witch" Rachael from Our Infinite Nature (formerly Infinite Succulent—yes, she just rebranded!) on the podcast this week to talk about how plant care can op

Feb 6, 2024 • 58:13

Humidity and Houseplants

Humidity and Houseplants

Do I really need a humidifier? Why do my plants get crispy leaves when I crank the heat? When it comes to houseplant care, humidity is right up there with water and light as one of the most important factors. I’ve spent years stressing about humidity levels. Fortunately, I invited my dear plant friend and humidity expert, Leslie Halleck, for another session of Grow Better. Understanding the science behind humidity has helped me stop freaking out and keep my plant collection happy.In this episode

Jan 30, 2024 • 57:56

Top 5 Seed Starting Mistakes with Joe Gardener

Top 5 Seed Starting Mistakes with Joe Gardener

It’s almost that glorious time of year again...seed starting season! I don’t know about you, but this is hands-down one of my favorite times in the garden. There’s just something touching about growing those tiny pieces of potential life into healthy plants and vegetables. However, I’d be lying if I said I’ve had perfect success right off the bat. Seed starting has a bit of a learning curve, but making mistakes is all part of the fun and learning in the garden! As long as you don’t lose an entir

Jan 23, 2024 • 57:48

Attract Pollinators with a Tiny Meadow in Your Yard

Attract Pollinators with a Tiny Meadow in Your Yard

When I think of the word “meadow,” I imagine a glorious landscape filled with grasses and wildflowers swaying in the breeze. While beautiful, these meadows also seem completely out of reach for most home gardeners. But in this episode, meadow expert Graham Laird Gardner, author of ‘Tiny and Wild: Build a Small Scale Meadow Anywhere,’ is here to show us that we can recreate tiny meadows, even on the smallest scale.In this episode, we learn:[03:40] How Graham became the “meadow man”[06:27] Living

Jan 16, 2024 • 54:27

Everything You Need to Know about Alocasia

Everything You Need to Know about Alocasia

If there is one genus of plants that has captured my imagination for years but repeatedly evaded me, it’s Alocasia. These tropical plants with their large, alien-esque leaves and jewel-toned undersides have long obsessed me. I’d often pick them up from the garden center, only to watch them rapidly decline in my dry, temperate home. But after lots of trial and error, I’ve finally cracked the code to make them thrive! In this episode, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about growing Alocasia hous

Jan 9, 2024 • 36:39

2024 Goals for My Houseplants and Garden

2024 Goals for My Houseplants and Garden

Happy New Year, plant friends! And you know what that means—time for some serious reflection about the previous year and thinking about how we want to step into 2024! I'm all about assessing what worked and what didn't across all areas of life. But today, let's talk about plants and how you and I can use them to cultivate as much happiness as possible in the coming year.When we show up consistently for our plant hobby, I firmly believe it can help us feel better, more peaceful, and m

Jan 2, 2024 • 28:18

I killed a bunch of plants this year, here's what happened: How to Do a Plant Audit

I killed a bunch of plants this year, here's what happened: How to Do a Plant Audit

Happy almost New Year, plant friends! For my last episode of 2023, I wanted to get a little reflective about the joy and growing parts of “Growing Joy.” This year, I bravely held a funeral for many of my houseplants that were no longer bringing me joy. Yes—I lost a LOT of houseplants this year. Some of the plants I said goodbye to weren’t even fully dead yet. They just weren’t happy in my home anymore, and I took it upon myself to consciously let them go in a ritualized way that released me from

Dec 26, 2023 • 24:58

Being Organic Before Organic Was Cool: The Story of Espoma Organic

Being Organic Before Organic Was Cool: The Story of Espoma Organic

I still clearly remember the first time I used an Espoma product—their liquid indoor plant food to be exact. I had struggled so much with trying to find the right fertilizer for my houseplant collection, leading to a huge mess all over my kitchen from failed mixing attempts. But when I tried their simple liquid formula, I finally had the answer to my search, and healthy, thriving plants with gorgeous growth. And I became a lifelong Espoma convert!Little did I know then about the impressive 95-ye

Dec 19, 2023 • 1:14:07

4 Things You Need to Know about Winter and Houseplants

4 Things You Need to Know about Winter and Houseplants

The winter can be challenging for indoor tropical houseplants that thrive in hot, humid environments. While our houseplants do not experience the true dormancy of outdoor deciduous plants (plants that drop all their leaves at some point in the year), they can enter a period of slowed growth known as “quiescence.” During this time, they require adjusted care to stay happy and healthy. After keeping houseplants for many winters and making my share of mistakes, I want to share the knowledge I’ve ga

Dec 12, 2023 • 31:07

9 Jobs in Horticulture

9 Jobs in Horticulture

Have you ever wondered, “Could working with plants really be my full-time job?” Well, dear plant friend, the answer is a resounding yes! There is a whole world of opportunities waiting for you in the horticulture industry should you decide to turn your plant passion into a career. In this episode, we’ll dig into 9 jobs in horticulture with my dear friend, Daniel Fuller. Daniel is a national council member for the Australian Institute of Horticulture, host of the “Plants Grow Here” podcast, and a

Dec 5, 2023 • 1:00:59

How Much Lights Do My Houseplants Need?

How Much Lights Do My Houseplants Need?

Do you ever look around your home and wonder if your houseplants are getting enough light to thrive? Without the right amount and type of light, even the most pampered plant will struggle to survive. Yet many of us wing it when it comes to taking care of our houseplants. We stick that new fiddle leaf fig in a corner and wonder why its leaves droop. Or we assume a windowsill equals “bright indirect light” without really knowing what that means.I know it’s time to bring attention to this overlooke

Nov 28, 2023 • 1:08:51

5 Houseplant Crafts that Make Amazing DIY Holiday Gifts

5 Houseplant Crafts that Make Amazing DIY Holiday Gifts

The holiday season is officially here! As much as I love this festive time of year, gift-giving can be stressful for me. I always struggle to find meaningful, budget-friendly presents that make my loved ones happy. But this year, I'm spreading holiday cheer by gifting my friends and family homemade plant-inspired presents. Not only is this a budget-friendly idea—it also allows me to share my plant passion with the special people in my life. Plus, don’t you agree that plants make wonderful gi

Nov 21, 2023 • 35:48

How to Put Your Garden to Bed for Winter

How to Put Your Garden to Bed for Winter

The peak gardening season may be over, but there are still important tasks to do in the garden before winter arrives. As we enter fall and approach winter, it's time to start prepping our garden beds to go dormant. Properly putting your beds to rest sets your garden up for success when it awakens refreshed in spring. In this episode, gardening expert Resh Gala (@reshgala) tells us everything you need to know to properly put your garden to bed for the winter! This episode is a bit of a plant

Nov 14, 2023 • 54:51

How to Grow Citrus Indoors

How to Grow Citrus Indoors

Have you ever wandered through the citrus section of a nursery, inhaling the sweet scent of Meyer lemons and key limes, and thought “Oh my, I want one”? As someone who impulse purchased a struggling lime tree years ago—which I named Limey, by the way—growing citrus indoors is possible with the right care and conditions. Citrus plants can be great houseplants if you set them up for success, and they present a unique opportunity to engage all five senses! In this episode, I invited my long-lost de

Nov 7, 2023 • 58:11

Plant Magic: How to Be a Green Witch

Plant Magic: How to Be a Green Witch

Do you ever wish you could invite a little more magic into your life? As fall approaches and the spooky season of Halloween is upon us, many of us long to connect with something… mystical. But magic doesn’t have to be complicated or even supernatural, plant friends. The energy of nature that surrounds us every day provides plenty of opportunity for wonder, spiritual connection, and manifestation!To guide us, I’ve invited my dear friend Rachael Cohen, who is a wonderful example of a modern green

Oct 24, 2023 • 1:22:17

DIY Houseplant First Aid Kit

DIY Houseplant First Aid Kit

Caring for houseplants often means dealing with pests, diseases, or cultural issues at some point. Having a houseplant first aid kit prepared allows you to quickly treat problems and nurse your plants back to health. In this episode, our favorite horticulturist Leslie Halleck shares must-have items to include in your DIY houseplant first aid kit so you can effectively treat plant problems as soon as they pop up!In this episode, we learn:[00:17] What is a Houseplant First Aid Kit?[09:46] What is

Oct 17, 2023 • 1:14:30

Rooted in Generosity: Inspiring Harmony Through Wind Chimes and Why You Need Them in Your Garden

Rooted in Generosity: Inspiring Harmony Through Wind Chimes and Why You Need Them in Your Garden

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up every morning to the hypnotic sound of wind chimes gently drifting through your bedroom window, plant friends? The delicate tones of wind chimes dancing on the breeze can turn an ordinary morning into a magical experience. In this episode, I spoke with the owners of Wind River Chimes to uncover the history, craftsmanship, and meaning behind these musical garden ornaments. If you’re a constant listener, I’m sure you know them as one of my podcast sponsors! Patty

Oct 10, 2023 • 41:38

The History of Italian Gardens and Italian Citrus

The History of Italian Gardens and Italian Citrus

Ever heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"? You bet those lemons might have come from an Italian garden, plant friends! To celebrate Italian American Heritage Month, this episode brings us all about the history of Italian gardens and citrus cultivation with Helena Attlee, an expert on Italian gardens and author of the book The Land Where Lemons Grow. We will talk about Italy's epic obsession with gardens and citrus fruits over the centuries.In this episode, we

Oct 3, 2023 • 51:40

Houseplant Styling Tips, How to Be A Professional Houseplant Stylist and All Things Maryah Greene

Houseplant Styling Tips, How to Be A Professional Houseplant Stylist and All Things Maryah Greene

If you love styling your indoor plants and have an eye for design, becoming a professional plant stylist may be the perfect side hustle or full-time career for you, plant friends! Plant styling has exploded in popularity recently, as more people discover the therapeutic benefits of surrounding themselves with plants. In this episode, we'll share insights from Maryah Greene, a successful New York-based plant stylist and influencer, on how she built her brand Greene Piece. You'll learn Mar

Sep 26, 2023 • 1:05:58

How to Identify Houseplant Disease

How to Identify Houseplant Disease

Is your houseplant suddenly dropping leaves, getting spots, or just looking sick? Plant diseases can strike fear into any plant parent's heart. One day your plant baby is thriving, and the next it's on the decline! Plant diseases happen to the best of us. Even expert growers deal with fungal, bacterial, and viral plant infections. The good news is that many common houseplant diseases are treatable if caught early. But plant friends, you need to first know how to accurately identify them.

Sep 18, 2023 • 1:03:17

How to Bring Your Plants Indoors for the Winter

How to Bring Your Plants Indoors for the Winter

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping, how do our plants adjust to this change? For us houseplant parents, this signals that it's time to start transitioning our outdoor summer plants back indoors. While it may seem simple to just pick up your plant pots and haul them inside, there are important steps to follow for a smooth transition.In this solo episode, I'll walk you through the entire process of bringing your houseplants indoors in 3 phases: Preparation, Tran

Sep 12, 2023 • 26:17

How to Can and Ferment Vegetables and Fruits from Your Garden

How to Can and Ferment Vegetables and Fruits from Your Garden

When you grow an edible garden, you likely end up with a surplus of fresh produce at the peak of each growing season. Rather than letting those precious veggies and fruits go to waste, consider preserving them through time-tested techniques like canning and fermenting. These methods allow you to safely store your garden harvest so you can enjoy homemade jams, pickles, sauces, and more throughout the year! In this episode, you'll learn the basics of canning and fermenting from renowned homest

Sep 5, 2023 • 54:44

How to Forage for Healing Plants in Your Backyard

How to Forage for Healing Plants in Your Backyard

For most of us, the plants growing in our backyards and neighborhoods go overlooked. We mow them down or walk right over them without a second glance. But did you know many of these plants have been used medicinally for centuries? In this episode, we'll share fundamental tips from an expert forager, herbalist, and hiker, Heather Houskeeper. You'll learn basic plant identification skills, foraging best practices, and uses for several common medicinal "weeds."In this episode, we le

Aug 22, 2023 • 1:09:37

Common Houseplant Pest Identification and How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats, Spidermites, Scale, White Flies and Mealybugs: Grow Better with Leslie

Common Houseplant Pest Identification and How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats, Spidermites, Scale, White Flies and Mealybugs: Grow Better with Leslie

As houseplant parents, most of us will inevitably encounter some type of pest infestation at some point. Seemingly overnight, our beautiful, thriving plants can become under attack by bugs we didn't even know existed! Pests can quickly damage and even kill our treasured plants if left unchecked. In Episode 2 of the Grow Better Series, my dear friend Leslie Halleck is back to teach us how to identify the most common houseplant pests and take action to get rid of them fast.In this episode, we

Aug 15, 2023 • 1:17:10

Check Out the Old Fashioned On Purpose Podcast

Check Out the Old Fashioned On Purpose Podcast

I hope you LOVED this weeks episode on How to Grow Garlic with Jill Winger!Jill was an amazing and has an incredible podcast of her own all about homesteading and slow living called Old Fashioned On PurposeI wanted to introduce you to in, incase you dream of a homestead or slower way of living.Type in "Old Fashioned On Purpose" into the podcast player search bar and go subscribe or click this link!https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/old-fashioned-on-purpose-podcastAdvertising Inquiries:

Aug 10, 2023 • 2:09

How to Grow Garlic

How to Grow Garlic

Garlic is a staple in so many savory dishes, but if you've only ever cooked with the sad grocery store bulbs, it's time to see garlic's true potential by growing your own. The depth of flavor and variety that homegrown garlic offers blows store-bought out of the water. Lucky for us, plant friends, growing our own garlic at home is so easy! In this episode, homesteader extraordinaire Jill Winger walks us through how to grow garlic step-by-step, select varieties, grow, harvest, and sto

Aug 8, 2023 • 53:08

How They Built a Million Dollar Company: Plantrepreneur Profile with Soltech

How They Built a Million Dollar Company: Plantrepreneur Profile with Soltech

Soltech has achieved remarkable success in recent years, growing from a small startup to a million-dollar business. For long-time listeners, you probably bought their grow lights already using my coupon code Bloom15, and I’m sure you love them as much as I do! And for those who haven’t, join me in this episode as we talk in-depth with Soltech’s founders and my dear plant friends—Chris, Mike, and Paul—about their remarkable journey, the challenges they overcame, and the strategies that propelled

Aug 1, 2023 • 1:21:02

The Power of a Therapeutic Garden to Help Us Feel Better

The Power of a Therapeutic Garden to Help Us Feel Better

Gardening has long been known for its therapeutic advantages and as a place of calm and peace in the middle of a hectic schedule. Garden therapy can relieve stress and enhance our mental and emotional health. In this episode, we'll look at 9 gardening practices that can help you develop a deeper connection with nature—and yourself.In this episode, we learn:[05:11] Therapeutic benefits of gardening during tough times[09:40] How gardening can help you with focus and monotasking[10:55] The conn

Jul 25, 2023 • 42:39

Overwatered vs Underwatered Plants, How Much Light Do Indoor Plants Need and More Common Houseplant  Problems: Grow Better with Leslie

Overwatered vs Underwatered Plants, How Much Light Do Indoor Plants Need and More Common Houseplant Problems: Grow Better with Leslie

Do your plants get enough water and light? These questions are typically asked, and the answer is often "It depends." But this answer is more meaningful than you might think, which will be explained in today's episode of our new series, "Grow Better," featuring Leslie Halleck. As a certified horticulturist with extensive experience in plant care, Leslie is here to share her insights on the subject of overwatering and underwatering, offer valuable insights into the optimal lig

Jul 18, 2023 • 1:15:52

Homesteading for Beginners with Michelle Bruhn and Stephanie Thurow

Homesteading for Beginners with Michelle Bruhn and Stephanie Thurow

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a homesteader? A growing number of people are turning to self-sufficiency and sustainability in their way of living. However, homesteading can seem intimidating, especially when social media portrays it as an exclusive lifestyle requiring acres of land and living off the grid. The good news is that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing lifestyle! In this episode, learn how Stephanie Thurow and Michelle Bruhn, co-authors of the book Small Scale Ho

Jul 11, 2023 • 1:09:53

The History of Flowers with Noel Kingsbury

The History of Flowers with Noel Kingsbury

Flowers have totally mesmerized people for ages with their awesome colors, shapes, and smells. We're totally obsessed with them, and they've been a huge part of our cultures, traditions, and personal bonds for as long as we can remember. In this episode, we're going to talk about the history of flowers with a celebrated garden writer, Noel Kingsbury. We'll explore the history and meanings behind flowers, how they've evolved alongside pollinators, and the special relationships

Jul 4, 2023 • 47:41

War Gardens, Victory Gardens or Pandemic Gardens: The History Behind Why People Grow Plants in Hard Times

War Gardens, Victory Gardens or Pandemic Gardens: The History Behind Why People Grow Plants in Hard Times

Gardening is already a popular hobby, but the pandemic has revived an interest in growing plants. Many of us plant parents turned to gardening to keep busy, improve our mental health, and even grow food as we were forced to spend more time at home. Similar to this occurrence is the Victory Gardens of the past. In this episode, Maggie Stuckey joins us to review the history of Victory Gardens and their surprising role in society throughout the last hundred years. We also explore why people are so

Jun 27, 2023 • 59:02

How to Overcome Burnout Through The Healing Power of Nature

How to Overcome Burnout Through The Healing Power of Nature

How do you handle burnout? We have all asked that question at some point because modern society has a lot of demands, and it's become too easy to feel overwhelmed. But what if there was a free and accessible tool that could help you turn towards yourself again, away from overstimulation and crazy schedules? In this episode, I will share with you my own experience with deep depression and severe burnout, and how I found healing through making major life shifts centered around spending more ti

Jun 20, 2023 • 44:26

The Mushroom Miniseries: How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors

The Mushroom Miniseries: How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors

Do you want to learn how to grow mushrooms at home? In the third episode of our Mushroom Mini-series, Billy and I share how you can enjoy the process of growing mushrooms indoors. Our relationship as co-hosts, and more importantly, as life partners, has made this journey more delightful. We enjoy our time together as self-proclaimed “mushroom farmers,” learning and growing together. In this episode, we are grateful to welcome back Louis from North Spore who shares his mushroom expertise and begi

Jun 13, 2023 • 59:17

Check out the Bad Seeds Podcast!

