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

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 to finally be bringing an episode to you because I just always feel so special and giddy whenever I’ve worn one in the past. They are such a fun craft to do with friends or your kids. I hope you enjoy our wonderful conversation! At this live taping, Rachael walks Maria (and guests) through making their own succulent crowns from start to finish and teaches us how to replant our crowns to have them live on forever. A few heads up about this episode 1) the nursery and space for this event was so perfect, we were surround by every dream plant you couldn't imagine in this little green house on the property, but you can hear some shoppers milling about in the background at times, and might hear some cars or sirens passing on the local roads. Don’t let it deter you- they will pass. 2) Rachael and I do our very best to explain what we are doing while we were doing it- but real talk, this was the first time trying to do a live taping/DIY event like this. Our amazing photographer Gabaccia, took some amazing companion photos, and made an adorable video as a companion to this episode, so head to the show notes at bloomandgrowradio.com/succulentcrowns to see the photos of what we were talking about. I also do a general overview of all of the instructions at the end of the episode. 3) Incase it isn’t clear in the start of the episode- Rachael has two different types of succulent crown crafts that she offers in her book- I did the tie back version, which is basically the succulents attached to the lace on leather string that ties around my head (because my head is huge and normal crowns don't fit it) and then she does the actual headband versions. There are photos of both, but when you hear us talking about the differences, that’s what we are talking about. In this episode we learn: How Rachael began crafting with plants and why she feels they are important activities for children and adults What materials you need for a succulent crown How to take a proper clipping for a succulent craft Step by step process for crafting you very own succulent crown How to care for the crowns once they are completed How and when to separate and root your cuttings Best practices for rooting your cuttings once they are done Everything about the creation of Rachael’s new book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share Thank you so much to Rachael again for making my dreams come true by helping me bring a succulent crown tutorial to life. Plant friends… they are so fun to wear. I feel like I will be doing this craft at every bachelorette party I ever go to again. Also Rachael's book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share is absolutely amazing! You should check it out if you want more support on this craft, or are curious about all the amazing other succulent crafts in there. It's the perfect gift for the crafty person or planty person in your life! Thank you to Barrel and Branches Nursery for hosting, make sure to visit next time you are in San Diego. Thank you to C&L Catering and Decor for providing such yummy snacks! *Link to this book is the Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate link, meaning BAGR makes a small portion of the sale, at no cost to you! So thanks! I know our conversation flowed a lot, so: Overview of the craft: Start with several cuttings of succulents, cut right up to the leaves or what I call “booty” of the succulent, and let the cut callous. The materials you need are three pieces of sturdy lace, some form of headband whether its an actual metal or plastic one, or string for the tieback version, reindeer moss, craft glue or a hot glue gun, and any other articles you might want to fasten to the crown Glue two pieces of lace together, then take that sturdy piece, and place the headband in between the third piece of lace and glue those pieces together. That will be the working surface for your crown. Glue reindeer moss onto the crown, and trim it very short to the lace. This will be what you fasten your succulents to. Get an idea of the general design of the crown, and then start gluing. Start with your largest succulent. It looks nice to do a large succulent with one or two small ones around it, to kind of mimic what a pup would look like in nature. Also if you are interested in making your own crowns, the materials are available in my Amazon Storefront under DIY Succulent Crowns (I also have lots of other recommendations for products I like and inspo from other episodes) and Rachael has craft kits with ever

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 the scientific studies that prove that plants improve the quality of our lives. These two women are such special friends to me, and such pillars in this planty community and I’m so thrilled to be sharing this special conversation with you. We dive into all things plant community: how to first become a part of it, how to grow within it and also how to behave as part of it. I was surprised at how inspiring and helpful the etiquette section of the conversation was, and hope you have some great take aways from it. Special thanks to Ahus Akvavit, Rt1home, Modern Sprout, Bloem Living and Hemleva for partnering with us to make it happen! You’ll hear more about them at the end of the episode. In this episode we learn: How Christine and Danae got started in the Plant Community Advice for how to get started in the online Plant Community How to start your own plant swap How to approach a plant shop to work on an event together Some etiquette guidelines for social media in the Plant Community How to keep you relationships with plants happy and healthy Thank you Danae and Christine for such a wonderful conversation. I hope you all feel inspired to continue to contribute to this wonderful community of plant friends we are a part of. If your looking for a way to engage with the community and haven’t already joined the Bloom and Grow Garden Club, that’s a great place to start! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off. Mentioned in the episode: The Small and Savage Wild Shelves @delaplants hashtag: Your City + indoor jungle like #tucsonindoorjungle Airplantman: Michelle Breau- Holistic Nutritionist @iammichellebreau Our wonderful gift bag sponsors! Ahus Akvavit: https://www.ahusakvavit.com/en/ Rt1Home Propagation Cone: https://rt1home.com/collections/accessories/products/prop-cone-white Modern Sprout Pollinator Push Gardens: https://store.modsprout.com/products/pollinator-push-garden-3-pack Bloem Living Bloem Bagz: https://bloemliving.com/ Hemleva Planty Pins: https://www.hemleva.com/flair Follow Danae and Folia Collective: IG: @foliacollective @danaerolynhorst Website: www.foliacollective.com and www.jungalow.com/plant-o-pedia To Follow Christine and Work Hard Plant Hard: Instagram: @workhardplanthard www.workhardplanthard.com Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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… how are you supposed to be able to do this if you don't know what the plant is!? I know this is an issue I’ve come across and thought Summer Rayne would be the perfect person to chat about the general clues we could get from looking at a plant, that might lead us to get a general idea for the light and care it may need. Disclaimer: obviously we speak in generalities here, there will always be an exception to the rule, BUT it’s great to arm ourselves with as much general knowledge as humanly possible, to zoom out and understand the bigger picture. Summer Rayne also recently launched an amazing online houseplant master class which I took, and we chat about it at the end of the episode! In this episode we learn: How to handle finding a plant you like in a garden shop but not having a name tag on it Understanding how the plants are cared for in the garden center and what that transition is like for them How to “zoom out” and look at a plant more holistically, to better empower ourselves to understand plants without being dependent on a care card Key indicators to help you under that care a plant requires Thank you Summer Rayne for a wonderful chat. I hope this conversation might help you plant friends zoom out and understand more general cues we can take to understand plant care, and not rely solely on a care card. If you are looking to take your plant knowledge to the next level, I highly recommend Summer Raynes course! You can sign up using my affiliate code here- that means that a portion of the sale will go to supporting Bloom and Grow Radio! http://bit.ly/SROmasterclass Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off. Check out the Bloom and Grow Plant Friend Apparel line! http://bit.ly/plantfriendsapparel Join us in SAN DIEGO this week on Saturday April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches Nursery for a DIY Make Your Own Succulent Crown Tutorial as we do a LIVE TAPING! https://www.barrelsandbranches.com/events/diy-succulent-crown-workshop Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 everything we need to know about them. In this episode we learn: What pollinators are, and why they are important Why the Honey Bee might not be the most effective pollinator How many types of bees there are, and what they do How do bees pollinator flowers What is a native bee Why are bees threatened? How can we help - Thank you Dave for all of your incredible information. If you are interested in learning more about pollinators, or possibly installing one of Daves amazing bee kits, I highly suggest heading over to https://crownbees.com/ to learn more! - Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring today’s episode. I can’t say enough wonderful things about how impressed I am with Mountain Crest Gardens. To see the amazing variety of succulents for yourself, visit Mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get a coupon code for 15% off your order! - Check out the Plant Friends Apparel line of shirts, sweatshirts and accessories inspired by Bloom and Grow Radio by clicking here! - Join me for a LIVE TAPING of Bloom and Grow Radio in San Diego on April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches! Participants will learn along side me as Rachael from Infinite Succulent teaches us how to craft our own living succulent crowns! Click here to get your tickets! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 so perfect plant parenthood moments, when we are surrounded by perfect photos of gorgeous plants, in our curated IG feeds and in the garden centers that get the perfect amount of light and fertilizer to make them truly thrive. I had the idea for this episode when I was struggling with this problem last month. I was surprised at how much shame I felt about this plant fail, and knew I wanted to turn to our community for support and help, and this episode is the result of that! Thank you to Brie, Eva (@rootboundbotany), Jesse, Larayne (@larrydoom), Mara (@ohimara), Becca (@delaplants), Leanna (@naturalleegreen), Lat (@laura_turns), Leslie (@leslieiswhat), Kelly (@plantmamakelly), Lat (@dr_Badvibes) and Ellie (@Heirloomplantsisters) for their vulnerability, humor and honesty in sharing their plant fails! I learned from each and every one of you! Check out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Plant Friends Apparel Line of Shirts, Sweatshirts and Accessories! Express your inner Plant Lady or Botanical Bro and Support Bloom and Grow Radio! Click here! Thank you to Maria, (@_forestfloor) for co-designing this line with me! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Philodendron Pink Princess and Painted Lady and Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma to go on sale in shop during the event! Please RSVP by clicking this link so we know how much stuff to get! Botanicals and Brunch Partners: Cultivate Propagate Raised Doughnuts Marseille Food and Wine Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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/garden-club Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram for behind the scenes shots and... plants! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 because we’ve come up with a fun challenge for our community to participate in, you wont want to miss it- I can’t wait to see what you come up with! In this episode we learn: Why Plant Latin is so important to know for our houseplants Who Carl Linneus was why he’s important to Plant Latin General Pronunciation guidelines Kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, species- how these names apply to our plants How houseplants are broken down in Plant Latin What the cultivar and special exceptions for Plant Latin are Resources Resources mentioned in this episode: Mr Plant Geeks Rude Botany Line ICBN USDA Plants Database Kew Gardens Resource Post your #BAGPlantLatinChallenge by taking a photo of your plant and telling us the latin name, translation and care instructions for it! Let’s learn as a 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/garden-club Join me on March 18th at Folia Collective for a Botanical and Booze Happy Hour and Live taping with Work Hard Plant Hard! https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Chris on Instagram Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 country. I invited him on the show today to discuss his experience with our favorite houseplants in nature, but the conversation blossomed into a fun chat about how to plan trips for plant sightseeing, how to take your plant obsession to the next level, what these plants are like in nature and lots and lots of information about Monstera in the wild and he even teaches us a thing or two about Adansonii vs Obliqua. I hope this conversation encourages you to learn more about where these plants we love to keep indoors actually come from and inspires you to bring a new type of plant home! In this episode we learn: how Mick gets to travel and experience the plants we love as houseplants out in the real world travel hacks to help get you to see plants IRL Micks experience seeing houseplants in the Wild Mick’s experience with Monstera Xanthospetha (and also what that is) Monstera Adansonii Vs Obliqua Why it’s hard to identify rare plants as a houseplant parent Micks hack for making the best moss poles Visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mick for photos of the plants we discussed in today's episode! Come Hang with me in LA at Folia Collective on March 18th! https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Mick: Instagram facebook Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram Join the (free) garden club: https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode and month of Bloom and Grow Radio. Head to Wallygro.com to see all of your indoor and outdoor options for your own green wall and use code BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 best plant parents. Darryl is passionate about helping people understand their lighting environment so I thought he would be the perfect guest for this episode on what to do if you are a Plant Person living in a low light home. Plant friends, we get real in this episode. We might say things you don't want to hear, but it's important information to understand how to best set our plants up for success! In this episode we learn: What’s new with Darryl as he’s built the Houseplant Journal brand and what exciting things he’s up to Aeration, what it is and why it’s important for our houseplants Thriving vs surviving in a low light environment Why understanding our light environment is so important and how Darryl measures his light in his apartment The tough truth about low light apartments, whether you want to hear it or not :) Darryl’s lighting hacks for his low light office Strategies and plants to choose if you live or work in a low light space Low light Hacks Mentioned in the Episode: Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl Darryl’s watering can Episodes on Natural Light with Leslie Bloom and Grow Radio Resources Page (Maria has her grow lights with discount codes on the resource page!) Bloom and Grow Radio Amazon storefront (Maria has a section on low light plants in the storefront!) **Join us for our first LIVE taping at Folia Collective on March 18th in Los Angeles! ** https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Darryl and Houseplant Journal: Preorder Darryl's New Bool! The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family *BAGR amazon affiliate code* Instagram and Facebook: @houseplantjournal Twitter: @houseplantjrnl Website: www.houseplantjournal.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/houseplantjournal Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 boyfriend, Billy. He has been there every step of the way as I’ve built our Urban Jungle, and this podcast, and let me tell you… although the process has been magical and I wouldn’t change a thing, it hasn’t been the easiest. He has had this intense hobby thrust upon him, and over this past year or so, we’ve learned a lot about how to manage my new found passion while still having a healthy relationship and a happy (and uncluttered) home. So plant friends… this episode isn’t necessarily for YOU… it’s for your partners, your friends, your roommates, the people in your lives that indirectly benefit (I hope they think benefit, they might think suffer) from our planty hobby. Billy prepared a bunch of tips he’d like to share that he’s learned along the way in dealing with my 0-60 planty explosion in our apartment. I’d love for you to share this episode with those “plant co-parents” in your life, but also I hope this episode inspires you to take a minute and admire and respect those who embrace our hobby with open arms, and maybe inspire some ideas for projects for you and your partners in the future! Quick reminder that today is the deadline for submission for the Plant Fail Lessons episode that I want to feature YOU in. Details and instructions below. In this episode we learn: the secret behind the Bloom and Grow Radio themesong how Billy first reacted when I went crazy about plants how we’ve grown and learned to communicate about my new hobby tips from Billy on how to live with a Crazy Plant Person For discount codes to the products mentioned in today's episode (Modern Sprout Grow Bar, Soltech Solutions lights, and more) check out https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio 1) Call (267) 478-2521 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages. Follow Billy: IG: www.instagram.com/allagashbilly Twitter: https://twitter.com/allagashbilly Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 us keep them happy and healthy in our urban jungles! And friends, I have the worlds most perfect guest to walk us through the beauty and complexities of this amazing family of Plants. Marc Hachadourian is the Director of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator of Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. I have been hearing about Marc for over a year. His amazing plant brain, friendly personality and passion for plants is kind of legendary and I’m so excited to introduce you all to him. I’m so thankful to the New York Botanical Garden for lending him to us for this episode. If you are a New York based listener, Plant Friends, I can’t stress enough how in love I am with the NYBG. The garden is so easy to get to (just hop on the metro north) and is just filled with acres upon acres of plants. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to do or see there. Last year I made it to their Orchid Show and their Train show. Marc will tell us a little more about this upcoming Orchid Show: Singapore, which is running from February 23- April 28th. If you are in NY, and probably suffering from season affective disorder, run don't walk to the garden for a planty adventure. In this episode we learn: - What Marc does for the NYBG - What plants fall under the Marantaceae Family - Prayer Plant, Calathea and Stromanthe- their differences and similarities - Why do the leaves fold up and down as in “prayer” - Why the bottoms of many Marantaceae are purple - Why the tips brown and how we help avoid this - Why humidity is so important for the Marantaceae family - Marc answers a collection of listener questions Thank you Marc for joining us to give us so much amazing information about the Marantaceae family. The NYBG Orchid Show: Singapore runs February 23 to April 28th. For more information visit www.nybg.org But the Orchid show is just one of so many amazing installations that are always happening at the NYBG. Go for a visit and you’ll see all sorts of Marantaceae IRL for yourself! Thank you again to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode. And thank you Wallygro for also being a company with a huge sustainability pledge: fun fact, all of the eco planters are made in the USA and are made from 100% recycle plastic milk jugs. Head to >wallygro.com to see the endless options of indoor or outdoor set ups you can install in your own home, and use BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off. If you want to be featured on the upcoming plant fail lessons episode, see instructions below or listen to last weeks updates and announcements episode. Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio 1) Call (267) 478-2521 (The Bloom and Grow Google Voice Number) 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 (for free) https://www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Need to Know About Indoor Grow lights Episode 45, 46: Understanding Natural Light Specific Plant Care Episode 33: Monstera 101 Episode 25: Fiddle Leaf Fig 101 Episode 14: Pilea Peperomiodes 101 Episode 29: Indoor Citrus 101 Episode 32: Airplants 101 Episode 44 and 45: Aroids 101 (2 parts) Episode 44 Part 1 Episode 45 Part 2 DIY (which are fun and not hard and scary!) Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes Episode 19: Terrarium 101 Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space Heart warming and informative episodes that aren’t directly about plant care, but teach important lessons and information Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants Plant Side Chats: Life Lessons Learned in the Garden Episode 10: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate Episode 21: The Changing of the Seasons Episode 28: The Tale of the Tomato Episode 40: Pruning (in life, and with plants) Episode 48: You’re Doing Great Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Interested in what grow lights and planty products I use? Check out my resources page: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is published by Timber Press and is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Today, we dive into learning the basics of how to measure light and how to use simple measurements to better understand exactly what light we are personally working with. Leslie gave me a homework assignment which involved me measuring the light in my apartment with a free app, and we walk through what I learned from it. As you’ll find out, my results were surprising and I learned so much from the experience of actually taking measurements of my surroundings. Leslie and I then challenge you to take your own measurements with a free download we provide so you can have all the aha moments I had throughout this process! In the episode we learn: What the most important colors of light are for growing plants How to use a free app to get a better understanding of your indoor lighting environment What is the difference between LUX, Footcandles and PAR What micromoles are What DLI (Daily Light Intergral) is The results of my homework and how many “aha” moments I had about the ACTUAL light in my apartment How drastic the difference in light is within only a few feet from your window What area of your apartment is probably low light that you never knew about Whether or not you can put plants in a bathroom with no windows Whether or not you can put plants in an office with no windows Citrus under lights, pests GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD! Get the free measuring light overview, worksheet and Leslie’s Plant Geek Glossary by subscribing here https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: - Lux Light Meter - PAR meter - Soltech Solution Aspect Light (link has BAGR 15% off Affiliate Code) - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck https://twitter.com/@LeslieHalleck https://www.pinterest.com/lesliehalleck/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVSrcFLIllF6fDhu1_8XDw https://www.facebook.com/HalleckHorticultural facebook groups: gardening under lights and plant parenting Follow Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com https://www.pinterest.com/bloomandgrowradio https://www.instagram.com/bloomandgrowradio/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Leslie joins me to share her years of experience with houseplants and indoor gardening to ironically not discuss her vast knowledge of indoor grow lights, but to teach us about the basics of measuring our natural indoor light, to better understand out indoor environment, and whether we need to supplement with lights. Today’s episode is titled General Rules, next weeks episode is titled Measuring Tools. General Rules will consist of my lengthy conversation with Leslie about lighting basics, and how we can understand our indoor lighting environments without special or expensive meters. She also just imparts piece after piece or plant parenthood wisdom, and honestly teaches us a lot more than just how to understand light. Next week, in “Measuring Tools”, we will dive into the homework assignment she gave me, which involved me using a light meter on my phone to actually measure my surrounds, which gave me shocking “aha” moments. I hope this two part series helps uncover this tricky problem and helps you be more at ease and empowered about your personal indoor environments. In this episode we learn: - How Leslie came to be the lighting expert she is now - Measuring and understanding NATURAL light 101 - The difference between the volume of light vs the brightness of light - What PAR is and why it is important for understand our natural light in our apartments - The most brilliant metaphor for light that will make even the science inept person understand light, photons and photosynthesis - How the direction your window faces affects the amount of light in your apartment, and a good rule of thumb to live by - What the heck “bright indirect light’ actually is! - Practical steps to understanding “bright indirect light” for your specific surrounding - How many feet away from your windowsill does “bright light” turn to “medium light” and then turn to “low light” - Why we overwater our plants (spoiler alert… it’s often because of your lighting conditions) - If sunbeams that move throughout your apartments make a different for your plants - Why experimenting with plant placement and light is crucial Mentioned in this Episode: - Soltech Solutions Light, use bloomandgrow15 for 15% off on any of their lights at www.soltechsolutions.com - Lux Light Meter Pro App - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck on twitter, pinterest, youtube, facebook Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram, www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club to join the (free) online garden club! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Enid founded NSE Tropicals 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. Today’s episode is all about the different species that make up the Araceae family, and the popular Aroids we know and love. Enid walks us through what we need to know about Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthuriums, Rhaphidophora, Monstera and more and suggests great plants to start with when dipping our toes into the Aroid pool… not to be confused with the aquatic plants we also discuss! This talk is full of fun facts that I hope help you bloom and grow your indoor jungles. I know I am super inspired to bring some more aroids home after this conversation! Plant Friends… I feel like I owe it to you to just own how much I butcher the Latin language in this episode. Don’t worry… I’m working on finding the perfect guest for Plant Latin episode to be airing in your earbuds soon. In this episode we learn - Specific care instructions for the various genus of aroids: Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthurium, Rhaphidophora, Monstera, - Why Philodendron Pink Princess is so popular - How Enid keeps tracks of all of the varied species of plants - How these plants get divided and their names get determined - Watering hacks for bulbs - The history of the Alocasia Polly - Enid’s trick to help with proper aeration of soil and healthy root systems - What size pots go best with these plants with large leaves that don’t necessarily have large root systems - How to harvest seeds from your Aroid Inflorescence - What the “toughest” aroids are to try indoors - Aquatic aroid basic recommendations - Enid’s fertilizing practices Mentioned in today’s episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_2 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org - Article by Episode 07 Guest, Olena Shmahalo on change of taxanomy for Thaumatophyllum Bipinnatifidum Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thanks again to Modern Sprout for sponsoring today’s episode. To get yourself some of their hydroponic planters with organic non gmo herbs and flowers or one of my beloved growlights, visit modernsprout.com and entire code BLOOM to get 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 family! NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropical 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. She gives us so much wonderful information over this two part series. Today’s Part 1 focuses on the general information about the Aroid family, it’s history, what plants fall under the Aroid distinction and general care information and troubleshooting. Part 2 (airing next week) will take a deeper look at the most popular aroid houseplant genera and specific information on our most popular and and drool worthy Aroids. I mispronounce pretty much every plant we discuss, but their proper spelling and photos are in the blog associated with this episode. In this episode we learn: - How Enid became the collector and purveyor of rare plants - How she grows her plants onsite - The top 5 most requested plants at NSE Tropicals - How to pronounce Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (spoiler alert, Maria’s been pronouncing it incorrectly). - How Enid became the experienced grower she is now - The definition of an aroid - What an inflorescence is - Some plant latin guidance - General thoughts and care tips for aroids - How to prepare aroids for dormancy and which aroids go dormant - The difference in root system across various Aroids - General troubleshooting answers - Why poles or climbing structures are important for Aroids that climb in nature Mentioned in the episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_1 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. To learn more about their amazing grow lights and hydroponic planters, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Greener World Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Garden Club (for free): https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 answer to my plant-iest and expert-iest of dreams. Caitlin is not only an awesome listener of BAGR but a neuroscientist and author with over 10 years of expertise in understanding how emotions and brain chemistry influence decision making. She is also the founder of Interstellate, a movement that blends science and art with visual imagery to promote science education. Plant friends… Caitlin is like…. really really really smart. And she is also a crazy plant lady, and this conversation blew my mind. Two quick notes on today’s conversation: 1) Caitlin and I talk about some grown up topics in this episode- I know lots of you listen with your children (which makes me so happy) but I might give this a listen on your own before you enjoy it with your kids. Let’s say while all my other episodes are pretty much G rated, we will call this one PG-13. 2) We are not licensed psychologists, just two plant friends talking neuroscience. If you think you have a compulsive spending problem, please consult a professional. And now before we dive into that conversation I can’t wait to tell you about today’s sponsor, Modern Sprout. In this episode we learn: - How Caitlin became a crazy plant lady - Maria gets real with Caitlin and explains the addictive behaviors she experienced when she began her journey into plant parenthood. Caitlin breaks down what exactly was happening in Maria’s brain in those first few months of buying as many plants as possible - What causes our brain to release dopamine - What a compulsive behavior is - What our brain on dopamine does - What neurotransmitters, synapses and receptors are - The difference between endorphins and dopamine - Why we feel bonded to our plants - How these things are measured in our brains - 4 phases of compulsive behaviors to look out for - How to cope with compulsive urges when growing your urban jungle Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode! Visit https://www.modsprout.com/ to learn more about their lines of hydroponic planters and AMAZING grow lights and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Follow Dr Caitlin Vander Weele on Twitter and Instagram and Interstellate @interstellate and www.insterstellate.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Donate to Bloom and Grow Radio to support the show in Year 2! http://bit.ly/2TnMwiy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 #botanicalbro behind the instagram account @urlocalplantboy. Two months ago, when we did this interview, Arium Botanicals was just an online shop that kept selling out of planty product. But Tylor opened the doors to his brick and mortar Plant and Coffee shop, Arium Botanicals X Intent in Portland Oregon in October. They sell unusual plants, specialty coffee and tea and handmade ceramics. And they are Oregon's first specialty coffee bar and plant shop- how cool is that? We are so lucky to have Tylor walk us through this super easy and fun DIY project and I hope it helps your plant collections keep blooming and growing! In this episode we learn: - How Arium Botanicals came to be, and the inspiration for the new Brick and Mortar in Portland, Oregon - How Tylor became a moss pole expert - What plants are best suited for moss poles - What an Aroid is - DIY Moss Pole Tutorial - What materials you need (and how shockingly easy it is to make) - How to prepare the sphagnum moss for the pole before you work with it - How to put the pieces together to make the pole - How to pot up your plant and moss pole together for the best result. To follow Tylor: https://ariumbotanicals.com/ @ariumxintent on Instagram and @urlocalplantboy for his personal account (and where the instalive moss pole video is) To follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. Visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Planty Accessories 12:00 Planty Pins: 20:10 Planters: 24:33 Grow Lights: 29:49 Planty Books: 34:10 Resources for sending plants 38:25 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 this conversation is that there are nuggets of wisdom in here for people in profession because we talk business, managing people and customer service but through the language of plants. In this episode we learn: - How she came to found a company on teaching people to grow - Her best lessons learned from beginning a business - Garden analogies to inspire building your own plant business - The correct definition of hustle - How important customer service is to building a planty business Follow Gardenuity: www.gardenuity.com Use code “BLOOM” to receive a free garden inspired sea salt with purchase. Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 down exactly what the two week process of transitioning your plants back indoors looks like. This has been a highly requested episode, and I’m so excited to bring it to you! Chris is the Plant Scientist at The Sill and a dear Plant Friend of Mine. 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, and the way they ship plants is unparalleled. They have a huge focus on education with awesome online classes and in person classes in their stores. The also just launched the Plant Parent Club! Which is their monthly plant subscription service! Visit www.thesill.com to learn more. In this episode we learn: - When exactly it’s time to bring your plants indoors for the cold months - How to prepare your plants before you bring them inside - How to manage pest outbreaks that might come from the outdoors - Should we worry about fungus? - How you need to trust yourself to create your own care guide - How to prepare your apartment for winter - How you will care for your plant differently in the winter than the summer - How to trust the dormancy - Annuals vs Perennials - What to do with the plants we leave outdoors for the winter To check out the products and lights I use in my apartment, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources If you are interested in using grow lights to help your plants stay happy this winter, listen to Episode 12 of Bloom and Grow Radio, where Chris joins me to discuss the science of light and everything we need to know when choosing the right light for your apartment. Follow The Sill: @TheSill on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Tumbler and www.thesill.