Check out the Bad Seeds Podcast!

Introducing the Bad Seeds Podcast, by our dear friend, Summer Rayne Oakes!Bad Seeds is a new podcast from School of Humans and iHeart Podcasts that investigates a growing area of crime that you might have never heard of: plant crime. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, plant crime has been on the rise. From timber poaching in Zambia to cactus smuggling in the US' national parks, Bad Seeds explores a variety of cases where people have stolen plants - having huge repercussions on our environment

Jun 8, 2023 • 4:20

How to Stop Killing Succulents: Succulent Care and Propagation Guide

How to Stop Killing Succulents: Succulent Care and Propagation Guide

Succulents are beautiful, low-maintenance plants that are perfect for us busy plant parents. They're also total badasses. However, they can be quite tricky to care for if you don't know what you're doing. In this episode, I have invited my “succy” friend Andrea from Justsuccit.com to shed some light on the facts and fiction surrounding succulent care!In this episode, we learn:[00:17] Why succulents can mislead and frustrate people[07:34] How did Andrea become the expert succulent pla

Jun 6, 2023 • 55:59

The Power of Therapeutic Horticulture

The Power of Therapeutic Horticulture

Have you ever thought about the healing power of plants beyond just their aesthetic appeal? As plant parents, we know how much fun it is to take care of our plants, but did you know that therapeutic horticulture is a practice being used in hospitals, retirement homes, and even correctional facilities? Today, we're exploring the concept of therapeutic horticulture with the guidance of expert teacher Hilda Krus, who has been a horticultural therapist for over two decades, working with inmates

May 30, 2023 • 1:19:31

Companion Planting Basics with the Garden Managers of The Lodge at Woodloch

Companion Planting Basics with the Garden Managers of The Lodge at Woodloch

Did you know that plants can also be friends? If you’ve followed me on Instagram this year, you will know about the love affair I am having at The Lodge at Woodloch, a luxury resort and spa, about an hour from where I live. A very interesting aspect of the Lodge at Woodloch is the Blackmore Farm, their regenerative organic farm that grew 9500 lbs of produce for the Lodge’s Restaurant last year! And it is run by only two guys, Sam and Derrick, whom I’ve invited to share their passion for soil bio

May 23, 2023 • 1:04:27

Mini Episode: 5 Ways to Use Scented Plants to Reduce Stress and Increase Joy

Mini Episode: 5 Ways to Use Scented Plants to Reduce Stress and Increase Joy

Plant friends, we are changing things up. We're taking a detour from our typical long-form content to introduce a new format — mini-episodes — taken from our rich conversations. These episodes are meant to be your bite-sized lessons about how to use nature to bring joy into your life. And in this first episode, inspired by our recent interview on aromatic gardening, we’re going to talk about 5 practical steps to incorporate scent into our daily routines.In this episode, we learn:[00:26] What

May 19, 2023 • 13:23

The Art of Aromatic Gardening with Amy of NYC Aromatica

The Art of Aromatic Gardening with Amy of NYC Aromatica

Do you love the smell of fresh flowers or the aroma that wafts through your home as you cook with herbs? Smell might not be the first thing we think of when it comes to gardening, but it's actually a super powerful way to bring joy to our gardens! In fact, our sense of smell has strong associations with our long-term memories and emotions. Today, we're chatting with my friend Amy Anthony, a certified clinical aromatherapist and aromatic gardener, who will share her expertise on how aroma

May 16, 2023 • 59:21

Check out the Decorating Tips and Tricks Podcast!

Check out the Decorating Tips and Tricks Podcast!

Did you love this weeks episode with Kelly from Decorating Tips and Tricks on Interior Design Trends for your Garden? If so, listen to her trailer, and go check out the Decorating Tips and Tricks Podcast and subscribe!Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/PLANTS* Check out Outdoor Electronics: www.google.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

May 11, 2023 • 3:02

9 Interior Design Tips to Apply to Your Garden

9 Interior Design Tips to Apply to Your Garden

Interior design principles are not limited to our indoor spaces! For us plant parents, interior design and gardening may initially appear as separate domains, but there are numerous similarities between the two—so much so that the principles of one can be applied to the other. In this episode, we'll learn from Kelly Wilkniss of Decorating Tips and Tricks podcast as she shares nine valuable interior design tips that can be applied to transform your garden into a stunning, cohesive, and joyful

May 9, 2023 • 1:04:37

The History of Houseplants with Jane Perrone

The History of Houseplants with Jane Perrone

Where did our houseplants come from and what’s the history behind them? From Babylonian gardens to the healing power of herbs, houseplants have been used for centuries to cultivate joy in our lives. In this episode, I spoke with Jane Perrone, OG planty podcaster and author of the newly released Legends of the Leaf. Jane has spent years researching and collecting stories, lore, and surprises about our beloved house plants, and is here to enlighten us about their history. Let’s learn all about the

May 2, 2023 • 1:07:54

Grow Your Own Salad: How to Grow Lettuce from Seed to Harvest

Grow Your Own Salad: How to Grow Lettuce from Seed to Harvest

Did you know that the freshest and most delicious lettuce comes from growing them yourself? At home, Billy and I haven't bought a plastic box of lettuce in months and enjoy fresh salad almost daily! We've been growing lettuce hydroponically indoors and are now gearing up to start our outdoor lettuce garden. In this episode, we're joined by Nicole Burke from Gardenary, who shares her expertise on growing lettuce and how you can start your own lettuce garden, even if you don't have

Apr 18, 2023 • 56:47

The Mushroom Miniseries: How to Grow Functional Mushrooms in Your Garden

The Mushroom Miniseries: How to Grow Functional Mushrooms in Your Garden

What if you could grow functional mushrooms next to your tomato plants? In this episode 2 of the Mushroom Miniseries, Billy and I continue our exploration of the world of mushrooms in partnership with North Spore and their expert mycologist, Louis Giller. Today's episode focuses on growing mushrooms in your garden and covers topics such as integrating mushrooms into a traditional garden and the benefits of cultivating mushrooms alongside your plant babies!Enjoy an exclusive 10% off your mush

Apr 11, 2023 • 1:14:52

Spring Houseplant Care

Spring Houseplant Care

Are you ready to give your house plants the love and care they deserve this spring? It's that time of year again where we shed our winter blues and embrace the sunshine and fresh air of a new season. And what better way to welcome the change than by spring cleaning for your plant babies? In this episode, we've got you covered with a checklist of things to do to set your plants up for success this season, while also cultivating joy and mindfulness in the process!In this episode, we learn:

Apr 4, 2023 • 40:38

Top Gardening Mistakes to Avoid in your 2023 Garden with Joe Lamp'l

Top Gardening Mistakes to Avoid in your 2023 Garden with Joe Lamp'l

Are you ready to take your gardening skills to the next level and avoid common pitfalls? Spring is finally here, and it's time to get ready for gardening season! But before you start planting, it's important to know what not to do in your garden. That's why we've brought back Joe Lamp'l of joegardener.com to share his expertise on common gardening mistakes and how to avoid them. From beginners to seasoned gardeners, there's something for everyone in this fun and informati

Mar 28, 2023 • 1:15:22

Minimalism and Plants with Stephanie of Sustainable Minimalist

Minimalism and Plants with Stephanie of Sustainable Minimalist

As plant parents, we love our green babies, but sometimes we can get carried away with our collections. With life returning to normal, we might feel like it's time to simplify our spaces and make room for new experiences. Today's episode is all about embracing the joy of living with less. We're joined by Stephanie, the host of the Sustainable Minimalism podcast, to talk about how the principles of minimalism can bring positivity and happiness into our plant parenthood journeys. So ge

Mar 21, 2023 • 50:16

Living Soil, Planttok and Creativity Through Plants with Dirty Roots Berlin

Living Soil, Planttok and Creativity Through Plants with Dirty Roots Berlin

Have you ever wondered about the fascinating world of soil biology and the joy of creativity through plants? In this episode, we're joined by Adam from @dirty_roots_berlin to learn all about the importance of living soil, growing your own soil, and using nature to combat nature. Plus, we'll dive into how TikTok offers a refreshing and diverse platform for sharing your love for plants and exploring your unique personality! We'll also discuss how plants can help us reconnect with our s

Mar 14, 2023 • 1:06:11

The Mushroom Miniseries: Mushrooms 101 Plus the Answer to "What is the Mushroom Growing in My Houseplant!"

The Mushroom Miniseries: Mushrooms 101 Plus the Answer to "What is the Mushroom Growing in My Houseplant!"

Are you ready to dive into the magical world of mushrooms? We're excited to introduce the Mushroom Miniseries, our four-part exploration into the incredible, functional world of mushrooms. From learning about their adaptogenic nature to understanding how they grow, we're here to take you on a journey of discovery! Join me and my husband Billy as we partner with mushroom expert Louis Giller from North Spore to explore everything from how to grow mushrooms outdoors and indoors to discoveri

Mar 7, 2023 • 1:10:47

The Evolution of Plant Parenthood with Adam, Becca and Nicole from Potted Together

The Evolution of Plant Parenthood with Adam, Becca and Nicole from Potted Together

Are you always seeking out new plant friends to swap plant care tips and experiences with? This episode is perfect for new plant parents looking to learn from experienced plant lovers or anyone who wants to be part of a community of plant enthusiasts. Join me as I chat with the Potted Together trio Adam, Nicole, and Becca about the evolution of plant parenthood, the different seasons of plant care, and all the topics that only true plant friends would discuss. So grab a cup of tea and listen to

Feb 28, 2023 • 1:20:00

Landscaping in the Southwest with Tina from The Desert Botanical Garden

Landscaping in the Southwest with Tina from The Desert Botanical Garden

Many of us might think of deserts as barren wastelands, but in reality, the desert is a planty oasis within itself! There are towering saguaros, rosette aloes and agaves, and pollinators flitting between prickly pear flowers. To walk us through this underrated environment, we have a very special guest: Tina Wilson, the Director of Horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. We take a closer look at the amazing vegetation that thrives in the desert, and how you can create you

Feb 21, 2023 • 47:32

How Seeds are Produced: Behind the Scenes of How Our Seeds are Selected, Grown, Tested and Multiplied with Territorial Seed Company

How Seeds are Produced: Behind the Scenes of How Our Seeds are Selected, Grown, Tested and Multiplied with Territorial Seed Company

How are seeds produced, manufactured, and make it to our gardens? Every gardener knows the joy of going through seed catalogs and visiting garden centers to select the perfect mix of herbs, vegetables, and flowers to grow in their own garden. But what we might not often consider is the journey of those seeds—from the years-long process of selection, cultivation, and production to the moment when we lovingly plant those tiny specs of potential into the ground. In this episode, Andrew Billing and

Feb 14, 2023 • 1:20:56

Can Plants Feel? Unmasking Plant Intelligence with Paco Calvo and Natalie Lawrence

Can Plants Feel? Unmasking Plant Intelligence with Paco Calvo and Natalie Lawrence

Have you ever wondered if plants have intelligence and emotions in the same way that humans do? Plant intelligence is a topic that has been gaining more attention in recent years. The idea that plants are not just passive organisms, but actively respond to their environment and make decisions, is fascinating. To delve deeper into this subject, we are joined by two experts in the field: Paco Calvo, a professor of philosophy of science and the principal investigator at the MINT Lab, and Natalie La

Feb 7, 2023 • 1:02:21

Seed Starting Basics with Joe Lamp'l

Seed Starting Basics with Joe Lamp'l

Seed starting is such a joyful and empowering experience for any plant parent. The reward of successfully taking a dormant seed, germinating it and nurturing it into the full plant that it’s destined to become encourages more mindfulness and joy in the garden. However, it can also be intimidating and stressful for many. In this episode, Joe Lamp’l of Joe Gardener discusses some common seed-starting challenges and how to overcome them, as well as some tips for starting your own seeds.In this epis

Jan 24, 2023 • 1:22:39

Caudex Plant Care with Plant Daddy Pod

Caudex Plant Care with Plant Daddy Pod

Are you ready to add some unique, eye-catching beauty to your plant collection? Meet the caudex plant—also known as the foot, Stephania erecta, or even the Potato Plant. While these plants may be stunning, they can be a handful to take care of without proper knowledge. Join us as we explore the world of caudex plants with expert guests Stephen and Matthew from the Plant Daddy Podcast. From the well-known Stephania erecta to other varieties that are more accessible and easy to care for, we'll

Jan 17, 2023 • 1:32:16

What to Do When a Plant Dies with Cassidy from Succulents and Sunshine

What to Do When a Plant Dies with Cassidy from Succulents and Sunshine

Are you a plant killer? It's a question that plagues many of us who have tried our hand at gardening, only to have our beloved plants wilt and die despite our best efforts. But fear not! In this episode, Cassidy Tuttle of Succulents and Sunshine explains that it's all a matter of understanding your plants and their specific needs. Come join us as we take a deeper look at how to deal with plant death.In this episode, we learn:[00:00] Does being a plant parent mean you’re also a plant kill

Jan 10, 2023 • 56:51

Growing Joy with Plants Podcast Trailer

Growing Joy with Plants Podcast Trailer

The answer to a happier, more connected life could be simpler than you think: learning to care for plants and connect with nature. Houseplants and gardening do more than beautify our homes and lawns, the act of caring for them helps us reduce stress, increase joy and cultivate connections with ourselves, others and the earth. Deep, right?  On the Growing Joy Podcast, learn alongside host and author Maria Failla to not only care for plants, but how to simply and affordably use plants to manage yo

Jan 5, 2023 • 1:30

We changed our name! Bloom & Grow Radio is now Growing Joy with Maria!

We changed our name! Bloom & Grow Radio is now Growing Joy with Maria!

We changed our name! Bloom & Grow Radio is now Growing Joy with Maria! This is just a mini episode reminding you that this week you’ll see our name and podcast art change. But don’t worry: it's the same Maria, same planty heart and inspiration, just a new upgraded look inspired by my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover’s Guide to Cultivating Happiness. I feel like this rebrand is like a juvenile Monstera that has grown into a fenestrated one!Last week’s episode titled “We’re Growing” is a

Jan 3, 2023 • 7:49

We’re Growing: How Embracing Life and Mental Health Challenges Can Positively Affect a Business with Callie, my Business Coach

We’re Growing: How Embracing Life and Mental Health Challenges Can Positively Affect a Business with Callie, my Business Coach

I have been hard at work over the past years to grow my business and bring you better content and experience. We want to thank you for being a part of our journey and sharing your love for plants with us. This 2023, we are so excited to announce that we are rebranding into Growing Joy With Maria! In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and business coach, Callie England, to share with you the behind-the-scenes of my business, life, mental health challenges, the lessons I have learned, and why I

Dec 27, 2022 • 1:06:13

How to Prep Your Houseplants for Winter

How to Prep Your Houseplants for Winter

How do you prep your houseplants for winter? Winter is coming, and for some of you plant friends, it’s already here! Plant parents tend to fear winter, but as long as you understand the changes your plants are experiencing, it doesn’t need to be nerve-wracking. After living through multiple winters with my plant babies, specifically in small apartments and large homes, I’ve definitely learned a lot through trial and error. In this episode, we will go through as many tips and insights as possible

Dec 20, 2022 • 44:52

Grow Your Own Tea: Intro to Herbalism with Juliet of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

Grow Your Own Tea: Intro to Herbalism with Juliet of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

How can we use plants medicinally in our lives? Plants heal us in more ways than one, and one of the less-known practices is herbalism. Most of the plants and herbs we use today were used for medicinal purposes in ancient times and are, in fact, still used in many cultures around the world as natural remedies. In this episode, Juliet Blankespoor, the founder of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, will teach us many different and easy ways that we can use plants as medicine so we can expand o

Dec 13, 2022 • 1:06:13

How to Adjust to Moving to a Different Garden Zone with Mama Failla

How to Adjust to Moving to a Different Garden Zone with Mama Failla

How do you tackle a different garden zone than what you’re used to? Moving can be a tremendous and significant change in our lives, with so much excitement and opportunities awaiting us in new places. However, for gardeners like us, it can mean a scary and stressful time starting from scratch with our gardens, especially in a completely different gardening zone. This is what Mama Failla, an expert gardener in Zone 7, had to learn and adapt to when she and Father Failla moved to a Zone 10, which

Nov 29, 2022 • 58:42

How To Keep Your Plants Alive While On Vacation

How To Keep Your Plants Alive While On Vacation

Are you worried about leaving your plants at home this holiday season? When I was constantly on the road for shows as a musical theater performer, I became a professional traveler and learned a lot of dos and don’ts when it comes to leaving your plant babies at home. The experience can be scary: it can make traveling—what is supposed to be exciting and relaxing—a time filled with anxiety. In this episode, I share many helpful tips you can start implementing on your plant collection so you can en