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. I’m so thankful to have had not one but TWO wonderful guests for this episode to shine a light on Horticultural Therapy and the practices that help heal through plants. Barb Kreski is the Director of the Horticultural Therapy Department at the Chicago Botanic Garden and she joins us to discuss the ins and outs of what Horticultural Therapy actually is, how to get certified in it and how it is practiced at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Chicago Botanic Garden has the oldest Horticultural Therapy program in the country and was founded by Barb’s mentor, Gene Rothert, who was a pioneer of the Horticultural Therapy practice. Eve Minson is the Healing Gardens Coordinator at The Center for Discovery. The Center for Discovery is a major research and specialty center that offers residential, medical, clinical and special education programs. I personally know about the amazing work they do at Center for Discovery because my best friends sister was born with Cerebral Palsy and has been a full time resident at the facility for most of her life. The work they do at the Center is truly remarkable. They take horticultural therapy to the next level, with their “Food as Medicine” belief and their healing gardens that are an integral part of their guests treatment. Eve joins us to talk about how they use plants to heal at the Center. In the episode we learn: - How Barb found Horticultural Therapy - What Horticultural Therapy actually is - The three theories of Horticultural Therapy - How the stress reduction studies are actually measured - How horticultural therapy is used and who can benefit from it - What a horticultural therapy session at the Chicago Botanic Garden could look like - The various HT programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden on and off site - About The Center for Discovery and how they use plants to heal For more info about The Chicago Botanic Garden Horticultural Therapy Program visit https://www.chicagobotanic.org/therapy For more info about The Center for Discovery visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/ Listen to the Pause with Plants Podcast for short, guided, plant based meditations. Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest. To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code! Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code "BLOOM" at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 friendship. Alessia is a really important part of this plant community, because this girl has one of the most generous hearts I know out there. Even though her account has grown and grown, I know she takes time to talk to whoever needs help, and she also supports so many people in the plant space. She is the first to preorder someones new plant book, order a plant pin, support a planty go fund me- this girl just shows up for people, and I think she’s a great example of what this community can be for people, and I’m lucky to call her my friend. This conversation might have more giggles than some of my other episodes because we are having an educational conversation, but we are also just plant friends sitting on a couch talking about our plants but in this conversation she provides so much insight and so many tips on how she has a LARGE collection of plants in a small space, humidity hacks and lots more. In this episode we learn: - How Maria and Alessia became #plantfriendsIRL - Why Alessia was inspired to create her Celestial Monstera Pin - All about Alessia’s personal collection – transitioning from mostly desert plants to mostly tropical plants - The magic of a disco ball - How Alessia grew her indoor plant collection in her small NYC one bedroom apartment - How to use your windows to organize the layout of your plants in your home - Alessia’s thoughts on Begonias - How to expand your collection beyond your crowded windowsills - Tips for finding and utilizing great plant shelves - Plant Fails - they happen to everyone. Learn about Alessia's with the tale of “the Foot” - Alessia’s humidity hacks: what humidifiers she uses and how she uses them to help her plants thrive in her space - Her daily/weekly/monthly plant care routine Take my Listener Survey so I can get to know you and better understand what episodes to create in Season 3! It will only take 5 minutes of your fabulously planty life! http://bit.ly/2NyJrsw For links to equipment, people and places we discussed and tons of photos of Alessia's place, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/apartmentbotanist Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest. To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code! Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code BLOOM at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit! Follow Alessia: IG: @apartmentbotanist Other IG accounts Alessia is behind: @furrybotanist @philodendronfanatic For Alessia's Planty Amazon Recommendations visit: amazon.com/shop/apartmentbotanist Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/ApartmentBotanist Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apartmentbotanist/ Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 and shares all of his tips and advice on succulent and cactus care. In this episode we learn: - How Ryan became a specialist in desert plants - Why we should be careful around the friendly Prickly Pear Cactus - What the characteristics of a “desert plant” actually are - What Cacti and Succulents have developed to survive in the desert - A fun project to do with kids to show how cacti absorb water - Succulent Care 101 - A great hack to recognize what a plants natural surroundings are, just by looking at the leaves - Not all succulent/cacti is created equal when it comes to light: how to tell how much light or lack of light a plant can tolerate - Best watering practices for succulents - How to handle drainage - When and how to fertilize your succulent/cacti - Etioliation, what it is, and how to address it (and how to pronounce it) - What gravitropism - How to propagate your succulents - Best indoor starter cacti/succulents for a reformed succulent killer or beginning plant parent - Tips for picking the best succulent Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest. To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code! Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code "BLOOM" at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit! Follow Dig It Gardens: www.digphx.com IG: @DigPhx Facebook: @DigPhx Pinterest: @DigPhx Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 has an online store where he sells his personally designed propagation vessels or “cradles,”, and other various plant prints and accessories. AND he just launched his “Service at the Jungle” series, which is a dinner service in his planty Jungle by the Falls event space, that showcases the talents of local chefs along side his incredible plant collection. Hilton has his soil covered hands in many different planty pots and we discuss all of them today, in addition to his tips on styling plants for your personal design aesthetic. In this episode we learn: - Hilton’s upbringing and how he got inspired to collect plants - The differences in his plant collection as he has lived in various cities across the country - His current collection - How he approaches styling his home with plants - How different “vibes” bring different plants into a home - How it’s important to find your number of plants that thrive for your space and not go over it - How Hilton and his lovely wife divide the plant chores - Pots, pots and more pots - The scoop on his propagation cradles - How to propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig leaf properly - How Jungle by the Falls was created - The genius idea of “Service by the Falls” Follow Hilton: @hiltoncarter @junglebythefalls @serviceatthejungle www.thingsbyhc.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: @bloomandgrowradio and join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you to this episodes sponsor, Gardenuity! Gardenuity creates complete custom gardens for your particular location. They match you with the best DIY herb and veggie kits that will thrive in your location (down to your zip code) and send you all the instructions and follow up support you need to have a home grown harvest. For more information visit www.gardenuity.com and use code BLOOM at checkout to receive a free Garden Inspired Salt with your grow kit! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 #monsteramonday and Scott is such an avid collector of them, I knew he’d be the perfect planty guest to discuss the ins and outs of making this coveted plant thrive in your home. Scott happens to also be the brain behind another drool worthy “plant-stagram” but it’s not only the plants that make you drool on this one… stay tuned till the end of the episode to hear all about it.In this episode we learn:- How family traditions inspired his current collection- Scott breaks down the 200 plants that fill his apartment that are featured on his Instagram account, @tropicaloco- How Scott has turned Instagram friends into #plantfriendsIRL- His care secrets for dealing with the Australian summer/winter- Why people who work from home should have plants- Monstera care 101: light, watering, fertilizing- Moss poles, what they are and why/if we need them- Aerial roots, what they are and can we trim them?