Nov 15, 2022 • 52:03

Everyday Plant Magic with Rachael of Infinite Succulent

Everyday Plant Magic with Rachael of Infinite Succulent

Do you believe in magic? When we were kids, it was so easy—almost natural—for us to believe in magic. There was a certain charm to casting spells, making potions, or even wishing on a random star on a starry night. For many of us, as we grew older and we found ourselves in different unexpected directions, we started to let go of our belief in magic. Fortunately, our plants are the best bridge to reconnecting us with this magic, with ourselves, with our curiosity, and even with things yet to be k

Nov 1, 2022 • 1:14:33

Plant Care for Earth Care with Farmer Nick

Plant Care for Earth Care with Farmer Nick

How can our plant hobby make this world a better place? For me, learning to care for plants was the gateway drug for becoming more aware of how much growth opportunity I had when it came to caring for the earth. I've discovered that there are so many ways to lead a sustainable life, especially with our plant care journey. In this episode, I invited back Nick Cutsumpas, aka Farmer Nick, to further guide us in making small shifts that have a big impact on our planet’s wellbeing.In this episode

Oct 18, 2022 • 55:58

Heart Centered Gardening with Danielle LaPorte

Heart Centered Gardening with Danielle LaPorte

Taking care of plants is putting our love into practice. Even if it’s not something we actively think about or do, this hobby of ours revolves around kindness, care, and deepening our love for ourselves, other people, and our planet. We lead with love when it comes to our plant collection, and there is no one else more perfect to talk about love than bestselling author, spiritual leader, fellow plant lady, and an inspiration to thousands of people everywhere, Danielle LaPorte.In this episode, we

Oct 4, 2022 • 1:05:22

3 Easy DIY Houseplant Projects to Utilize Vertical Space

3 Easy DIY Houseplant Projects to Utilize Vertical Space

Are you running out of space for your plants? Growing your plant collection can be quite the challenge when all your countertops, tablespace and even floorspace have been populated with your plant babies. Don’t fret any longer, plant friends, as we got the most beautiful and mess-free DIY projects for you to make the most out of your vertical space at home! In this episode, learn alongside me as Erin Harding of @houseplantclub and @cleverbloom gives us step-by-step tutorials on three amazing yet

Sep 20, 2022 • 1:08:54

Fall Gardening Tips with Joe Lamp'l

Fall Gardening Tips with Joe Lamp'l

Did you know that fall is secretly one of the most wonderful gardening seasons? As we move into fall and the air starts feeling colder, you might be thinking that gardening season is well over. But good news, plant friends! Fall is an amazing time to extend your growing season and plant a different variety of edible plants. To guide us through this underrated gardening season, Joe Lamp’l of Joe Gardener joins me in a conversation and shares basic knowledge and tips for successful fall gardening.

Sep 6, 2022 • 1:03:05

Self-Care Through Plant Care

Self-Care Through Plant Care

Plant care is self-care. We hear this phrase a lot these days and I just wrote a book entirely dedicated to this topic. If you are a plant parent, no matter what stage you are in, you know that this hobby is so much deeper than just making our home environments look beautiful; they are, frankly, about beautifying our internal worlds as well. Creating space and time for us to connect with nature and connect with ourselves. If you’ve been a longtime listener, you know this is my favorite topic to

Aug 23, 2022 • 1:04:47

What is Transpiration and Why is it Important for Our Plants? // Knowledge Nugget #6

What is Transpiration and Why is it Important for Our Plants? // Knowledge Nugget #6

As we are in the hottest month of the year for us northern hemisphere folk, I thought it was just fitting to share this little nugget of knowledge with you on transpiration and how water moves through our plants as we are likely watering our plants more than we ever have. In this Nugget of Knowledge, Garden Society's resident horticulturist Leslie Halleck gives a little more insight on a familiar yet essential aspect of caring for plants - understanding how they use and move water. I'm s

Aug 16, 2022 • 6:00

Houseplants that Bloom

Houseplants that Bloom

Houseplants are celebrated for their amazing foliage, but I think we overlook an another amazing ability, a specific subcategory our favorite indoor plants have—the ability to bloom! Some people say we are intrinsically connected to flowers because way back when, they signified fruit. Personally, I just think they are joyful as hell with their bright colors and let's be frank, we all need a little more joy and color in our lives. To give us a better grasp of this beautiful subcategory, I&#39

Aug 9, 2022 • 50:56

Intro to Essential Oils with Chris Satch

Intro to Essential Oils with Chris Satch

Plant friends, you probably know my brain broke a little bit last year when Dr Elle Barnes explained plant science and how the smells we know and love are actually something called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, that plants use to communicate with each other. I had another mind-blowing experience as I researched my book Growing Joy and learned that scent and smell is one of the most powerful senses for memory and feeling. No wonder candles and essential oils are so popular! For this episod

Jul 26, 2022 • 1:17:50

How Often Should I Change My Propagation Vessel Water? // Knowledge Nugget #5

How Often Should I Change My Propagation Vessel Water? // Knowledge Nugget #5

As plant parents, I'm sure you can agree with me when I say that propagation water situations can bring about SO many questions: Does it need to be changed? Why is it cloudy? Can I just leave it and reuse it? That is why I am so excited to bring this Ask our Horticulturist Anything, or AHA, snippet to you where Leslie Halleck, Garden Society's resident horticulturist, answers common propagation questions, including the best time to take cuttings off your mother plants. Learn along!Join t

Jul 18, 2022 • 7:58

Engage Your Senses with Plants at the NYBG

Engage Your Senses with Plants at the NYBG

When I started researching the plant/person connection for my book, Growing Joy, something that surprised me was how limited my view of the plant/person relationship was to sight and taste. I knew I could enjoy looking at my plants and when appropriate, eating the ones I grew, but I realized that I was disconnected from my other three senses when it came to my plant collection. This conversation with Marc Hachadourian is all about our senses and feelings with plants - taped live at the New York

Jul 12, 2022 • 1:22:52

How Our Community Grows Joy

How Our Community Grows Joy

Plant friends, the most awaited day is here: it's Growing Joy's Pub Day! To celebrate Growing Joy hitting the bookstores and to give thanks to the wonderful community behind Bloom and Grow, I've asked community members to share with us how plants help them grow joy. This episode is a wonderful reminder of what plants can do for us: from helping us learn about the world around us, to rediscovering our inner child, to guiding our healing may it be a spiritual, mental, or emotional, to

Jun 28, 2022 • 56:40

NYC Plant Swap this Tuesday 6/28!!!

NYC Plant Swap this Tuesday 6/28!!!

Join my Plant Swap & Book Launch Party at Greenery Unlimited!Tuesday 6/28 June 28thGreenery Unlimited in Brooklyn7-8 Plant Swap8-9 Cocktails by JuneShine and a book signing!It's totally free, just RSVP here Order my book! Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/PLANTS* Check out Outdoor Electronics: www.google.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comA

Jun 26, 2022 • 2:21

Cultivating Curiosity with Plants with Tyler Thrasher

Cultivating Curiosity with Plants with Tyler Thrasher

Plant friends, we are diving deep about how and why plants are such a fantastic tool for cultivating curiosity. Beyond making my home look beautiful, the greatest gift plants have given me is reinvigorating my connection with the natural world, and my inner student and child. As kids, we are blessed with this childlike wonder that gets so easy to lose touch with as we grow older, and plants bring that back to us. Our guest, Tyler Thrasher, is just the kind of person to learn how to cultivate cur

Jun 21, 2022 • 1:10:03

LIVE NY & Philly Events PLUS an AMAZING Giveaway!

LIVE NY & Philly Events PLUS an AMAZING Giveaway!

Lots of free online and IRL events happening in the world of Bloom & Grow! The Cultivating Happiness Giveaway happening on IG through June 16thDetails to enter at @bloomandgrowmaria on IG Urban Jungle PHILLY Event THIS FRIDAY June 17th at 6 pm RSVP HERENYC Plant Swap and Launch Party at Greenery Unlimited June 28th at 7 pmRSVP HEREPre-order your copy of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) Here! - hitting bookstores on June 28th! Our Sponsors:* Chec

Jun 15, 2022 • 6:13

Does Isolating Plants and Castile Soap Actually Work? // Knowledge Nugget #4

Does Isolating Plants and Castile Soap Actually Work? // Knowledge Nugget #4

There is so much confusion on the internet and so many different contrasting practices around how to treat fungus gnats and what to do with a plant when you bring it home. Some people insist on isolating plants for two weeks, some people dismiss that practice. Some people say to sprinkle cinnamon on the soil surface to combat fungus gnats, some say completely swap new soil. One of our Society members, Barbara, asked about whether or not castile soap works and if we really need to isolate our pla

Jun 14, 2022 • 10:04

How to Make Terrariums, Paludariums and Vivariums

How to Make Terrariums, Paludariums and Vivariums

Terrariums have played a huge role in my plant collection and life. I recently created a good luck terrarium to bring into the recording studio to record my audiobook for Growing Joy: The Plant Lover’s Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) and had such a special experience planting up this tiny mason jar terrarium, filling it with special plants, stones and crystals, and carrying it in my backpack around NYC while I fulfilled this dream of recording my audiobook. Terrarium guru, Patricia o

Jun 7, 2022 • 1:04:08

Popular and Unique Aroids to Try this Summer with Enid of NSE Tropicals

Popular and Unique Aroids to Try this Summer with Enid of NSE Tropicals

Aroids have always been fascinating, with their different leaf shapes, structures, and texture, it's no surprise that this set of plants is only growing more and more popular today. In this episode, we welcome back the queen of the aroids, Enid from NSE Tropicals, to discuss five popular and unique aroids to try growing this summer! Enid is just such a well of knowledge on more unusual aroids and she shares some more unique types that we might want to introduce to our collections. This episo

May 17, 2022 • 44:01

Preserving Asian Heritage Through Seeds and Stories

Preserving Asian Heritage Through Seeds and Stories

Seeds do not only provide us with food to eat, but they represent the future and also allow us to reflect on our history. They are heirlooms, a connection to our ancestors and their stories. In this episode, on Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate stories of Asian culture and connection to nature and food through seeds, with YC Miller from Kitazawa Seed Company. YC walks us through the importance of preserving our heritage through seeds and the stories we share and te

May 3, 2022 • 50:10

Beginner's Guide to Greenhouses

Beginner's Guide to Greenhouses

I feel like there comes a time in every plant parent's life when we start to get really curious and excited about having a dedicated space for all of our plants. If you are an outdoor gardener, the promise of a greenhouse for seed starts and overwintering plants is even more promising! I’ve had several different moments in life where I’ve Googled greenhouse kits but never crossed the finish line due to the overwhelming and somewhat intimidating aspect of installing them properly (and the pri

Apr 19, 2022 • 1:17:00

I Want to Hear YOUR Story: Join the #GrowingJoyChallenge

I Want to Hear YOUR Story: Join the #GrowingJoyChallenge

Plant friends, in celebration of the launch of my new book, Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants), which is about my personal journey with plants, I want to celebrate YOUR stories on launch day.  Growing Joy is not just about my personal journey with my plants, it's about the thousands of stories I have heard from listeners about how plants have helped them heal, grow and find more joy. This is your official invitation to join the #GrowingJoyChallenge

Apr 17, 2022 • 6:09

What is Seed Scarification? // Knowledge Nugget #3

What is Seed Scarification? // Knowledge Nugget #3

Growing your own plants from seeds is one of the most gratifying experiences in the garden. Watching a tiny seed become a full-grown plant just gives you the most amazing feeling as a plant parent. However, seed starting is a whole different science and practice on its own and requires special soil, different care, grow lights and water monitoring, and interesting practices to make sure that your seeds actually sprout: seed scarification is one of those practices that may seem intimidating, but

Apr 12, 2022 • 8:30

Bulb Basics with Jenks Farmer

Bulb Basics with Jenks Farmer

They produce some of the most desirable flowers we know and love, but a bulb can be very confusing to an amateur gardener. We look at this little stub and think, "Seriously, a daffodil is going to sprout up from this thing?" As tropical houseplant growers, bulbs can be a totally different game when it comes to caring, with different sets of tips to be mindful of. Jenks Farmer is a bulb expert and lifelong gardener and in this ep, he joins us to break down everything you need to know abou

Apr 5, 2022 • 53:43

Limey's Grand Adventure // Flying My Lime Tree to Florida

Limey's Grand Adventure // Flying My Lime Tree to Florida

This might be the CRAZIEST thing I’ve done with my plants but this has also been such an extraordinary experience as I fly our lime tree, Limey, from New York to Florida! I am so excited to share the experience with you and talk about the citrus alley Mama Failla and I made in their beautiful Florida home. I document the entire journey of flying with a plant including the thought process, plant modifications, legal processes and the next few days' updates in an Youtube Vlog: https://youtu.be

Mar 29, 2022 • 23:05

How to Start a Product Based Planty Business plus a big announcement with Samantha from Hemleva

How to Start a Product Based Planty Business plus a big announcement with Samantha from Hemleva

Plant friends, this has been in the works for almost two years and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with you! Two YEARS of quietly working on a very special project with our guest, and not being able to talk about it! We will dive more into this project in the second half of this episode, but more importantly, we get to know Samantha Leung. Samantha, the founder of the well-known plant brand Hemleva, is the real deal. She's so freaking smart, she's kind, she's generous,

Mar 22, 2022 • 1:18:34

Rubber Plant Care Guide and Frequently Asked Questions with Raffaele from Ohio Tropics

Rubber Plant Care Guide and Frequently Asked Questions with Raffaele from Ohio Tropics

Rubber plants don't get enough credit in the tropical plant world. These humble plants are always available at the garden center but tend to get overlooked for some of our sexier Instagram-worthy plants. In this episode, we will dive into the many reasons why rubber plants are fantastic plants with Raffaele of Ohio Tropics. The first part is going to be an overview of general rubber plant care and different types of rubber plants, and then the second half is actually frequently asked questio

Mar 8, 2022 • 1:04:28

Do plants see brightness? What is PAR? // Knowledge Nugget #2

Do plants see brightness? What is PAR? // Knowledge Nugget #2

Has the concept of “bright indirect light” ever confused you? Or how to measure your light in your home in general? Or how to figure out when you need to supplement with grow lights, and if you get grow lights, how to set your plants up for success under them? Light is probably the most confusing topic when it comes to our plants. It was definitely my biggest pain point when I was starting out as I had so many plants in what I thought was indirect light… but it was actually extremely low light.

Mar 1, 2022 • 9:42

How to Care for Carnivorous Plants Indoors

How to Care for Carnivorous Plants Indoors

We’ve likely all had some sort of run-in with a carnivorous plant: maybe bringing one of those little venus flytraps at the hardware store home to realize you had no idea how to care for it, maybe marveling at the wide array of carnivorous plants at your local botanical garden, and maybe even getting to see a fly land on one, or maybe it’s just knowing the man-eating plant Audrey II in the musical Little Shop of Horrors. However you’ve engaged with carnivorous plants, you’ve likely figured out t

Feb 22, 2022 • 1:04:40

New Mini-Series: Knowledge Nuggets! What is a Peperomia Inflorescence? Ep 1

New Mini-Series: Knowledge Nuggets! What is a Peperomia Inflorescence? Ep 1

Welcome to a new mini-series for Bloom & Grow Radio: Knowledge Nuggets. They will be 5-10 minute episodes that show up once a month, in addition to our regular episodes, and will highlight one "nugget" of plant nerd education taken from the Node of Knowledge Plant Science lectures Leslie Halleck gives in the Garden Society. These lectures are so good, I couldn't help sharing a teeny bit with you!Episode one is a snippet from our AHAs (Ask Our Horticulturist Anything) where member

Feb 15, 2022 • 9:52

Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Black People in Horticulture with Colah from Black int he Garden

Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Black People in Horticulture with Colah from Black int he Garden

It's been such a joy having fellow podcasters join me in the pod as they never disappoint and have such wonderful insights about plant parenthood and plantrepreneurship. I met this episode's guest in 2020 and figured it was time to have her back on to catch up and explore a concept she’ll be tackling on the next season of her show: the past, present, and future of black people in horticulture. Colah has created an amazing brand called Black in the Garden that has blown up in the last cou

Feb 8, 2022 • 1:01:42

Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Black People in Horticulture

Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Black People in Horticulture

It's been such a joy having fellow podcasters join me in the pod as they never disappoint and have such wonderful insights about plant parenthood and plantrepreneurship. I met this episode's guest in 2020 and figured it was time to have her back on to catch up and explore a concept she’ll be tackling on the next season of her show: the past, present, and future of black people in horticulture. Colah has created an amazing brand called Black in the Garden that has blown up in the last cou

Feb 7, 2022 • 1:03:12

Interior Design Trends and Houseplants with Betsy from Affordable Interior Design

Interior Design Trends and Houseplants with Betsy from Affordable Interior Design

Houseplants and interior design: you’d think these two passions would go together like two peas in a pod, but they can sometimes be at war with each other. We can find ourselves desperately wanting to style plants in rooms with no light, or getting overwhelmed with figuring out how to make our homes look planty and not cluttered. Many plant people don't know the first thing about interior design trends, and many interior designers don't know the first thing about plant care (even if they

Jan 25, 2022 • 1:15:44

Streamlining and Simplifying Houseplant Care / Checking in with guys from the Plant Daddy Pod

Streamlining and Simplifying Houseplant Care / Checking in with guys from the Plant Daddy Pod

Happy New Year, plant friends! I hope you had great holidays and like me, are looking forward to a fresh start in 2022. In the first episode of Season 7, I invited some of my favorite planty podcasters back: Stephen and Matthew of the Plant Daddy Podcast, for a really fun conversation inspired by streamlining and simplifying our houseplant care routines. This convo is really rooted in reflecting on 2021 and learning from the transitions we all went through and these guys are just so lovely, so i

Jan 11, 2022 • 58:53

Bonus episode: Plant Inspired Meditation for the Start of 2022

Bonus episode: Plant Inspired Meditation for the Start of 2022

Hi Plant Friends, our official first episode of Season 7 of BAGR starts next week with the return of the guys from the Plant Daddy Podcast for a great talk about streamlining houseplant care in 2022, but since it’s the first week of 2022, I wanted to share a sweet moment with you that we recently had on a Growing Joy Call in the Bloom & Grow Garden Society: a 3 minute meditation, on the turn of the year, through the eyes of our plants. It’s just a little something I’m sharing in hopes you ca

Jan 6, 2022 • 7:14

Finding Joy through Plants in a Season of Transition: Reflecting on 2021

Finding Joy through Plants in a Season of Transition: Reflecting on 2021

When I think back on this last year, transition is the word that comes to mind. We are literally transitioning into a new year, but I'm sure everyone went through some form of transition this year: a new home, family additions and losses, job changes, and more. And as we grow through those transitions, our plant collection evolves too. I personally went through a tremendous transition this year and my plant collection and plant parent personality completely shifted. These transitions in my p

Dec 28, 2021 • 32:00

Wedding Flower Crash Course for To Be Weds / My Botanically Inspired Wedding Series

Wedding Flower Crash Course for To Be Weds / My Botanically Inspired Wedding Series

There is so much power in flowers, plant friends. A flower is so much more than a bloom, but an expression, a connection to something deeper. Whatever our known or unknown bias for blooms is, flowers are little joy bombs just waiting to be cut or grown. It’s undeniable that flowers also can play a huge part in a wedding day: from the ceremonial bouquet and corsage to the ceremony and reception flowers can be used to enliven a wedding day, and also express a part of yourself through your choices.

Dec 14, 2021 • 1:23:33

26 Ways to Incorporate Plants Into Your Wedding / My Botanically Inspired Wedding Series

26 Ways to Incorporate Plants Into Your Wedding / My Botanically Inspired Wedding Series

From the moment I got engaged, and frankly, even before that, I knew that I wanted to have the plantiest wedding possible! My plants are a huge part of me and I wanted to incorporate that aspect into our wedding. I didn’t want my wedding to be houseplant-themed, but I wanted houseplants and nature to be woven into our day seamlessly, in a refined way that felt special. Katie O’Neil of Katydyd Events, our wedding planner, joins me in this episode to talk about the different ways we added plants t

Dec 7, 2021 • 1:27:18

3 Plant Inspired DIY Wedding Ideas that Live On After the Big Day Uploaded

3 Plant Inspired DIY Wedding Ideas that Live On After the Big Day Uploaded

Plant friends, I am so excited to finally bring you this planty wedding series, after almost two years of waiting! This month, I’m bringing you the Botanically Inspired Wedding Series on Bloom and Grow Radio, where we explore all aspects and intersections of weddings and plants. We have something for everyone in this series whether you love to DIY, are curious about the floral industry and how to make a great bouquet, or just really fun ways to incorporate houseplants into your wedding in unique

Nov 30, 2021 • 51:44

Snake Plants 101 with Chris Satch

Snake Plants 101 with Chris Satch

Snake plants are completely underrated. These “low light-tolerant” plants are often thrown into dark corners, dusty offices, and bathrooms with no windows due to their notoriously hardy personalities, but there is so much more to this beautiful collection of plants than just their ability to survive. Their leaves come in the most mesmerizing shapes and I think they are one of the most giftable plants around because no matter who you are gifting, and what their lighting situation is, a snake plan

Nov 16, 2021 • 57:11

Plantrepreneurship, Plant Styling and Planty Tiktok with Reagan Kastner

Plantrepreneurship, Plant Styling and Planty Tiktok with Reagan Kastner

Plantrepreneurship, or entrepreneurship in the plant space, feels like it’s at an all-time high these days. With the massive shifts our society has gone through, people are feeling more drawn to plants and so many businesses are popping up designed to serve our plant community, and many members of our community are looking to transition into the world of plants professionally! I’ve noticed more and more plant consultants popping up on my social media feeds, and when I was thinking of an inspirin

Nov 9, 2021 • 59:33

I've waited almost a year to tell you this: Why I created the Bloom & Grow Garden Society

I've waited almost a year to tell you this: Why I created the Bloom & Grow Garden Society

This special mini episode of the podcast is just a little one on one with you and me: where I’m going to peel back the curtain and give you the inside scoop on why I created the Garden Society and how you, my community of listeners, where my muse. We will also dive into all the delicious goodies that are part of it’s membership and later on in the episode, I invite the Garden Society’s Horticulturist in Residence, and beloved guest of BAGR, Leslie Halleck on to talk about her reason for joining

Nov 3, 2021 • 24:23

Planty Fake News/ 3 Plant Care Myths Busted with Leslie Halleck

Planty Fake News/ 3 Plant Care Myths Busted with Leslie Halleck

Whether you've been around the block of plant parenthood a few times or you're just beginning your journey, you’ve likely seen some version of what I like to call "planty fake news" or plant care myths: allegedly fool-proof hacks that seem too good to be true, old wives' tales that have been translated one too many times, or plant care claims that just seem super confusing. When I started my journey from plant killer to plant lady, I fell prey to a lot of these myths, and thi

Nov 2, 2021 • 1:17:31

Maria's Favorite Things 2021

Maria's Favorite Things 2021

I'm so excited to geek out on my favorite planty products with you, plant friends! The holiday season is just around the corner, and what perfect way to show your appreciation and love for the plant parents in your life (or for yourself) than to give them great planty gifts? The holiday season is also a great way to maybe invite our non-planty friends to try growing! I've got an amazing list of plant accessories, plant gift sets, books, and more—with exclusive coupon codes to support our

Oct 29, 2021 • 41:16

Aquatic Plants and Planted Aquariums 101

Aquatic Plants and Planted Aquariums 101

I admit it, plant friends; I was totally unaware of a total subsect of the plant community: the planted aquarium world. There is a whole corner of the plant world dedicated to elevating our common fishtanks to living, growing underwater worlds that look like art. Aquatic gardeners are using aquatic plants to aquascape insanely beautiful aquariums. It is biophilia in the highest sense because you have so many aspects of the natural world indoors, and you even get to keep cute fishies! I had many

Oct 19, 2021 • 1:12:26

Lessons from Plants for 2021

Lessons from Plants for 2021

Plant friends, I've been sharing with you my overwhelm, burnout, and general processing of everything that's happening in our world right now. It’s been so nice to connect with so many of you who share similar feelings. I'm also grateful to have had my plant collection to turn to and use as a tool for wellness in these trying times. Several of you had recommended Lessons from Plants by Beronda Montgomery and from page one, I felt like I had met a Plant Soul Sister in this author. Her

Oct 5, 2021 • 48:30

Designing and Revitalizing a Garden in a New Home

Designing and Revitalizing a Garden in a New Home

2020 had us all looking at our homes and asking ourselves if our current lifestyles were truly working for us or if it was time for a change. Billy and I desired more space, more nature, and a new opportunity to grow, which is why we moved upstate. An interesting question rose up when we moved and stared at our new surroundings and new gardening zone with a bit of overwhelm: now what? I've heard this question from so many members of our community who also made a big move, purchased a new hom

Sep 21, 2021 • 1:05:36

Plant Parent Confessions with Members of the Garden Party Platform

Plant Parent Confessions with Members of the Garden Party Platform

Honestly, I've been feeling so overwhelmed and uninterested in curating my thoughts and feelings about plants and plant parenthood. It’s been a hell of a year and although I’m all about keeping it positive, I’m also all about keeping it real. And lately, social media has made it hard to share authentically. That's why when Christy, a Garden Party founding member, started this plant parent confessional in the Garden Party platform, members had space to post about things they do that would

Sep 7, 2021 • 37:33

Culinary Medicine from Our Gardens

Culinary Medicine from Our Gardens

Not only is growing your own food a fabulous hobby and a way to reconnect with the food chain, the earth, and yourself, it’s also a way to serve our bodies in a deeper way by feeding them with fresh, organic produce. Not to mention, a freshly picked cherry tomato or piece of lettuce tastes infinitely more delicious than a store-bought one. I’ve really enjoyed diving deep into gardening through the My First Garden Series on this podcast, and as a way to celebrate all our hard work, I've invit

Aug 24, 2021 • 1:03:47

Plant Care Routines: The Plant Friend Hang Series

Plant Care Routines: The Plant Friend Hang Series

Plant Routines: the crucial part of every plant parent's plant care practice that ensures that our plants (and our minds) are happy and healthy. Going from plant killer to plant lady, I found that I became as attached to my plant care routine, as I was to my plants. The act of disconnecting with a screen to reconnect with these plants and nature, is also a way to clear space to reconnect with yourself. I have learned that a plant care routine practice is so much deeper than just a soil moist

Aug 10, 2021 • 1:12:27

How to Root Bare Nodes or "Wet Sticks"

How to Root Bare Nodes or "Wet Sticks"

The first time I heard about wet stick propagation, I had no idea it even existed! That's why when I got an offer from a listener, Joey (@joey_de_la_plants), for a variegated Monstera 'Albo' wetstick (and I knew I wanted that plant but I had no idea what “wetstick” meant), I went down a research rabbit hole to know more about the process of rooting it. For the last 5 months, my node has not only rooted, but started growing!. So when I connected with Payton from Bloom Daddy Plants—who

Jul 27, 2021 • 54:40

Flower Power: How to Grow Cut Flowers All Season Long (for Beginners)

Flower Power: How to Grow Cut Flowers All Season Long (for Beginners)

When I first got into gardening, I got very fixated on the food I could grow for myself, but what I’m realizing is growing flowers can be as appealing as growing food — and flowers, being the pollinator magnets they are, are crucial to a healthy garden and a healthy mind. I’ve been so curious about cut flower gardening and connected with this episode's guest on Clubhouse, and started picking her brain about what cut flowers I should try as an ultra beginner. Brooklyn's passion for plants

Jul 13, 2021 • 1:05:32

The Studies Behind the Plant/Person Connection with Dr Sue Stuart-Smith

The Studies Behind the Plant/Person Connection with Dr Sue Stuart-Smith

#plantsmakepeoplehappy, this hashtag has almost 8 million posts so far and there’s a reason for it. It’s just true. Plants, nature, and the act of witnessing life itself make people happy, more connected, and more empowered. The plant/person connection is hard to explain, yet everyone knows it. We all feel this connection to our plant collection. Our hearts swell with new growth, and sometimes even grieve losses. Over the last year and a half, I’ve dove rather deeply into exploring this plant-pe

Jun 29, 2021 • 45:45

I did something exciting! Welcome to the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App!!!!!!

I did something exciting! Welcome to the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App!!!!!!

In this mini episode, I share the why behind the creation of the Garden Party Community Platform & App and give you all the details of what’s inside! Become a Founding Plant Friend of the Garden Party (Offer expires July 1st- you can get a whole years membership for the amount of one 8 inch plant!) https://community.bloomandgrowradio.com/Check our a tour on the Youtube Channel!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Jun 28, 2021 • 10:46

In-Ground Gardening Basics with My New Plant Friend, Melody

In-Ground Gardening Basics with My New Plant Friend, Melody

This isn't a story about gardening, plant friends. This is an episode on plant friendship. Melody is a local gardener who lives 15 minutes from me and has one of the most unbelievable gardens I’ve ever seen! Her backyard is a whimsical garden oasis, with a gazebo, greenhouse, and a different flower or bloom everywhere you look. In this episode, I share the story of how I met Melody and Melody gives us a deeper understanding of soil, how it's alive, and how to make it the best soil for gr

Jun 15, 2021 • 45:36

Palm Care 101 with Chris Satch

Palm Care 101 with Chris Satch

When I look at a large gorgeous palm, outside or indoors, I immediately get tropical vibes from their huge leaves, the way they sway in the wind, and the way the leaves cascade over their delicate stems. They just have a certain something that creates an instant jungle vibe. However, palms are also notoriously tricky plants to successfully care for! Lucky for us, Chris of NYC Plant Doctor comes to the rescue with expert advice and knowledge on how to properly care for our palms, and how not to k

Jun 1, 2021 • 1:05:19

4 "Plant Care Hacks" I No Longer Do and Other Shifts in My Plant Care Practice

4 "Plant Care Hacks" I No Longer Do and Other Shifts in My Plant Care Practice

Plant friends, I’ve been fortunate enough to take a lot of deeper dives in the science of plant care since quarantine happened and my outlook on plant care and the hobby of keeping plants has dramatically shifted in the last year and a half. I find myself turning away from blogs and towards textbooks and have a new deep appreciation for the horticulturalists on this show who can truly dive deeper with us and explain the why behind the how of all the practices we are told to do on care cards and

May 18, 2021 • 40:29

How to Manage Deer, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Moles, Voles and Other Animals in Your Garden with Brie The Plant Lady

How to Manage Deer, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Moles, Voles and Other Animals in Your Garden with Brie The Plant Lady

When I polled our listener community about your top requests for outdoor garden-related episodes, the number one request surprised me: it wasn’t managing fertilizer, succession planting, or garden design. It was how to manage pesky animals getting into your gardens! Today, I have the answer to your prayers: Brie from briegrows.com walks us through such a comprehensive list of practices and solutions for managing pests and other critters in the garden. This conversation really helps us rethink th

May 11, 2021 • 1:20:41

Plants and Pets: What You Need to Know // Pet Proof Your Plants

Plants and Pets: What You Need to Know // Pet Proof Your Plants

Did you know that some of our favorite houseplants are actually toxic to pets? I was able to interview Anastasia from Leaf & Paw about Pets and Plants and how to be both a pet parent and a plant parent. Anastasia has a blog dedicated to her passion for collecting plants while caring for her two cats and a hedgehog. In this episode, she walks us through what we need to know about toxicity, how to style with pets in mind, and the top 10 best and worst plants for our pets. Let's dive in!Get

May 4, 2021 • 44:53

Plant Trend Alert: Tiny Plants with Leslie Halleck

Plant Trend Alert: Tiny Plants with Leslie Halleck

New Trend Alert! Tiny Plants are the curious collector's dream, and an awesome option for plant parents who are working with limited space OR are obsessed with teensy tiny adorable things like me. Leslie Halleck, one of the favorite recurring guests for Bloom and Grow Radio, joins us again to talk about her obsession with Tiny Plants, tips for caring for them, and a matchmaking session where she pairs the perfect tiny plant for each plant parent personality. Get ready to learn about teensy,

Apr 20, 2021 • 58:33

Designing and Planning my Garden // Coaching with Nicole of Gardenary

Designing and Planning my Garden // Coaching with Nicole of Gardenary

I think we all know that there are a lot of lessons to be learned in the garden and that's twofold: literally how to garden and how to grow food, reconnect with our food chain, and deepen our relationship with nature. I am so excited to deepen my gardening knowledge this summer with My First Garden Series, where I troubleshoot and try my first shot at outdoor gardening outside of the tiny balcony garden that I have had since I've launched the show. In this episode, I invite Nicole from G

Apr 13, 2021 • 1:06:55

Intro to Bonsai

Intro to Bonsai

Do any of you remember that store in the mall that sold mini bonsai trees and meditative water features? I was pretty obsessed with them as a kid and was so taken with these tiny trees, all the miniaturization of these beautiful, serene scenes. I definitely had and killed several of those trees in my teenage years, and I’m put at ease to hear I’m not the only one after speaking to many of you on Instagram about bonsai and our guest today, Bjorn from Eisei-en Bonsai. We cover a lot about this nic

Apr 6, 2021 • 1:04:41

Understanding Hardiness Zones, Frost Dates and Microclimates in the Garden, #118

Understanding Hardiness Zones, Frost Dates and Microclimates in the Garden, #118

I’ve always known that Hardiness Zones and Frost Dates are important to planning your outdoor garden… but plant friend, I’ve never quite understood what they were or why they were so important. I’ve gotten as far as typing my zip code into the hardiness zone website, getting my “number” and then pretty much not doing anything with it. As I look to plan my first grown up garden this summer, I knew I needed help, so I asked Rochelle Greayer, of the renowned garden design website Pith & Vigor,

Mar 23, 2021 • 54:08

Alocasia Care with Enid from NSE Tropicals

Alocasia Care with Enid from NSE Tropicals

Of all the plants I’m feeling drawn to these days, Alocasia are at the top of my list. I feel like their weird, semi heart shaped, semi ovular shaped leaves look like little alien heads looking at me, popping out from my collection to say hello. They are oddly friendly but also strange looking plants that I’m obsessed with. There are so many reasons to love Alocasia, from the unique leaf shape, to their gorgeous vein patterns and the incredible variety of colors you see, I’m particularly entranc