- What fenestrations are - What the difference is in deliciosa/borsigiana/adansonii/obliqua- Scotts pruning practices for his Monstera collection- How to take cuttings of your Monstera to make your plant look more full- Troubleshooting for yellow and brown leaves- Why the Monstera is such an sought after plant- What’s up with variegation- How and why he created @boyswithplants and why he is letting us know that he is the creator- How to get featured on @boyswithplants- The scoop on the new Boys with Plants Book! Mentioned in the conversation:Australian Houseplant Community Facebook Grouphttps://www.stackwood.net.au/@mickmitty https://www.instagram.com/mickmitty/@jamesipy https://www.instagram.com/jamesipy/ Follow Scott:Personal IG: @tropicoloco IG:@boyswithplantsEtsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoysWithPlants?ref=shop_suggwww.boyswithplants.com Scott's Graphic Design Company: www.monkeyfern.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-clubIG: @bloomandgrowradioFacebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradiowww.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 company Airplantman: a company focused exclusively on custom installations and California-made products designed specifically for tillandsia. Airplantman installations can be seen throughout Southern California and the world and has been featured in numerous publications. He also has a whole line of airplant frames and vessels that are beautiful to look at and intentionally made. In our conversation he gives us so much useful information on Airplants, from what they actually are to how to care for them. I know that I am a much better Airplant parent after my conversation with him! In this episode we learn: Josh’s upbringing and how he connected with plants initially Why outdoor gardeners say they can’t keep houseplants What an airplant is, genus, family, and why it is special What are trichomes How Airplants get their nutrients To fertilize or not to fertilize? What airplant “blushing” is How airplants bloom and how to care for them when they do How to propagate airplants from their seeds Airplant Care 101 Debunking watering plant myths Everything we need to know about Airplant pups How to separate pups from their mother plant What to know about the sexy and instagram friendly Xerographica Josh’s top 5 recommendations for more uncommon airplants for the planty collector Follow Josh and his airplant installations: www.airplantman.com IG: @airplantman Twitter: @airplantman Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 living in Austin, Texas with her family. She paints watercolor botanicals inspired by her childhood in garden centers and botanical gardens. She is the brain behind the Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming” print that is a free download to all of the garden club members. In this episode we learn: What is was like for Molly to grow up in a Garden Center How Molly’s business transitioned with her first child being born Her journey to finding botanical watercolor as her calling and why it inspires her The inspiration behind the Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming Print” Her experience with plants in the different stages of her toddler’s life Her special parenting life hack for teaching her kids not to dig around in her plants Safety with plants and kids Plant that are fun to grow with kids How to grow swallowtail caterpillars with your kids If fertilizer types/brands are important when you have kids How to get your kids to eat their vegetables! Mentioned in the episode: Molly’s Parent’s Nursery: https://www.bloomerselgin.com/ The Great Outdoors Nursery: https://gonursery.com/ Special thank you to the Bloom and Grow Radio Media Plant Lady Intern Chelsey Zaplachinski for editing this episode! Check out her incredible planty photos at @plants_vs_cats and @chelseymeganmedia Follow Molly Mansfield: IG: @mollymansfieldartist www.mollymansfield.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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, and the way they ship plants is unparalleled. Their pots are some of my most treasured pots that I own and are locally sourced. They have a huge focus on education with awesome online classes and in person classes in their stores and they just started the Plant Parent Club! The PPC is their monthly plant subscription service. When you join their club you get a monthly surprise plant delivery and included in the membership is also access to all of their online workshops and free shipping on any other plants. So if you are interested in anything I’ve just mentioned, visit www.thesill.com and use the code BLOOM5 to get 5 dollars off your order and to let them know I sent you! In this episode we learn: - Why Orchids have a reputation for being difficult, and why they can be intimidating - What an orchid is, where we find them in nature - The anatomy of an orchid - Myth Busting on ice cubes, level of difficulty, fertilizer - Orchid care- light and watering - Orchid bark- how necessary is it? What is it? - Is it ok to buy orchids at your local grocery store or Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods - What does a year as a new orchid parent look like (from buying an orchid in full bloom to then having the blooms die and getting the plant to rebloom) - Fertilizer- to use or not to use - Myth busting- are ice cubes a good idea for watering? - Listener questions - Why everyone should try growing an orchid Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner of The Sill. www.bloomandgrowradio.com www.thesill.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 online and love his videos about his indoor citrus collection and knew he would be the perfect guest for this episode. I bought Limey, my first citrus tree, when I was still a complete novice with very little knowledge on plant care, so my journey learning how to care for Limey has had it’s ups and downs (as you’ll learn throughout my conversation with Luke). But citrus are amazing plants to learn to care for because they are so communicative and so fun to grow! Enjoy our plant chat! In this episode we learn: Luke’s journey from botany to business school to creating a gardening brand What being a Master Gardener really means Lukes citrus forest What trends the younger generation is moving towards with indoor plants Basic Citrus Care 101 – water, pot size, soil, light Citrus care hacks! Pruning 101 Fertilizing basics Pollinating citrus Pest Control Conditioning your plants to go outdoors in the summer Mentioned in the episode: Bloom and Grow Pop Socket! Trifecta plus fertilizer: Soltech Solutions Light: use code 'bloomandgrow15' for 15% off at https://soltechsolutionsllc.com/products/ Via Citrus lemon, lime and calamondin tress: use code 'BloomCitrus' for 15% off at Viacitrus.com Espoma Organic Cactus/Citrus Soil (This is what I repotted Limey in after my chat with Luke) *Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner with these companies, so a portion of the sale will go to Bloom and Grow at no extra cost to you. Using the codes is a fun way to support the show for free while growing your indoor jungle!* Follow Luke and MI Gardener: Instagram: instagram.com/migardener Youtube: youtube.com/migardener Website: migardener.com Facebook: Facebook.com/MIgardener Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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-club @bloomandgrowradio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 and he let me know how he is using plants in the classroom and I instantly knew we needed an episode together. Plant People span all sorts of professions and Joe is a perfect example of how to take you plant passion and let it elevate whatever you’re doing and impact people around you. Also, since I know some listeners are teachers, but also many listeners are mothers or fathers, I know this episode is going to have a ton of fun, inspirational projects for you to do with kids in your life! In this episode we learn: - Joe’s journey into the classroom - Joe’s journey as a green thumb and how it’s influenced his teaching - Joe’s personal collection vs his classroom collection and how they differ - How to use a petting cactus to encourage presence and stress relief in the classroom - How the #embraceyourself (#embraceyourweird) movement started - How Joe uses plants to teach discipline and kindness in class - What the “botanist” of the classroom does each week - How he’s used growing food to help learn problem solving - How to problem solve a low light classroom - Best recommended starter plants for the classroom - How to use plants to teach various subjects - Favorite plants of the classroom Mentioned in the episode: www.donorschoose.org Thai Cook Friendship Garden @cook_in_the_classroom https://linktr.ee/cook_in_the_classroom Aerogarden links Aerogarden (6 plants) https://amzn.to/2LbQR3u Aerogarden Sprout (3 plants) https://amzn.to/2xsTufm Aerogarden Cherry Tomato Kit https://amzn.to/2IZk5FW Aerogarden Lettuce Kit https://amzn.to/2J3bmhT *Bloom and Grow Radio is an amazon affiliate partner and may receive a portion of the sale with no extra cost to you* Follow Joe and his