Mar 9, 2021 • 38:07

Houseplant Identification Basics with The Crazy Botanist

Houseplant Identification Basics with The Crazy Botanist

So we’ve all been in a garden center and picked up a plant, or had a friend give us a cutting and look at the plant in our hands and think “ummm what is this thing?” Today’s episode is all about learning some basic skills for identifying houseplants and how to observe our plants in order to get to know them better. We are joined by Derek of The Crazy Botanist for a higher level conversation about basic houseplant identification, and how to change our thinking around plants to see them for their

Feb 23, 2021 • 55:24

Anthurium Care with Enid from NSE Tropicals

Anthurium Care with Enid from NSE Tropicals

When I think Jungle Vibes, anthuriums always come to mind. Their large leaves, mesmerizing vein patterns in the leaves, long slim stems and gorgeous flowers have such a prehistoric look to them. There is so much more to the world of Anthuriums besides the one you can always pick up in the grocery store, so today we welcome back the queen of the aroids, Enid from NSE tropicals to do a deep dive on Anthurium care. NSE Tropicals is one of the most sought after rare plant provider in the US. Restock

Feb 9, 2021 • 39:44

Seed Starting 101 with Joe Lamp'l, #114

Seed Starting 101 with Joe Lamp'l, #114

So many of us got bitten by the outdoor gardening bug last year and learned there is no better way to connect with the food we eat.. then by growing it. My passion for growing edible plants has grown, like my space has. My first garden was a tiny box full of herbs and one tomato plant on our tiny balcony three years ago, and since then, the balcony containers grew, and now I’m excited to be in our first home with acres to farm this summer. Starting these edible plants from seed has been a bit in

Jan 26, 2021 • 1:02:07

Plants & the Home Office: Why and How to Green Up Your Work From Home Office Space // #plantywfh,  ep 113

Plants & the Home Office: Why and How to Green Up Your Work From Home Office Space // #plantywfh, ep 113

So we have said goodbye to 2020 and all of the insanity that came with it, but there is something we haven’t said goodbye to: working from home. Many companies have pledged to work from home well into 2021, leaving us sitting in our sweatpants, computer monitors and weird makeshift home offices with reluctant acceptance. People are spending more time than EVER indoors and at their screens, and that’s why it’s never been MORE important to have plants not only in our homes, but in our work from ho

Jan 19, 2021 • 41:47

Humidity Deep Dive and Winter Plant Care with the Plant Daddy Podcast Daddies, #112

Humidity Deep Dive and Winter Plant Care with the Plant Daddy Podcast Daddies, #112

One of the biggest questions I’ve gotten from our community is how to understand humidity and watering better. As we are in the depths of winter, humidity is a big topic and focus in our plant care routines, and you are going to hear a LOT about it today in a nerdy deep dive with two other plant podcasters, the daddies of the Plant Daddy Podcast Stephen and Matthew. I knew there couldn’t be a better guests than these two guys who are total nerds and maybe the only two other people who get as jaz

Jan 12, 2021 • 1:26:20

Trailer: Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast

Trailer: Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast

Learn to care for plants successfully and cultivate more joy in your life with episodes of the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast.Ever killed a houseplant before? Host Maria Failla can relate. That’s why she interviews planty experts to get answers to the plant care questions we all have, but might be nervous to ask: like what the heck IS bright indirect light? What is soil and potting mix made up of? Or What IS the best way to water my plants?Tune in to stop killing your plants, learn how to get them

Jan 11, 2021 • 1:30

The Art of the Plant Pause and Managing Plant Parent Overwhelm

The Art of the Plant Pause and Managing Plant Parent Overwhelm

What a year it’s been. I’m thankful 2020 is coming to a close and excited for 2021, I think a silver lining 2020 has given us is truly understanding the power of plants and how they can help us relieve stress and cultivate more joy in our lives. My goal for Bloom and Grow is to help everyone successfully care for plants for that exact reason, to make the world a kinder and greener place. Now… there is also a dark side to this hobby of plant care. There is a moment in all of our lives where our h

Dec 29, 2020 • 46:22

Low Waste Plant Parenthood with @farmernicknyc

Low Waste Plant Parenthood with @farmernicknyc

One of the major things that plants do is help connect us with nature. I think as plant parents, once we use plants to reconnect with ourselves and make our homes look beautiful, they also get us thinking more about nature and the earth and how important it’s preservation is. So today’s episode is exploring just that: plant parenthood and low waste living, and what it means to make intentional decisions about preserving our planet while taking care of ourselves and our plants. I think we are all

Dec 15, 2020 • 1:15:00

Episode 109: Passive Hydroponics 2.0 and the LECA VS PON Debate

Episode 109: Passive Hydroponics 2.0 and the LECA VS PON Debate

I’m so excited to welcome back Kay from @inrootedlove for a next level conversation on the soil free Semi Hydroponic or Passive Hydroponic Lifestyle. You might remember Kay from episode 77 an Intro to Semi or Passive Hydroponics- so now that  year has passed and our community has been experimenting with this style of growing- she’s joining me again discuss what a year of passive- hydro has looked like, dive deeper into the concepts and answer listener questions. For those of you who don't kn

Dec 8, 2020 • 59:41

How to Use Plants to Create Restorative Environments, #108

How to Use Plants to Create Restorative Environments, #108

I recently took Intro to Horticultural Therapy at NYBG and Anne Meore, my teacher, joins me today to discuss the biggest lessons learned in class, review some studies we learned about on the science behind the plant/people connection and to discuss the concept and use of restorative spaces. As I “bloom and grow” as a plant parent and a business I am becoming more curious about the science behind the plant/person connection. The more I learn and read about plants as restorative instruments for hu

Nov 24, 2020 • 57:13

How to Care For a Large Urban Jungle with @cyrilcybernated, @soulsistaplants and @welcometothejunglehome

How to Care For a Large Urban Jungle with @cyrilcybernated, @soulsistaplants and @welcometothejunglehome

Boy of boy am I excited about this EPICly planty conversation. This episode is inspired largely by the responses in the BAGR 2020 Listener Survey I’ve been combing through. Many of us in the community are loving collecting plants, but have struggled with the overwhelm of learning how to manage your ever growing collections- so I decided to ask three plantstagrammers who have collections I’ve admired for a while, to pick their brains for their top tips for organizing, managing and designing with

Nov 10, 2020 • 1:24:08

Hoya Care Basics and Best Hoyas for Your Lifestyle with Doug from Vermont Hoya

Hoya Care Basics and Best Hoyas for Your Lifestyle with Doug from Vermont Hoya

Plant friends, I’m so excited to finally bring this highly request episode to your earbuds! I have to be honest, for the first 3 years I really wasn’t getting the whole “hoya craze” that many of my plant friends were going through, I just didn’t get it. But after I was gifted a Hoya compacta from a listener… and realized how much it looked like stacked tortellinis, I started falling in love. THEN I went down a rabbit hole of what Hoya flowers looked like and I was sold. When looking for a guest

Oct 27, 2020 • 1:04:00

How Plants Communicate Through VOCs and the "Wood Wide Web" with Dr Elle Barnes from NYBG

How Plants Communicate Through VOCs and the "Wood Wide Web" with Dr Elle Barnes from NYBG

Today we invite Dr Elle Barnes back to the show after our very successful conversation after I took Intro to Plant Science with her at NYBG. Elle is a scientist and teacher for NYBG and in addition to Intro to Plant Science, I recently took The Science of Tree Communication class with as well. It was WILD to learn about the underground “wood wide web” that the forest runs on, and how trees communicate with one another through VOCs. I frequently go for morning walks in nearby woods, and since I t

Oct 13, 2020 • 58:42

Indoor Plant Projects for Kids with MrDTimes3

Indoor Plant Projects for Kids with MrDTimes3

"You can't reach the brain till you go through the heart" - Joe Dombrowski I'm thrilled to welcome back Joe Dombrowski (@mrDtimes3) to the show after our wonderful episode on Plants in the Classroom a couple of years ago. Since then a lot has changed, Joe and I have become IRL friends (I was able to visit him in 2019 and we took an amazing trip to the Amazon Spheres together which you'll hear about in the episode), Joe has become a full time comedian AND... classrooms are loo

Sep 29, 2020 • 50:24

How to Water Your Plants with Chris Satch

How to Water Your Plants with Chris Satch

So thrilled to welcome Chris Satch back to the show for an UNBELIEVABLE, comprehensive conversation on all things WATERING! We cover everything from top watering, bottom watering, troubleshooting, how to identify root rot and many listener questions. This is not an episode to miss if you have any questions around watering your plants! Have you taken the 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey - Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Me

Sep 15, 2020 • 1:17:34

Episode 102: Garden to Table!  Herb Inspired Recipes

Episode 102: Garden to Table! Herb Inspired Recipes

The 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey is live!- Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. We had 1000 people complete the survey last time, so my goal for this survey is 3000 planty listeners! I can't wait to hear from you! At this point in the growing season, I'm sure we all have some beautifully bushy herb plant

Sep 1, 2020 • 1:51:42

Styling with Plants with Danae from Folia Collective

Styling with Plants with Danae from Folia Collective

Take the Bloom and Grow Radio 2020 Listener Survey!  It’s always a pleasure to have my #plantfriendIRL Danae from Folia Collective back on the show. Danae is a beloved guest of BAGR from her episode on How to Start a Plant Shop. The Folia Collective shops are in Los Angeles and she has created an epic planty brand for herself and her shops that filled with the most gorgeous, varied plants and beautiful plant accessories.  Danae has always had an unbelievable eye for design and style and so it ma

Aug 18, 2020 • 56:10

100: 10 Planty Lessons Learned from 100 Episodes

100: 10 Planty Lessons Learned from 100 Episodes

Plant Friends WELCOME to the 100th episode of Bloom and Grow Radio. Wow, I can’t believe we are here. 100 episodes over 3 years, when I really thought we might not get past episode 10. I’m humbled, proud and incredibly honored to have been through this journey alongside you. If you’ve been listening, you’ll know that this podcast was such an insane surprise for me. I’m a professional musical theater performer with a degree is in opera, I’ve spent my life as a plant killer, and now here I am, pub

Aug 11, 2020 • 55:20

Episode 99: How to Care for Ferns

Episode 99: How to Care for Ferns

So thrilled to welcome back Lisa from the Houseplant Guru for an EXTENSIVE chat about the wonderful world of ferns. We discuss why and how they are finicky and how to successfully care for them. We also discuss a fun variety of ferns to try for different personalities and answer a whole bunch of listener questions! Lisa has just published her FOURTH book Houseplant Party, filled with fun planty DIY projects for every type of person! In this episode we learn: Why Ferns are considered finicky Whe

Aug 4, 2020 • 1:00:50

Want to be Featured on the 100th Episode of BAGR! Tell me your favorite episode or lesson learned! (Instructions inside)

Want to be Featured on the 100th Episode of BAGR! Tell me your favorite episode or lesson learned! (Instructions inside)

Hi Plant Friends! I cant believe the 100th episode of Bloom and Grow Radio is around the corner! Many of you have been around since episode 1, and I'm so honored to have learned alongside you in this three year journey! The 100th episode will be my top 10 lessons learned from 100 episodes! I want this episode to be all about our community and these 100 episodes of learning, so I'd like to feature YOU and hear what YOU have learned from the 100 episode catalogue!   I'd love you to cal

Jul 31, 2020 • 3:23

Pruning Back to Inspire Growth: Thoughts on Transition

Pruning Back to Inspire Growth: Thoughts on Transition

Plant friends: big announcement, WE’VE MOVED. I’ve been returning to the concept of pruning as I go through many unforeseen changes in life these days, the biggest being that Billy and I have moved out of our tiny NYC apartment in search of adventure and more space. Today I share the science behind pruning, and how it’s been helping me stay present and trust these sudden changes will all work out. I hope it helps you in your transitions and changes of 2020 as well!   My NYC Apartment Tour! 100+

Jul 29, 2020 • 18:50

Episode 97: Aha Moments from "Intro to Plant Science" with Dr Elle Barnes

Episode 97: Aha Moments from "Intro to Plant Science" with Dr Elle Barnes

I am SO very excited to welcome Dr Elle Barnes, my teacher for my Intro to Plant Science with NYBG. HOLY MOLY this episode was so fun to record. I took the Intro to Plant Science Course with the NYBG virtually via Zoom during this period of social distancing and what I learned throughout the course blew my mind. Intro to Plant Science might be my most favorite class I’ve taken at NYBG yet. We dive into the basics of all of the processes that make our plant babies thrive and there is just so much

Jul 21, 2020 • 1:15:02

Episode 96: Common Garden Pests with Nadia from Urban Farm Sista and Agricademy

Episode 96: Common Garden Pests with Nadia from Urban Farm Sista and Agricademy

I’m thrilled to welcome Nadia of Urban Farm Sista to the show today to discuss garden pests and her mission with the Agricademy. Nadia is the plant lady behind several amazing businesses and planty projects including the Urban Farm Sista Educational Social Media Platforms, Quiwi Produce and Agricademy. She graduated from Ohio State in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture where she majored in Animal Sciences/minored in Entomology. Entomology is bugs, plant friends and today we do a DEEP D

Jul 7, 2020 • 1:24:13

95: Understanding Drainage and the Perched Water Table

95: Understanding Drainage and the Perched Water Table

I’m  so thrilled to invite my Soil Science teacher Dr. Anna Paltseva to join us today for a nerdy conversation about soil science and drainage. I took her Soil Science 101 class virtually with the NYBG this year and learned so much. I look at soil and the earth differently after this course. What we learned is way too much to cover in one episode, so today Dr Paltseva and I hone in on drainage for houseplants: why it’s important, the science behind it and how we can achieve it for our houseplant

Jun 23, 2020 • 1:00:49

Episode 94: Growing Together

Episode 94: Growing Together

On the heels of the #amplifymelanatedvoices initiative, we take pause to reflect on the national and international conversation happening around the Black Lives Matter movement. We hear excerpts from two episodes with two beautiful Black Plant People, Christopher from PlantKween and Colah from Black in the Garden, share inspiring stories about how the Plant Community rallied to raise money and support the Black Lives Matters Movement, hear what Maria and Bloom and Grow's commitments are and

Jun 10, 2020 • 20:14

93: The Wild World of Plant-Tube! (a Plant-tuber/Podcast Collaboration)

93: The Wild World of Plant-Tube! (a Plant-tuber/Podcast Collaboration)

So thrilled to be welcoming Becca de la Plants and  SO MANY of our favorite plant-tubers to the show today on an epic cross media collaboration! I have become very curious about the Plant-tube, the Planty corner of Youtube, and decided to do a deep dive by reaching out to YOUR favorite plant-tubers to get answers to my questions! This is a two part episode hosted on the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast and Youtube Show. Todays podcast episode has special guest Becca de la Plants for a conversation o

May 26, 2020 • 58:01

92: Begonias: Care, History and more!

92: Begonias: Care, History and more!

Today we welcome back Marc Hachadourian from the New York Botanical Garden to the show! You might remember Marc from Episode 50: Maranta, Calathea and Stromanthe 101 where he gave so many amazing tips and tricks for caring for this finicky but beautiful group of plants. Now he is back for an in depth review of the world of Begonias! He gives us the history of these plants and tips and guidelines to keep these gorgeous creatures thriving in our homes. As you’ll learn in the episode, I’ve always b

May 12, 2020 • 38:35

Ep 91: 10 Tips for Edible Landscaping and Beginning Gardeners with My Mom!

Ep 91: 10 Tips for Edible Landscaping and Beginning Gardeners with My Mom!