Planty and classroom adventures! Instagram: @mrdtimes3 Facebook: Joe Dombrowski Twitter: @mrdtimes3 Youtube: Joe Dombrowski Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 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 is the founder of Homestead Brooklyn, a blog and Youtube channel created to help bring more nature to urban living. Her youtube series, Plant One on Me is one of my personal go to resources for learning more all things house plants. When I realized I wanted to do an episode on pest control, I knew I needed to ask Summer Rayne to come back on because she has degrees in both environmental science and entomology. Yes… that’s a degree in insects. So how lucky are we that she joined me for an epic conversation on pests, what they are, why we get them and how to control them. Summer is not only a plant mom, but is well known for her pet chicken, Kippee, who you can hear clucking throughout the episode is you listen closely. In this episode we learn What an insect actually is Why bug activity spikes in spring/summer General practices for preventing pests in general How to properly wash an infected plant The skinny on east pest: fungus gnats, scale, mealy bugs, aphids, spider mites, root pests, white fly Best practices when treating bug infestations How to use beneficial insects to actually cure your pest problem (yes that’s a thing and Summer Rayne makes a great case for it!) Lacewings vs lady Bugs How do nemotodes work Bringing plants indoors Can pets transport bugs. Follow Summer Rayne: IG @homesteadbrooklyn Facebook @homesteadbrooklyn YouTube @summerrayneoakes "Plant One On Me" Website: www.homesteadbrooklyn.com Twitter: @sroakes Plant Swap info here Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram @bloomandgrowradio Facebook @bloomandgrowradio Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 is the proud plant mom of TWO fiddle leaf fig trees: Figgy Spice and Notorious F.I.G. and she joins us to discuss her journey caring for these plants and what she’s learned along the way. She is also the cofounder of the #FLFFriday hashtag with @alina.fassakhova and shares the reason for creating the #flffriday movement. In this episode we learn: -The story behinds Erin’s personal collection and what plant she is loving these days -The stories behind her two insta famous Fiddle Leaf Figs- Notorious FIG and Figgy Spice - Fiddle Leaf Fig Care 101- water, light, fertilizing, pruning Types of Fiddle Leaf Plants Why they are so appealing - Why Erin created #FLFFriday with Alina Mentioned in the conversation: Fiddleleaffigplant.com Black Coral Taro (Colocasia Esculenta) Follow Erin and Figgy Spice and Notorious FIG IG: @leighkiyoko Use #FLFFriday to connect with other Fiddle Leaf lovers in the world! and follow the other founder @alina.fassakhova Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Special thank you to the Bloom and Grow Radio Media Plant Lady Intern Chelsey Zaplachinski for editing this episode! She is another Canadian on the Bloom and Grow Team! Check out her incredible planty photos at @plants_vs_cats and her gorgeous photography portfolio @chelseymeganmedia Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Morter Shop in LA, Folia Collective. She shares her story and tips for budding planty entrepreneurs interested in creating their own businesses around plants. I know that diving into more of a business focused show is a bit of a departure from our usual plant care tips, but I know many listeners are actually in the plant business space in their day to day lives, or if you aren’t- we all plant shop and I thought this episode will give us a great appreciation for the hustle and passion that goes behind the makings of a planty empire. Plant Friends, this is a juicy episode for you to enjoy all throughout the week (as it might take a couple of listens to finish it) but I am just so thankful to Danae and her beautiful energy, helpful advice and her patience with me asking very specific and neurotic questions about business- you don’t want to miss it! In this episode we learn about: - Danae’s personal plant collection and journey to plant parenthood - Her time at The Jungalow - The behind the scenes view of the beginning of Folia Collective - How she started the Folia Collective Pop Up shops - The transition from Pop Up Shop to Brick and Morter Store - How to use Instagram and IRL to build community - How to find plants to sell - How Danae managed the growth of the first year of Folia Collective Brick and Morter - Danae’s top lessons she learned from a year in business - How to be thrify to create buzz about your business - How to use social media to grow your business and community - How important community is for a business - Tips on how to source planters and merchandise - Budgeting tools and tips - The downsides to owning a plant shop Links Danae mentioned in our conversation: Waveapps.com Liveplan.com Follow Danae and Folia Collective: IG: @foliacollective @danaerolynhorst Website: www.foliacollective.com and www.jungalow.com/plant-o-pedia Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 to shine some light and love on it. So here we are with this Mother’s Day Special Episode. I sent a prompt on instagram asking you if you’d call in your stories so we could hear them in your voice, and you did. Making this episode was somewhat emotional for me, and felt like such a privilege to hear your stories and celebrate the women who made you. You guys have already met my incredible Mom on Episode 20, when she gave us her advice on growing tomatoes. My Mom has been such a huge part of my relationship with plants… I honestly don't think Bloom and Grow Radio would even exist if it wasn’t for her encouragement and help with my brown thumb at the beginning of my plant journey. She picked up every phone call, answered every question, and always reminded me to calm the hell down, that plants are resilient things, and that “its really not that complicated, water and give them light and you’ll be fine.” I’m also so excited that it is now outdoor gardening season in NY so that I’ll be able to watch my Mom marvel at her pride and joy, Failla Farm, and promise to keep you all posted throughout the season. Thank you to the following listeners who called in with their beautiful stories (In order of appearance): My Mom J Vida of @booyoohorticulturalist Morgan of @plantingpink Erika of @blackgirl_plantmagic Alessia of @apartmentbotanist Melanie of @pnwonderplants Rachel To check out my Mother's Day Gift Guide visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mdgiftguide To join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Mansfield. I created the Garden Club to streamline my ability to share Bloom and Grow content and offers to you and to make a space for my plant people to empower and help each other with their plant knowledge and plant babies. For more info visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club. Today we are joined by Mariane Garceau, the Associate Director of the Garden Shop at the New York Botanical Garden. Mariane is a horticulturalist who has spent time in several different aspects of the garden world, from working in landscaping, to owning her own orchid business, to now managing the shop at the NYBG. She gives us a great tutorial on how to keep a windowsill herb garden and best practices for everything from setting it up to properly harvesting the growth. If you live in or around NYC, this weekend is the Specialty Plant Sale at the NYBG and I’m so excited to be participating in it this year. The sale is actually part of an epic weekend which features a demonstration from The Sill on Friday, Saturday I’ll be there in the house plant section from 12-4 and hope you’ll join me for some plant shopping, and Saturday is also the Third Annual Plein-Air Invitational which will feature 20 artists set up around the park painting in real time. I’m so excited for the large array of houseplants that will be at this sale, in addition to a ton of locally sourced herbs, that we can use for our herb gardens after listening to this episode! After my chat with Mariane, stay tuned because I dive into some lighting hacks I used to set up my herb garden, even though I don't have the proper light in my kitchen. In this episode we learn about: - Mariane’s journey to managing The Shop at NYBG - The skinny on what will be at the NYBG Plant Sale this May 5-7 - How to start a windowsill herb garden - Assessing light and what to do if you don't have enough - How to set up your garden - Pots and how their size and material are important - How to care for your herbs once they start growing - Best watering practices - How to properly prune your herbs - Suggested herbs for windowsill specific gardens - My lighting hack I used to put a high light herb garden in my low light kitchen - Special Bloom and Grow discounts for lights to help your herb gardens in low light apartments - For more information www.nybg.org to find out about all the events throughout the year Here is the information for the lights I use: Visit www.modsprout.com and use code B&G10 for 10% off their Growhouse (what I use in my kitchen) or growbar (what I use in my bookshelf) to create your herb garden in a low light apartment Visit www.soltechsolutionsllc.com and use code bloomandgrow15 for 15% off a grow lamp for larger plants, like indoor citrus (I use their 40 W lamp on my indoor