So excited to welcome my MOM back to Bloom and Grow Radio today! It feels very fitting to have her joining us so close to Mother's Day! You might remember her from Episode 20: Talking Tomatoes when she gave us her Italian secrets to tomato gardening, and now she's back to talk about what she's learned with 5 years of edible landscaping under her belt (and a lifetime of general gardening experience). She shares her top 10 tips for Edible Landscaping and Gardening with our audience tod

May 6, 2020 • 1:00:41

Episode 90: Jane Perrone of On the Ledge

Episode 90: Jane Perrone of On the Ledge

I’m so excited to finally welcome Jane Perrone of On the Ledge Podcast to the show. Jane and I have both been podcasting for almost three years now and, if we do say so ourselves, are the OG houseplant centered podcast on the airwaves. It’s only taken three years and a pandemic to make our schedules clear enough to pull our heads out of the production of our own shows to finally visit each other shows, so we thought it would be fun to interview each other on our shows in the same week. So if you

Apr 28, 2020 • 1:07:35

Fundamentals of Vegetable Gardening

Fundamentals of Vegetable Gardening

So excited to welcome Toby Adams, the Director of the Edible Academy for the New York Botanical Garden onto the show to talk all things vegetable gardening! The NYBG Edible Academy is a state-of-the-art educational facility featuring hands-on activities and innovative programs that help children, families, teachers, and the general public learn about growing and preparing vegetables, fruit, and herbs while encouraging a lifelong interest in gardening, nutrition awareness, and environmental stewa

Apr 14, 2020 • 1:00:09

Episode 88: Inspirational Stories and Ideas for Isolating Times:How to Help the Horticulture Industry Get Through

Episode 88: Inspirational Stories and Ideas for Isolating Times:How to Help the Horticulture Industry Get Through

Today's episode is simply me sharing things that are inspiring me in this weird time for our country. There is so much to be scared of, but so much to be thankful for and inspired by. A lot of people are feeling helpless and alone, and this is a list of ways that you can help those in need and yourself in the Age of Corona! Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: #PlantOneForward Initiative Summer Rayne Oakes' #plantoneforward initiative: Summer Rayne is encouraging everyone in our c

Apr 7, 2020 • 33:19

Episode 87: My Fiancé Cared for My Plants for a Year While I was on Tour: Here’s What Happened

Episode 87: My Fiancé Cared for My Plants for a Year While I was on Tour: Here’s What Happened

My Fiance, Billy, joins me today to give you the inside scoop on what the last year has looked like for us. As most of you know I left home for an entire year to travel with Cats the Musical, and Billy was left to care for all of our 150 plants all by himself. This was a HUGE undertaking for him, as I was the "primary caretaker" for our plants when we lived together, so we break down exactly how both of us went into this new phase of life and lessons learned along the way. Thank you to B

Mar 31, 2020 • 55:50

Episode 86: Pause with Plants to Release Stress and Increase Calm with Brittany from the Pause with Plants Podcast

Episode 86: Pause with Plants to Release Stress and Increase Calm with Brittany from the Pause with Plants Podcast

Brittany Gowan, the plant lady behind @ihavethisthingwithurbanjungles on IG and the Pause with Plants Podcast has been a #plantfriendIRL for a while now and a lovely lady. She has been practicing and teaching her Pause with Plants Method and we thought today would be the perfect time to discuss how to use plants to reduce stress. There has never been a better time than to have houseplants and practice houseplant care than now, when many of us are confined to our homes in the midst of this pandem

Mar 24, 2020 • 56:38

Episode 85: Historic Black Plant People and Top 5 Favorite Plants from Africa

Episode 85: Historic Black Plant People and Top 5 Favorite Plants from Africa

I’m excited to have another podcaster join me today on the podcast! Today we welcome Colah B Tawkin of the Black in the Garden Podcast who created the podcast to bring more of a voice and presence for the stories and voices of Black Gardeners and Plant People. Today, in a belated Black History Month episode (since I didn’t air the podcast last month) Colah shares amazing stories about some historic  black gardeners and plant people, we discuss her top 5 favorite houseplants that originate in Afr

Mar 18, 2020 • 1:03:09

African Violets 101 with Lisa from @houseplantguru

African Violets 101 with Lisa from @houseplantguru

African Violets are having a comeback, plant friends! You heard it here first. I know a lot of people feel like African Violets are their "grandma's houseplants", but this flowering gesneriad brings cute fuzzy leaves and bright, multi-colored blooms to the tropical landscape of our urban jungles. What's not to love! They can sometimes be thought of as finicky, so Lisa the "Houseplant Guru" joins me to walk me through every step to African Violet success! Lisa is the autho

Mar 3, 2020 • 55:12

Bonus Episode! Herbal Mixology with Gardenuity, Katy Trail Vodka and HD Liquid Catering

Bonus Episode! Herbal Mixology with Gardenuity, Katy Trail Vodka and HD Liquid Catering

Thrilled to be bringing you the audio from the Live Taping on Herbal Mixology done in 2019 in Dallas at the Gardenuity HQ! The entire evening was built around my two favorite things: herbs and drinks! We had an amazing panel of female founders talking about how liquor and spirits are made (spoiler alert, they come from plants!), how to incorporate herbs and veggies into our cocktails and how to grow and select those plants! It's an amazing conversation with amazing women I'm thrilled to

Feb 26, 2020 • 41:12

Winter Plant Care

Winter Plant Care

I’m in Canada and connected some my favorite Canadian plant friends for a fun discussion on the winter months (while we are in the midst of a cold Toronto December). Today I have Darryl from @houseplantjournal and Jaz from @gardenstead to not only discuss how to care for our plants the winter months, but to more importantly, how to “zoom out” to think about what is actually happening to light and our surroundings in the winter to better understand WHY we alter our care routines. We might push yo

Dec 17, 2019 • 1:02:11

Episode 81: "Root-ology" with Leslie Halleck

Episode 81: "Root-ology" with Leslie Halleck

Today Leslie Halleck ("Her Highness of Horticulture") joins me again to talk about the topic I was most excited to cover this season: ROOTS (or as we call it "root-ology". We spend so much time thinking about the “above soil” section of the plant, and often times, disregard the unbelievable root structure underneath the soil that is responsible for keeping the plant alive! So today Leslie walks us through what roots are, why they are important, how they vary, and lots of troubles

Dec 4, 2019 • 1:13:52

Episode 80: Plant Laws and Patents

Episode 80: Plant Laws and Patents

Today I speak with several people about various aspects of laws around plants- whether it’s importing plants from abroad or seeking to patent plants in the states. First we hear a tale from a friend of the show, Alessia from @apartmentbotanist, about how the USDA seized a plant that was illegally shipped to her. Then I speak to Lydia Colon, Head of the Plant for Planting Policy Unit at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or APHIS. We discuss why it’s important to acquire proper p

Nov 12, 2019 • 57:47

Episode 79: Variegation 101 with Chris Satch

Episode 79: Variegation 101 with Chris Satch

Thrilled to have the OG Botanical Bro of Bloom and Grow Radio, Chris Satch back today to discuss a very hot topic- Variegation. What the heck is it, why does it occur and how can we foster and encourage it in our plants. I love when Chris comes on the show because we always get nerdy, and this episode explains so much. I’m not going to say anything more about it- because the conversation speaks for itself. Before we dive into the conversation, Chris has asked me to share some info about an upcom

Nov 5, 2019 • 1:08:26

Episode 78: Plant Side Chat: When Your Orchid Doesn't Bloom

Episode 78: Plant Side Chat: When Your Orchid Doesn't Bloom

Plant Side Chats are shorter episodes with just Maria as she shares life lessons learned in the garden. Today's topic is: What to do when your orchid or plant doesn't bloom when you want it to.    THANK YOU TO TODAY’S EPISODE SPONSORS! SOLTECH SOLUTIONS MAKES LUXURY GROW LIGHTS THAT LOOK LIKE HIGH END MODERN LIGHT FIXTURES WITH CUTTING EDGE GROW SPECTRUM FOR HOUSEPLANTS AND DWARF FRUITING TREES. I HAVE THREE OF THEIR ASPECT PENDANT LIGHTS IN MY APARTMENT AND LOVE THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW HI

Oct 22, 2019 • 24:26

Ep 77: "Semi" or "Passive" Hydroponics 101 with Kay from @inrootedlove

Ep 77: "Semi" or "Passive" Hydroponics 101 with Kay from @inrootedlove

Today’s episode is exciting for me to share with you because the topic was something I was completely confused and bewildered by: this “semi-hydro” craze. Semi Hydro- (which is not a correct term, it’s actually called “passive hydro” standing for “passive hydroponics”) is the growing practice of using LECA balls, which are puffed clay balls that look like coco-puff cereal, to grow your houseplants. You’ve probably seen photos of this, where the plants look like they are buried in coco puffs or a

Oct 15, 2019 • 56:20

76: Hydroponic Gardening 101

76: Hydroponic Gardening 101

Very excited to welcome Rob from Farm.One to the podcast today for a conversation about beginners Hydroponics. Rob is doing Hydroponic Gardening at an incredibly high level at Farm.One- a hydroponic, vertical farm that grows rare and exotic produce indoors, year-round, pesticide- free in a basement in NYC. I met Rob last year when I was fortunate enough to tour Farm.One and was blown away by the concept of the business and the set up. I think a lot of us are very curious about hydroponic gardeni

Oct 8, 2019 • 1:00:21

Episode 75.5: Info on Sustainability of Peat Moss

Episode 75.5: Info on Sustainability of Peat Moss

Plant Friends- I'm so happy to have brought you the wonderful conversation this week on The Science of Soil. It's important for us to understand what makes our soils our plant babies grow so happily (or unhappily) in. I realize in this conversation, I stumbled upon a hot topic that I was unaware of: whether or not peat moss is sustainable. I've had conversations with members of our communities and advisors in the horticultural industry, and I've realized this is an incredibly com

Oct 3, 2019 • 7:24

Episode 75: The Science of Soil with Dr Mark from Metrolina Greenhouse

Episode 75: The Science of Soil with Dr Mark from Metrolina Greenhouse

So excited about this highly request episode on the science of soil. Finding a “soil expert” was kind of tough, but when I met Dr Mark Yelanich on a recent visit to Metrolina Greenhouse, I knew I had found the answers to my prayers. Dr. Mark has been the Director of Research at Metrolina Greenhouses for the past 14 years. Metrolina Greenhouse is the single-site heated greenhouse in the United States at 162 acres under roof. The Metrolina Research department focuses on working with plant breeding

Oct 1, 2019 • 1:08:40

Episode 74: Grow Lights 101 with Leslie Halleck

Episode 74: Grow Lights 101 with Leslie Halleck

Thrilled as always to welcome Leslie Halleck back on the show. You will remember Leslie from our two part series on Understanding Natural Light and Propagation 101. She has two books, Plant Parenting- a guide to plant propagation and Gardening Under Lights. Today Leslie joins me to discuss everything we need to know about grow lights. Winter is coming plant friends, and many of us might need to take the plunge with additional grow lights to make sure our plants are happy and healthy. Personally,

Sep 24, 2019 • 1:17:06

Episode 73: Indoor Plant Appreciation & the Amazon Rainforest

Episode 73: Indoor Plant Appreciation & the Amazon Rainforest

Plant friends this is an excited episode for two reasons, #1 we hear from you! This is a community episode in response to it being National Indoor Plant Appreication week and I asked you to call in with a story of you and your plants. We have tales of plant wins, plant heirlooms, crazy plant person moments and even some fails. We we learn from every one of you today, and that fills my heart. What I am more excited is that we are taking plant appreciation to the next level, by diving into what is

Sep 17, 2019 • 48:14

Episode 72- Fall Garden Plants and Projects with Joe Lamp'l

Episode 72- Fall Garden Plants and Projects with Joe Lamp'l

I’m so excited to welcome Joe Lamp'l of JoeGardener.com back on the show today! You might remember him from our episode on Living Christmas trees, but he is my outdoor gardening guru who is going to walk us through some fun things for us to do in our outdoor gardens this Fall. Joe Lamp’l is the creator, Executive Producer and Host of the Emmy-award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World®, Founder and “joe” behind joegardener.com, and creator of the new joe gardener Online Garde

Sep 10, 2019 • 58:44

Episode 71: Low Light Plants for Beginners and Advanced Plant Parents with the Houseplant Guru

Episode 71: Low Light Plants for Beginners and Advanced Plant Parents with the Houseplant Guru

Today I welcome Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, otherwise known as the “Houseplant Guru” to the show for an enlightening conversation about how to care for plants in low light environments, and what the best beginner and advanced and interesting low light tolerant plant choices we can make. We discuss how to truly understand if we have low light, several hacks to capitalize on the light we have and she suggests some really interesting plants besides your normal pothos, dracaena and snake plants we know s

Sep 3, 2019 • 1:12:27

Episode 70: Growing Cannabis Part 2: Flowering to Harvest

Episode 70: Growing Cannabis Part 2: Flowering to Harvest

Thrilled to bring you part two of the Growing Cannabis episode series! In this conversation I’ve sat down with Rooney Bloom, a home grower of cannabis, and Chudy Azuogu, a commercial grower of cannabis, for a “compare and contrast” conversation on growing Cannabis from seed to harvest. Last week, on Episode 69 we discussed set up, seed starting and the vegetative stage, today we discuss flowering, harvesting and curing.  This conversation is so much more about growing plants, the unbelievable ad

Aug 27, 2019 • 42:16

Episode 69: Growing Cannabis Part 1: Set Up, Seed Starting and The Vegetative Stage

Episode 69: Growing Cannabis Part 1: Set Up, Seed Starting and The Vegetative Stage

While I was in Denver, I had the opportunity to tour The Garden, a 7000 square foot commercial Cannabis grower with my plant friend, and cannabis home grower, Rooney Bloom. In that tour, it was incredibly clear to me that I needed to sit down with the founder of The Garden, Chudy Azuogu and Rooney to discuss their different approaches to growing Cannabis, from seed to harvest. Cannabis is obviously a very popular plant these days for indoor growers… for different reasons than our houseplant plan

Aug 20, 2019 • 49:35

Be featured on the upcoming Community Episode: Indoor Plant Appreciation Community episode call to action - 81419 6.38 PM

Be featured on the upcoming Community Episode: Indoor Plant Appreciation Community episode call to action - 81419 6.38 PM

Hi Plant Friends!   I'd love to feature you and YOUR plant stories in an upcoming community episode of the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast. The theme of the episode is "Indoor Plant Appreciation" for National Indoor Plant Week! Call in following the instructions below and share your favorite story about a plant of yours: it could be a plant parent win, a loss, a lesson learned, a new friendship that blossomed, a funny story or a #plantmomfail or #plantdadfail. Whatever you want! I want

Aug 15, 2019 • 3:20

Peperomia 101 with Nick Pileggi

Peperomia 101 with Nick Pileggi

So glad to have Nick from @phillyfoliage and Nick Pileggi on Youtube join me for a discussion on Peperomia 101. This interview happened during our Live Taping at Urban Jungle Philly this summer. Peperomia are such a wonderful houseplant variety and such a perfect plant for beginners. We are lucky to have Nick walk us through the history, care and fun facts and troubleshooting tips for our peperomia plant babies!   In this episode we learn: How Nick Pileggi began his career in plants with no deg

Aug 13, 2019 • 38:27

Season 4 Intro and What I’ve Learned Being Away from my Plants for 6 Months!

Season 4 Intro and What I’ve Learned Being Away from my Plants for 6 Months!

Today I’m just intro’ing you to Season 4 and giving you my off the cuff update on what I’ve learned from being away from my plants for 6th months! Sharing recent life lessons, what’s bringing me joy lately and how I’ve been bringing my passion for plants on the road with me. Season 4 will officially launch Tuesday August 13th. Make sure you are subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss one episode!   Check out the Bloom and Grow YOUTUBE show: http://bit.ly/BAGRyoutube   Become a Plant Friend o

Aug 8, 2019 • 28:35

Chicago Plant Friends! Come hug me this Saturday!

Chicago Plant Friends! Come hug me this Saturday!

Chicago Plant Friends! We are having a FREE BAGR listener meet up THIS Saturday August 3rd from 10 am - Noon at Sprout Home Chicago!     RSVP Here! https://app.getoccasion.com/p/n/M8FrfGb2   Season 4 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast is hitting the airwaves later THIS August, Plant Friends! Get excited!Our Sponsors:* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm* C

Aug 2, 2019 • 1:44

A chat with PlantKween: 5 tips for planning your perfect plant shopping day and Inclusivity and Representation in the Plant Community

A chat with PlantKween: 5 tips for planning your perfect plant shopping day and Inclusivity and Representation in the Plant Community

I’m thrilled to finally connect with Christopher Griffin who you might know at the the @plantkween on Instagram. Christopher’s feed is filled with his “green gurls” and himself- radiating joy and positivity. If you tune into his Instagram stories, you’ll also see that he orchestrates days filled with planty adventures, hopping from plant shop to plant shop with friends or on his own as part of his self care routine. Today Christopher joins me to discuss his those epic planty days and how he goes

Jun 25, 2019 • 1:00:17

A Plants Journey from Grower to Your Home with Mickey Hargitay

A Plants Journey from Grower to Your Home with Mickey Hargitay

We are so lucky to be joined by Mickey from Mickey Hargitay Plants- THE go to plant institution in Los Angeles for Plant People. Mickey has been in the business of selling plants for 39 years: long before the recent trend has taken over Instagram and millennials. He had his shop in the 70s during the last houseplant craze, and gives us insight into his experience selling plants through several decades. We chat today not only about his long career, but what it takes as a plant shop owner to get a

Jun 18, 2019 • 41:47

Episode 64: Propagation 101 with Leslie Halleck

Episode 64: Propagation 101 with Leslie Halleck

So thrilled to be joined again by Leslie Halleck after the wildly successful two part episode on Understanding Natural Light (Episodes 46 and 47) last season. After the success of her recent book, Gardening Under Lights, Leslie published a new book this month on propagation called Plant Parenting. Today Leslie joins me to discuss not the techniques for propagation, by how plants actually multiply. Today’s episode is meant to help us zoom out and understand the overarching reasons for why the pro

Jun 11, 2019 • 1:15:40

Container Gardening 101 with Kevin from Epic Gardening

Container Gardening 101 with Kevin from Epic Gardening

Thrilled to be sharing this planty conversation with my #plantfriendIRL, Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening! Kevin and I recently met IRL in San Diego and clicked immediately. He is a wonderfully curious Botanical Bro who has the most incredible Urban Gardening set up in his home in San Diego. Our journeys to plant parenthood are very similar, but revolve around different passions: indoor (mine) and outdoor (his).  Today we talk our different interests, the similarities and differences between i

Jun 4, 2019 • 56:30

Live Taping in Tucson! Living with Plants in the Desert!

Live Taping in Tucson! Living with Plants in the Desert!

Thrilled to be bringing you the live taping of Bloom and Grow Radio in Tucson on “Living with Plants in the Desert”. I am joined by Brendan the owner of Eco Grow, a local aquaponics and rare plant shop and grower and also Prococo Products, premium coco coir supplier, Akiko from Tucson based flower and plant shop Bloom Maven and Becca, a Tucson native and the Plant Lady behind the De La Plants Youtube channel. We have a wonderful discussion on the desert climate, the Saguaro Cactus, and how to ha

May 28, 2019 • 1:01:40

We are now on Patreon and I wanted to tell you why

We are now on Patreon and I wanted to tell you why

Today Maria shares a mini episode on why Bloom and Grow Radio is now on Patreon. Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio    Our Sponsors:* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm* Check out Magic Mind: https://www.magicmind.com/growingjoyjan* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM

May 24, 2019 • 8:31

How to Move with Plants

How to Move with Plants

Maria and members of the Bloom and Grow Radio Community give tips on how to move homes with houseplants!  In this episode we learn: - the various ways to pack plants for moving - practical tips from listeners who have moved successfully with their houseplants - suggestions from Maria for moving in a car, truck, plane or countries!   For a blog with all of the tips provided in this episode visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/moving   For a youtube video where Maria shows you how she packs her plants

May 23, 2019 • 32:19

Live Taping! DIY Succulent Crowns with Infinite Succulent

Live Taping! DIY Succulent Crowns with Infinite Succulent

Rachael is the plant lady behind Infinite Succulent and the author of the succulent crafting book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share. The book is filled with incredible and easy succulent crafts for any skill level. I have been obsessed with succulent crowns ever since I found them on Instagram over a year ago and got one for myself on my last trip to San Diego. I’ve wanted to do an episode on DIY Succulent Crowns for a year and I’m so excited to have had the opportunity t

Apr 30, 2019 • 1:03:31

Live Taping! How to Cultivate Healthy Plant Community: Online and IRL

Live Taping! How to Cultivate Healthy Plant Community: Online and IRL

I am so excited to share the magic of our first live taping at Folia Collective in Los Angeles with my special guests Danae from Folia Collective and Christine from Work Hard Plant Hard. You will remember them from Episode 24 on How to Start a Plant Shop where Danae took us behind the scenes of how she grew Folia Collective into the Planty mecca it is now and Episode 17 on The Studies Behind Why Plants Make People Happy and Healthy where Christine, who is a practicing physician, walks us through

Apr 23, 2019 • 57:17

How to Identify a Plant with No Name Tag

How to Identify a Plant with No Name Tag

Plant Friends, I’m so excited to welcome Summer Rayne Oakes of Homestead Brooklyn back on the show to talk about an issue we’ve all probably run into: finding a plant you love at a garden shop or nursery that doesn’t have a name tag… and what to do! We’ve learned through out these episodes that one of the most important things we can do as plant parents is to find out what kind of light and humidity our homes get, and to bring plants home that will thrive in our unique indoor environments. So… h

Apr 16, 2019 • 50:09

Pollinators and Native Bees

Pollinators and Native Bees

I’m thrilled to have Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees on the show to talk about pollinators and how important they are for our environment. Dave is a native bee expert that shares so much information about pollination, bees in general, why the honey bee might not be the king of the bee world as we know it, and how we can help pollinators continue to help our local environments literally bloom and grow. Pollinators are something I knew little about and Dave really walks us through everythin

Apr 9, 2019 • 55:12

Community Episode: Plant Fail Lessons

Community Episode: Plant Fail Lessons

Today’s episode is a community episode, featuring YOU, the Bloom and Grow Radio Listeners sharing their stories and empowering and educating our community.             Plant Fails, everyone take a moment of silence to bow our heads for the plants we’ve lost in our plant parenthood journeys. Because plant friends… I don’t care how gorgeously curated your IG feed is…. we ALL have a plant fail in our history. But for some reason, we feel shame when they happen. I think it’s hard to stomach our not

Apr 2, 2019 • 44:18

Seattle Plant Friend Meet up announced for THIS SATURDAY!

Seattle Plant Friend Meet up announced for THIS SATURDAY!

RSVP HERE    So excited to have a "Botanicals and Brunch" Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Meet up at Cultivate Propagate in SEATTLE this Saturday March 30th from 1030-noon!   Join us for Brunch Cocktails, Coffee, Raised Doughnuts and more! It will be a wonderful way to meet your local planty community members and make new #plantfriendsIRL!   I'll be hosting informal interviews about what your favorite Seattle Planty Places are!    Chelsea (the shop owner) will be saving some Philodendr

Mar 27, 2019 • 2:52

Plant Side Chat: Lessons Learned in the Redwood Forest

Plant Side Chat: Lessons Learned in the Redwood Forest

Today's episode is a short and sweet nugget of love about my trip to the Redwood Forest. Tune in for some mushy feel good vibes and inspiration. Use #bagplantlatinchallenge and post a photo of one of your plants with the latin name! Educate our community! Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for exclusive access to early offerings for events, episodes, the free download of the Molly Mansfield Keep Blooming Print and the password to our private facebook group!  https://bloomandgrowradio.com/ga

Mar 19, 2019 • 12:22

Plant Latin 101

Plant Latin 101

Plant Friends! I’m so excited to have my dear friend and Botanical Bro Chris Satch back on the show, to help demystify the latin names of our houseplants we love so dearly. Today we dive into plant latin, some history, troubleshooting, and learn LOTS of nerdy latin words. We hope this episode helps you better understand your houseplants, what families they come from and maybe just gives you some fancy words to pull out at parties and sound fancy with. Stay tuned till the end of the episode becau

Mar 12, 2019 • 55:25

Episode 53: Plants IRL aka Nature and Monstera Talk

Episode 53: Plants IRL aka Nature and Monstera Talk

Today’s guest caught my eye on social media because of his incredible travel itinerary and his obvious passion for finding the plants we know and love as houseplants, in their natural habitats around the world. Michael Mittermeier is a passionate plant professional who has traveled the world and documents his findings of rare and unusual plants on his instagram account @mickmitty. He also has one of the largest private collections of Monstera, Syngonium, Scindapsus and Raphidophora in the countr

Feb 26, 2019 • 50:40

Episode 52: Soil Aeration and Thriving vs Surviving in a Low Light Home

Episode 52: Soil Aeration and Thriving vs Surviving in a Low Light Home

Today I’m joined by my plant friend Darryl of Houseplant Journal to discuss the importance of soil aeration and having plants in low Light environments. Houseplant Journal is known for it’s amazing instagram account, blog and now watering can and his forthcoming book! Darryl's instagram bio says “an engineers approach to plant care” and I think that sums Darryl up so well, he has the clinical, thoughtful, inquisitive brain of an engineer, and the passion and enthusiasm of the best of the bes

Feb 19, 2019 • 51:50

Episode 51: Tips for Living with a “Crazy Plant Person” with Billy!

Episode 51: Tips for Living with a “Crazy Plant Person” with Billy!

Plant Friends, you’ve heard me talk about my “Plant Co Parent” on this podcast, you’ve seen in him in our Botanicals and Booze Happy Hour Insta-stories, or maybe in our most recent Wallygro Install insta-story, and now, it’s time for me to officially introduce to the love of my life, and “partner in plants,” Billy Morrissey, to you. This past year and a half has been big for me with leaving my Plant Killer Ways and becoming a Crazy Plant Lady, but it’s also been a whirlwind for my live in boyfri

Feb 12, 2019 • 48:18

Episode 50: Maranta, Calathea and Stromanthe 101

Episode 50: Maranta, Calathea and Stromanthe 101

Plant Friends! We are kicking of Season 3 with your top most requested episode out of any topic, a 101 episode on how to care for the Marantaceae Family, and understanding why on earth they can be so dang tricky to care for! I would say that “why is my calathea or prayer plant browning at the tips” is one of my most frequently DM’d questions on instagram. I think this Marantaceae family has some of the most gorgeously patterned leaves I’ve ever seen and I’m excited to have this episode to help u

Feb 5, 2019 • 47:24

Season 3 Intro: Announcements and an Invitation to be featured in Season 3!

Season 3 Intro: Announcements and an Invitation to be featured in Season 3!

Updates and exciting announcements about Season 3 and an invitation (and instructions) for YOU to be featured in an upcoming episode!  If you want to be featured on the Plant Killer Lessons episode- call  (267) 478-2521 and leave your story! The voicemail allows for 3 minute max, so it will help to write your story out ahead of time. I can't wait to hear from you and learn what you've learned! Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow on the Road on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (f

Jan 29, 2019 • 12:23

Episode 49: Plant Parent Lessons Learned in 2018

Episode 49: Plant Parent Lessons Learned in 2018

Happy News Years! Today I’m reviewing the lessons I’ve learned in all of the incredible conversations I’ve had over the 49 episodes of Bloom and Grow Radio. Man, I have learned so much! In the episode we discuss what I’ve learned about: Drainage Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl from Houseplant Journal  Succulents Episode 3: How to Not Kill You're your Succulents  Episode 35: How to Grow Desert Plants and Succulents Indoors Artificial and Natural Light  Episode 12: Everything You Ne

Jan 8, 2019 • 31:49

Plant Side Chat # 6: You're Doing Great

Plant Side Chat # 6: You're Doing Great

Plant Side Chats are a series on the Bloom and Grow Radio podcast where Maria (host) muses on life lessons learned in the garden or from plant parenting. Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp and use my code PLANTS for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Outdoor Electronics: www.google.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Dec 25, 2018 • 6:24

Episode 47: Understanding Natural Light- Measuring Tools

Episode 47: Understanding Natural Light- Measuring Tools

I’m joined again by my new plant friend and horticulturalist and lighting expert, Leslie Halleck, for part two of my quest to understand what “bright indirect light” really is. If you haven’t yet, listen to last weeks episode where Leslie and I dive into the basics of understanding natural light, and hacks and tricks for measuring your personal lighting environment without any type of app or meter. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening.

Dec 18, 2018 • 43:47

Episode 46: Understanding Natural Light: General Rules

Episode 46: Understanding Natural Light: General Rules

I’m excited to bring you another two part episode on a topic that has plagued me in my first year as a plant parent: understanding natural light, and what the heck “bright indirect light” actually means. When figuring out how to do this episode, I knew I needed a lighting and plant expert who would give me the space to ask the simple questions to understand this complex topic. Enter Leslie Halleck. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening.

Dec 11, 2018 • 57:30

Episode 45: Aroids 101 (Part 2)

Episode 45: Aroids 101 (Part 2)

Welcome back to part 2 of the Aroids 101 series. I hope you enjoyed last weeks Part 1 on the general information and care for the amazing Araceae family. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I would suggest hitting pause here and listening to that episode first, as it lays the groundwork for the information we dive into today. We are joined again today by Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals. NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet.

Dec 4, 2018 • 49:23

Episode 44: Aroid 101 (Part 1)

Episode 44: Aroid 101 (Part 1)

Today’s episode is the first of a two part series on Aroid 101. Aroids are all over Instagram, with their great variety of sexy, prehistoric looking leaves, and many Aroids make great houseplants because of their low light tolerance and their large and beautiful foliage. I’m excited to welcome Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals, the online mecca for Aroids and unusual plants, to enlighten us about the wild and wide world of Aroids. You will be shocked at how many common plants fall under this fa

Nov 27, 2018 • 42:34

Getting a Christmas Tree? Listen to these episodes!

Getting a Christmas Tree? Listen to these episodes!

Are you getting a Christmas Tree this year? Listen to the episodes mentioned here to 1) Learn best practices for cut christmas trees and how to have a locally sourced tree that you compost after the season #responsibleplantparent 2) have a LIVING, potted indoor christmas tree that you can replant after the holiday season!    Episode 05: Cut Christmas Trees with Mary Jeanne Packer from the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of NY  Episode 06: Living Christmas Tree withs Joe Lampl from Growing a G

Nov 23, 2018 • 4:35

Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants

Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants

Today’s episode is about exactly what the title says… our brains… on plants. And what happens in our brains, when we become Plant People. When I was starting to move from plant killer to crazy plant lady, I noticed, there were a few months in the beginning of my plant collection where I feel like the love for plants kind of took over my life. I’ve always thought about that particular phase in my life when I felt like I almost couldn’t stop buying more plants. Enter Dr Caitlin Vander Weele, the a

Nov 20, 2018 • 1:04:35

Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole

Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole

I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you, because the idea for this episode came from me being inspired to make my own moss poles after watching a video Tylor made on Instagram. The process was so easy (especially because Tylor’s video was so helpful) and I knew this was something I wanted to share with you guys, because these poles not only look cool, but help replicate our plants natural environment. So, our guest today, Tylor Rogers is the founder of Arium Botanicals and the #botanicalb

Nov 13, 2018 • 49:29

Episode 41: Maria's Favorite Things/ Planty Holiday Gift Guide

Episode 41: Maria's Favorite Things/ Planty Holiday Gift Guide

Maria walks you through a “few of her favorite things” aka planty products that she has enjoyed this year. This episode is for anyone who might be curious about plant related products out there for their urban jungles or for possible gifts for planty friends or relatives.   All discount codes, links and product reviews and photos can be found at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/favoritethings   Time stamps for the different planty categories: Bloom and Grow Radio Merch at 5:15 Planty Jewelry at 7:10 Pl

Oct 30, 2018 • 47:48

Plant Side Chat 5: Pruning

Plant Side Chat 5: Pruning

The Plant Side Chat Series is Maria's love letters to the life lessons she learns in the garden. Today, Maria shares a story about the importance of pruning in your garden and life through the tale of her balcony strawberry plant.   Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for free at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/PLANTS* Check out Outdoor Electronics: www.google.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.ro

Oct 16, 2018 • 12:30

Episode 39: Growing Your Business Like You Tend Your Garden

Episode 39: Growing Your Business Like You Tend Your Garden

Donna Letier of Gardenity joins me today as the second guest of my Planty Business Series to jam on the topic of growing a business like we tend a garden. Gardenuity creates custom gardens of herbs and vegetables delivered to your door, tailored specifically to your zip code. From the minute I started working with Donna several months ago, I knew this woman was a powerhouse with a story to tell with piece after piece of fantastic advice and a lot of passion for growing. The thing I love about th

Oct 9, 2018 • 43:55

Episode 38: Transitioning Your Plants Back Indoors for Winter

Episode 38: Transitioning Your Plants Back Indoors for Winter

For those of you lucky enough to have outdoor space that you put your houseplants in for the warm summer months, this episode is for you! There comes the time with that first snap of fall weather, when we realize the lovely Summer is over and it’s time to bring our plants back indoors, to protect them from the upcoming cold months. But there is an art to this transition. It isn’t as simple as just grabbing the pot and sticking it on your kitchen table. So Chris from The Sill joins me to break do

Oct 2, 2018 • 48:47

Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy

Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy

I have been so moved by many of you who have reached out to me sharing how caring for your plants has helped you walk through or live with a variety of tough things, whether its loss of a loved one, post partum depression, PTSD or other issues. As someone who has dealt with depression, I just want to say that I’m here with you and your messages resonate so much with me. It’s made me think a lot about Horticultural Therapy, the practice of it, what it actually is and the people that use it today.

Sep 25, 2018 • 1:02:05

Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space and Humidity Hacks with @Apartmentbotanist

Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space and Humidity Hacks with @Apartmentbotanist

Thrilled to be joined by Alessia of @apartmentbotanist to discuss growing a large plant collection in a small space and using humidity indoors to help your plants thrive! So if you have been listening to the podcast, you’ll know that I met Alessia  online when I was fawning over her pilea peperomiodies and the rest is history. What was initially an online friendship through DMs (mostly of her helping me with my beginning stages of my plant collection) has blossomed into a really beautiful IRL fr

Sep 18, 2018 • 1:14:21

Episode 35: How to Grow Succulents/Cacti Indoors

Episode 35: How to Grow Succulents/Cacti Indoors

Let's get to know each other! Please take 5 minutes to fill out this Listener Survey, so I can best survey you in the upcoming episodes! Thanks plant friends! http://bit.ly/2NyJrsw Very excited to be joined by Ryan from Dig It Gardens in Phoenix, AZ for a great discussion on Desert Plants: what they are, how they thrive outdoors, and how we can set them up for success in our Urban Jungles. Ryan has almost 20 years experience working in the gardening industry specifically with desert plants a

Sep 11, 2018 • 1:18:53

Episode 34: Hilton Carter

Episode 34: Hilton Carter

I’m thrilled to be welcoming Hilton Carter, or what I like to call him, the “King of Jungle by the Falls” to the show! Hilton is a huge part of the online plant community,  with over 120,000 followers who love his photos of his insanely beautiful and curated collection of plants in his home, and his event space, Jungle by the Falls. In addition to his successful personal Instagram account and acting as the “Plant Doctor” for Apartment Therapy’s new plant themed Instagram @iplanteven, Hilton also

Sep 4, 2018 • 1:13:02

Monstera 101 with @tropicaloco

Monstera 101 with @tropicaloco

I’m so excited to welcome my first Australian guest to the show, Scott Cain of the popular Instagram account @Tropicaloco (and another account that gets revealed at the end of the episode). Scott is a graphic designer in Australia (www.monkeyfern.com) with an incredible indoor jungle of about 200 houseplants. He shares gorgeous photos of his collection and dreamy balcony on his account @tropicaloco and has a large collection of various Monstera. Since the Monstera has taken over Instagram with #

Aug 21, 2018 • 1:22:01

Ep 32: Airplants 101

Ep 32: Airplants 101

I’m thrilled to be joined by the “Airplant Man” himself, Josh Rosen to discuss all things airplants. Airplants, or Tillandsia, are another popular houseplant you see in many magazines and on social media, but the care instructions online can be very varied and sometimes confusing. Having a small collection of airplants myself (and having killed a couple!) I knew this was a topic I needed the airplant expert for. Enter Josh! Josh is a licensed landscape architect who also is the founder of the co

Aug 7, 2018 • 1:16:30

Episode 31: Plants and Babies with Molly Mansfield

Episode 31: Plants and Babies with Molly Mansfield

Today I welcome Molly Mansfield to the show to talk about something I have no experience with- raising babies around a plant collection! Molly is the perfect person to talk about this with, as she grew up with parents who owned a Garden Center and plants played a huge part in her childhood. Now she gets to have plants in her two young boys life! Molly is also the very talented artist behind @mollymansfieldartist and does the most beautiful botanical watercolors. She is a self taught artist livin

Jul 24, 2018 • 44:08

Orchid 101 with Chris from The Sill

Orchid 101 with Chris from The Sill

We are joined by Chris today for another installment of our Plant Science Series featuring The Sill. Orchid 101 is near and dear to my heart because I STRUGGLE with Orchids and Chris has been my go to resource for personal orchid care. So I knew he would be the perfect guest to have come on the show and answer your orchid questions! If you don’t know already, The Sill is a plant brand with two brick and mortar shops in NYC and an online shop that delivers nation wide. Their quality of plants, a

Jul 10, 2018 • 1:04:14

Episode 29: Indoor Citrus with MIgardener

Episode 29: Indoor Citrus with MIgardener

Today we are joined by Luke Marion of MI Gardener to talk all things indoor citrus! You might know Luke from his MI Gardener youtube channel (which I’m a huge fan of!) which has become one of the fastest growing gardening channels with over 250,000 subscribers on YouTube alone. Founded in 2011 MIgardener aims to help gardeners all around the world. Luke & Sindy Marion are the brains behind MIgardener and strive to help people “Grow Big”. I found Luke when I was searching youtube citrus care

Jul 3, 2018 • 1:22:42

Plant Side Chat 4: The Tale of the Tomato Plant

Plant Side Chat 4: The Tale of the Tomato Plant

Today’s short and sweet Plant Side Chat is honoring my first balcony herb garden and the lessons I learned, since I just planted up my new garden for this upcoming season. One of my favorite stories to tell is the story behind our first Tomato Plant, why it was kind of an epic #plantfail, but how it was the most important plant in the garden to learn from that summer. Tune in to learn why and how the lesson I learned from it applies to so many facets of life.   www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-c

Jun 12, 2018 • 13:04

Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom with @mrdtimes3

Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom with @mrdtimes3

Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski is a 3rd (5th next year) grade teacher from Chicago, IL. His passion for education and lighthearted approach to engaging with students has captured the hearts of millions with his viral videos and instagram accounts @mrDtimes3. He has been featured on The Ellen Show, The Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron Show and many more. He is a young, passionate teacher that is changing the game for how young students learn. AND he is a plant person! Joe and I became friends on instagram an

Jun 5, 2018 • 1:02:02

Episode 26: Pest Control with Summer Rayne Oakes

Episode 26: Pest Control with Summer Rayne Oakes

I’m so happy to have Summer Rayne Oakes of @homesteadbrooklyn back on the show for a second time. You might have heard her back in the day in episode 04 of Bloom and Grow Radio, when we talked about Advanced Plant Parenthood and the joy of Plant Swaps. Speaking of Plant Swaps- Summer Rayne is hosting another plant swap in NYC on Sunday July 15th. The link to get your ticket will be in the show notes. Summer Rayne is a model/activist/entrepreneur who is famous for her Brooklyn apartment in which

May 29, 2018 • 1:36:09

Episode 25: The Fiddle Leaf Fig with @leighkiyoko

Episode 25: The Fiddle Leaf Fig with @leighkiyoko

The Fiddle Leaf Fig, also known as Ficus Lyrata, has been steadily taking over our instagram, pinterest and drool worthy magazine spreads for some time now. It seems to be many interior designers favorite planty accent to a room. Although it may be a plant that’s a go to for design, it isn’t a recommended “beginner” plant, as it’s been known to be somewhat finicky or high maintenance. Today, Erin Kobayashi, of the instagram account @leighkiyoko, joins us to talk all things Fiddle Leaf Fig. Erin

May 22, 2018 • 42:50

Episode 24: How to Start a Plant Shop with Folia Collective

Episode 24: How to Start a Plant Shop with Folia Collective

Plant Friends... this could be the most epic interview on Bloom and Grow Radio yet. Clocking in at about 1 hour and 45 minutes, this one is a doozy and chock full of so much fun planty information. I sat down with Danae Horst three separate times to talk about how she created and grew her incredible Plant Shop, Folia Collective. Danae is an incredible plant lady/ boss lady who I’ve become friends with over social media, and now IRL, and has an incredible story behind the success of her Brick and

May 15, 2018 • 1:46:49

Mother's Day Special

Mother's Day Special

Today’s episode is inspired by our mothers. During my most recent giveaway I did on my birthday, I asked you guys to tell me stories about your #plantfriendsIRL. I was totally ready for fun, heart warming stories about your planty friendships, but what I was not ready for was how many of you wrote about your Mothers and Grandmothers. This warmed my heart so much, because it’s been a very important part of my relationship with my Mom and Grandmothers as well. When I realized this, I knew I needed

May 8, 2018 • 31:19

Episode 22- Windowsill Herb Gardening 101 with NYBG

Episode 22- Windowsill Herb Gardening 101 with NYBG

Welcome to Season 2 of Bloom and Grow Radio Plant Friends! I’m so excited that with Season 2, I am launching the Bloom and Grow Garden Club. The Garden Club is my mailing list on steroids with an online community extension. By joining the club (www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club) you’ll get access to the exclusive Bloom and Grow Garden Club Facebook Group, an online community of plant people and a free download of the special Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming” Print created by Molly Mansfie

May 1, 2018 • 44:55

Plant Side Chat # 3: The Changing of the Seasons

Plant Side Chat # 3: The Changing of the Seasons

Plant Side Chat # 3, a short and sweet episode about the changing of the seasons in our external world, and what that can mean for us internally.Our Sponsors:* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm* Check out Magic Mind: https://www.magicmind.com/growingjoyjan* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM*

Apr 5, 2018 • 9:18

Episode 20(!): Talking Tomatoes with Craig LeHoullier and My MOM

Episode 20(!): Talking Tomatoes with Craig LeHoullier and My MOM

I’m so excited to celebrate my TWENTIETH episode with some very special guests today. Craig LeHoullier is THE Tomato man (@nctomatoman to be exact). After a successful career as a chemist in Pharmaceuticals, Craig began a new career as being one of the leading experts on growing tomatoes and celebrating the many varieties that exist. He is an advisor for the Seed Savers Exchange and the World Tomato Society, the co-leader of the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, and the author of Epic Tomatoes and

Mar 28, 2018 • 1:03:30

Episode 19: Terrarium 101 with @teenytinyterra

Episode 19: Terrarium 101 with @teenytinyterra

Toronto based Jesse Goldfarb is making a name for himself in the plant world with his creative terrarium designs for his company, Teeny Tiny Terra. You can find him on instagram @teenytinyterra and at www.teenytinyterra.com He has worn many professional hats from  corporate florist to DJ to managing salons but he is currently establishing quite the creative niche for himself as the go to terrarium artist, with a long waitlist of people waiting to bring his creations into their home. You can find

Mar 20, 2018 • 1:01:07

Episode 18: Prepping Your Houseplant For Spring and the Science Behind Fertilizer With Chris Satch from The Sill

Episode 18: Prepping Your Houseplant For Spring and the Science Behind Fertilizer With Chris Satch from The Sill

I’m always excited to welcome Chris Satch from The Sill back to the show for our Plant Science Series. This week we discuss what we need to do to prepare our plants for Spring! Chris gives us the lowdown on pruning, trimming, fertilizing and repotting. We cover a LOT so get your pens out and take notes! This episode is for you if you want to make sure you set your plants up for success to bloom and grow in the springtime!   In this episode we learn: - How and why to prune to promote growth - How

Mar 13, 2018 • 1:02:15

Episode 17: The Studies Behind Why Plants Make People Happy and Healthy with Christine from @workhardplanthard

Episode 17: The Studies Behind Why Plants Make People Happy and Healthy with Christine from @workhardplanthard

We are so lucky to be joined by Christine from @workhardplanthard (www.workhardplanthard.com) today to discuss various studies behind how and why plants actually help improve your indoor environment. I have always been intimidated by the actual studies behind how plants clean air and improve people’s mood, since I have no science background. Christine is a full time physician and has done an amazing job compiling these studies and breaks them down into layman’s terms for us today! Christine is a

Mar 6, 2018 • 53:09

Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes and the Creation of Cleverbloom.com

Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes and the Creation of Cleverbloom.com

Rounding out our two-part House Plant Club Series today is second half of the dynamic duo, Erin Harding of the popular blog and Instagram account @cleverbloom! In addition to running Cleverbloom.com, House Plant Club and working for a Pinterest Management Company, Erin is also a mom of two young, adorable boys and plant mom to a collection of plants that she has been growing over 20 years. www.cleverbloom.com is her blog dedicated to houseplant related care, DIYs and décor. She has great blog po

Feb 27, 2018 • 39:30

Episode 15: 5 tips for Curating and Growing Your Planty Instagram Account with Morgan of @plantingpink

Episode 15: 5 tips for Curating and Growing Your Planty Instagram Account with Morgan of @plantingpink

Friendship February for Bloom and Grow Radio will be rounded out by a two part series featuring the two founders of the enormous Instagram account and Etsy shop: @houseplantclub . The two founders of this planty powerhouse, Morgan of @plantingpink (in this episode) and Erin of @cleverbloom (on next week’s episode) actually met and became friends through sharing a Pilea Peperomioides. How perfect to feature them and their plant friendship IRL during Friendship Feb! First up this week we get to kn

Feb 20, 2018 • 40:46

Episode 14: The Friendship Plant! The Ins and Outs of the Popular Pilea Peperomioides with the Founder of PIEP

Episode 14: The Friendship Plant! The Ins and Outs of the Popular Pilea Peperomioides with the Founder of PIEP

We can’t have a month devoted to Friendship without having an episode on the Friendship Plant, the Pilea Peperomioides! We are so lucky to be joined by the founder of PIEP – the first commercial grower of Pilea Peperomioides in the US to discuss all things Pilea today! www.piep.co is the go to resource for all things Pilea. It ships nation wide and carries not only Pilea but also other drool worthy plants and accessories. Mackenna, the founder of PIEP, is a Pilea specialist and has had such an i

Feb 13, 2018 • 45:35

Plant Side Chat # 2 - Planty Friendships

Plant Side Chat # 2 - Planty Friendships

Plant Side Chat #2 - Planty Friendships for Friendship February on Bloom and Grow Radio! We dive into the beauty of plant friendships and why they are so important!Our Sponsors:* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm* Check out Magic Mind: https://www.magicmind.com/growingjoyjan* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Manukora: https://

Feb 6, 2018 • 8:35

Episode 12: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Grow Lights with The Sill's Chris Satch

Episode 12: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Grow Lights with The Sill's Chris Satch

I’m very excited to welcome back Chris Satch to the show! Chris is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill (www.thesill.com) and is my go to guy for any plant issues I have with my personal collection. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. I got a lot of requests this winter for an episode on grow lights, and took some time to think about who I wanted my gu

Jan 30, 2018 • 1:02:17

Episode 11: Inside the Mind of @mr_plantgeek and Tips for Traveling Plant Parents

Episode 11: Inside the Mind of @mr_plantgeek and Tips for Traveling Plant Parents

Michael Perry is the entrepreneur and self titled “geek” behind the “Mr Plant Geek” empire. But he is, in no way, a tradition “geek”. I like to call him the “bad boy of the plant world." You might know Michael from his Instagram account (@Mr_PlantGeek) or www.mrplantgeek.com which have photos and blogs about the worlds most interesting plants. But they also have a collection of selfies showcasing his rugged good looks, impressive collection of tattoos and ever changing hair color. You also m

Jan 9, 2018 • 51:53

Plant Side Chat #1: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate

Plant Side Chat #1: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate

First part of the Plant Side Chat series where we will explore the lessons learned from caring for plants. Today's topic: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate.Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp and use my code PLANTS for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Outdoor Electronics: www.google.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Jan 2, 2018 • 8:31

Episode 09: Double the Joy: Cats and Plants (and Poisonous Plants to Avoid) with @plant_lady_is_the_new_cat_lady

Episode 09: Double the Joy: Cats and Plants (and Poisonous Plants to Avoid) with @plant_lady_is_the_new_cat_lady

Meagan Rosson is the creator behind the Instagram account: Plant_Lady_is_the_New_Cat_Lady. Her two gorgeous cats: Mack and Brooklyn, are quickly becoming “Instagram Famous“ due to Meagan’s hilarious Instagram stories of their impressive acrobatics around her one bedroom apartment and their relationship with her growing collection of 60+ plants. Meagan and I met early on in both of our plant journeys and have watched each other’s love for plants grow. Since I have no pets, I knew Meagan would be

Dec 19, 2017 • 54:11

Episode 08: Dirty Talk and the Creation of Houseplant Journal

Episode 08: Dirty Talk and the Creation of Houseplant Journal

By day, Toronto based Darryl Cheng is a Business Analyst for a Tech Company. By night, he is the creator of the incredibly popular blog and Instagram account - Houseplant Journal. Darryl’s commitment to excellence and his passion for plants and thirst for knowledge have turned him into the king of the internet houseplant world. What was initially a hobby Tumblr page has turned into an Instagram account with over 200,000 followers, a go to blog for anything plant related (www.houseplantjournal.co

Dec 12, 2017 • 58:00

Episode 07: TheOperatingSystem- Propagation 101 and Using Plants to Disconnect

Episode 07: TheOperatingSystem- Propagation 101 and Using Plants to Disconnect

Olena Shmahalo, otherwise known as TheOperatingSystem on Instagram is the Art Director of Quanta Magazine by day, and has an Etsy shop where she sells her plant cuttings and plant themed merchandise by night. Originally from the Ukraine, Olena has been growing her Urban Jungle of over 150 plants over the span of several apartments. Her current apartment is a masterpiece of Urban Jungle artistry, and her photos that are envied on Instagram are not to be missed (give her a follow at @TheOperatingS

Dec 5, 2017 • 32:25

Episode 06: Christmas Tree Extravaganza Part 2/2: Living, Potted Christmas Trees for the Holiday Season!

Episode 06: Christmas Tree Extravaganza Part 2/2: Living, Potted Christmas Trees for the Holiday Season!

Part two of my Christmas Tree extravaganza is all about celebrating you houseplants enthusiasts who want to take the leap, and jump into the joys of having a LIVING, potted Christmas Tree. This trend has become more popular over the years, and as I was researching it, I came across an amazing article by Joe Lamp’l about this intriguing idea. After reading it, I knew he would be the perfect guest for this episode and I am BEYOND thrilled to have him! Joe is a podcaster himself with his amazing ga

Nov 28, 2017 • 35:32

Episode 05: Christmas Tree Extravaganza Part 1/2 - Cut Christmas Trees

Episode 05: Christmas Tree Extravaganza Part 1/2 - Cut Christmas Trees

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas trees are on every corner of NYC and it’s time to pick one up and bring it into your home to celebrate the holidays. Although a cut Christmas Tree isn’t exactly a living houseplant… Christmas Trees could be argued to be one of the oldest indoor plant traditions around which is why I thought it would make a fun and interesting episode! Mary Jeanne Packer, Executive Director of The Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, takes us through

Nov 28, 2017 • 29:47

Episode 04: Plants for the Advanced Plant Parent and Practicing Patience

Episode 04: Plants for the Advanced Plant Parent and Practicing Patience

I learned about Summer Rayne Oaks when I first started researching “Urban Jungles” in NYC. She is a Model/Activist/Entrepreneur who is famous for her Brooklyn apartment in which she has over 670 plants. She has dedicated the last decade of her life to being a champion for sustainable practices in the fashion, beauty and food industries. She wears many hats including being named the first “eco model”. She has a sugar detox program (sugardetoxme.com), a cookbook, a style guide, a podcast (Idea Nos

Nov 21, 2017 • 1:01:40

Episode 03: How to NOT Kill Succulents and learning resiliance

Episode 03: How to NOT Kill Succulents and learning resiliance

Diana Zarins is the mastermind behind the Instagram account and Youtube channel How To Succulents. She is a “black thumb” turned #succulentwhisperer with a following of over 70,000 followers who turn to her for succulent inspiration and education. If you want to learn how to better care for your succulents, this is the episode for you! In the episode you will learn: Diana’s journey from “black thumb” to succulent lover Her extensive collection of 300 indoor and outdoor succulents Why succulents

Nov 14, 2017 • 37:38

Episode 02: Top 5 Houseplants for Beginners and Learning Kindness

Episode 02: Top 5 Houseplants for Beginners and Learning Kindness

Today’s episode is with one of my most favorite Plant People I have met yet… Christopher Satch! He is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. They also have created a somewhat cult following on Instagram with over 150,000 followers who drool over their urban jungle inspirations and informative plant care stories. I’ve

Nov 13, 2017 • 44:14

Episode 01: The Reason behind Bloom and Grow Radio!

Episode 01: The Reason behind Bloom and Grow Radio!

Bloom and Grow Radio is a weekly Podcast designed for the Urban Jungle Dweller, Houseplant Enthusiast and Succulent Killer alike. Maria Failla interviews different “Plant Parents” in the Urban Gardening community to source houseplant care tips, stories and lessons they’ve learned from caring for their plants along the way. Each episode has a practical and spiritual tips and stories that empower and inspire the listener to have their own houseplant collection. In this episode you will learn: Blo

Nov 13, 2017 • 6:14

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