lime tree) Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner with these companies and receives a portion of this sale at no extra cost to you. Use the discount codes to support your planty dreams and Bloom and Grow Radio all at once! To join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club For my Planty Mother’s Day Gift Guide, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mdgiftguide For More information about the New York Botanical Garden and the Plant Sale, visit www.nybg.org Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales. He is responsible for naming and popularizing many well known tomatoes, such as Cherokee Purple. He joins us today to discuss how we, as urban jungle dwellers, even in the smallest of apartments, can grow tomatoes from seed on our windowsills. After my chat with Craig, my Mom joins us to chat a little about what being Italian and growing tomatoes means to her. My Mom is the head farmer at “Failla Farm”, otherwise known as our family home’s front yard, which she transforms every summer. Like her parents, and their parents, she utilizes her space to grow as much of her own food as possible, and the whole family benefits from her produce. It feels very special to have my Mom join me on my twentieth episode, as when I started the show, not knowing whether it would take off, I would often say “worst comes to worst, me and my mom listen to a couple of great episodes”. So 20 shows later, I’m excited to finally share some of her expertise with you. In this episode we learn: - From Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes o Which varieties of tomatoes to choose for indoor apartment gardening o Where to buy seeds o How to start tomatoes from seed o How to germinate and transfer to pots o Best practices for growing tomatoes o His tips and tricks for your best tomatoes yet - From my Mom o What tomatoes mean to us in our Italian culture o How to choose the best pre grown plants at the big lot stores o Tips from an Italian on her experience growing tomatoes Follow Craig LeHoullier: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craiglehoullier Twitter: https://twitter.com/nctomatoman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nctomatoman/ https://www.craiglehoullier.com/ Buy Craig’s Books: Epic Tomatoes: https://amzn.to/2pHJSqI Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales: https://amzn.to/2DWh7L6 *Bloom and Grow Radio is an Amazon Affiliate and earns a portion of the sale of these links at no extra cost to you. This is a great way to support the show!* Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 him teaching Terrarium tutorials all over Toronto (say that three times fast!) and he is currently working on an online course to reach the masses. We are so lucky that Jesse is joining us today to give us an introduction to terrarium assembly. I’m so excited to get started on my own after learning the basics from him! In this episode we learn: How Jesse’s plant obsession began Jesse’s two most memorable terrariums he was commissioned to make Jesse’s journey from having just two bonsai trees to becoming a full fledged terrarium expert Build your own terrarium 101!!! An insider peak at what’s up next for Teeny Tiny Terra Check out my kit with all you need to make your own terrarium https://kit.com/BloomandGrowRadio/make-your-own-terrarium Follow Jesse and Teeny Tiny Terra: IG: @teenytinyterra Twitter: @teenytinyterra Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teenytinyterra www.teenytinyterra.com https://linktr.ee/teenytinyterra Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 to properly wipe and care for leaves that are hurting from the dormancy of winter - What is deadheading and why we do it? - How to prune citrus - How and when to repot your plant - To trim the roots, or not to trim the roots? - The Science behind Fertilizer - Why it’s necessary and when to use it - Chemical vs Natural Fertilizer - What you should do if you want to make #plantfriendsIRL Here is a link to purchase When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julia Fogliano : http://amzn.to/2HrdDm5 Follow The Sill @thesill and www.thesill.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 also a new plant friend IRL of mine after she opened her home and plant shop knowledge to me on my recent trip to San Diego. We met over Instagram and when I was in San Diego, she picked me up and took me on a plant tour of her favorite local plant shops. I got to see her personal collection, meet her kids and family and it was just the perfect example of human kindness and how we can use instagram to actually get off line and make real life memories. So she is the perfect guest to have on the show as we transition out of Friendship February! In this episode we learn about: - How Christine used plants to heal her stress - Christine’s personal collection - What to look forward to on workhardplanthard.com - The dangers of houseplants - Summaries of various studies proving how plants clean the air and eliminate VOCs - Summaries of studies measuring how plants improve peoples lives in various ways To Follow Christine: Instagram: @workhardplanthard www.workhardplanthard.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 posts ranging from gift guides for Valentine’s Day, how to ship plant cuttings, and her top picks for stylish planty interiors. She now also hosts and teaches plant mounting classes in Portland, Oregon. We are so lucky to have her on the show today to give us a step by step guide to mounting our own Epiphytes, or plants that grow on or around another plant, such as ferns, bromeliads, air plants and orchids. This episode is for you if you are interested in learning about the mind behind cleverbloom.com and @houseplantclub. This episode is for you if you want to learn how to mount your own epiphytes! In this episode we learn: - Erin’s side to the story of how her and Morgan from @plantingpink took their Instagram friendship into real life - All about Erin’s personal collection of plants, starting from plant # 1 - Different ways to have and enjoy plants - Mounting Epiphytes 101! - How to care for your newly mounted plant! Follow Erin: IG: @cleverbloom @houseplantclub www.cleverbloom.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG and Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 know Morgan of @plantingpink and learn how her personal collection and account came to be. Morgan, an expert in growing popular planty Instagram accounts, with @houseplantclub circling around 300K followers and @plantingpink with 62K followers, gives us a tutorial on her top 5 tips for curating and growing the best planty Instagram account. I am also so excited that they have trusted Bloom and Grow Radio to host a major announcement for their brand and company. So listen in for her tips and this exciting announcement! This episode is for you if you want to get to know the amazing woman behind @plantingpink and learn her tips on how to curate the best Instagram account and grow your following. This episode is for you if you are interested in knowing Houseplant Club’s newest project! In this episode we learn: - How Morgan’s collection came to be and changed as she moved South - How sharing a Pilea Peperomioides (The Friendship Plant featured in last weeks episode!) started her friendship with Erin from @Cleverbloom and @houseplantclub was created! - The beginnings of @houseplantclub - A very special House Plant Club announcement! - How to get your photos featured on @houseplantclub - Morgan’s top 5 tips to having and growing the best planty Instagram account Follow Morgan and House Plant Club: @plantingpink @houseplantclub houseplantclub.etsy.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 interesting journey learning to grow this plant. She joins us today to go through not only care basics but also troubleshooting issues and how to care for your Pilea babies correctly! We are so lucky for not only the knowledge she is sharing with us, but she is also offering a special discount to Bloom and Grow listeners so we can all enjoy this happy plant for ourselves! Stay tuned till the end of the episode to learn more! I also want to give a quick shout out to some listeners that came to my rescue this week. I had one listener write in and ask me how to care for his indoor pineapple plant, and to be frank, I had never even heard of a Pineapple plant before! I put a post on Instagram asking any of you if you could be a good plant friend, and help me out with some information to hook this new pineapple plant dad up with, and several of you got back to me within hours! We’ve started a little Pineapple Plant Care email thread and I’m very excited about learning how to care for it. I’m so thankful to @theeden, @homebyfaith, @dirtydtales and @acrazyplantlady10b to stepping up and offering to help! Now without further ado! If you are interested in learning how to care for a Pilea Peperomioides plant, this episode is for you! If you want some yummy discounts to help get yourself a Pilea of your own, this episode is for you! In the episode we learn: - How the heck to actually pronounce Pilea Peperomioides (Pie- Lee-uh Pepper – o – mee – oy- dees) - How Piep was created - The original story behind how the Pilea spread across Europe - Pilea Care 101! - How to properly care for and separate a Pilea pup from it’s mother plant - Troubleshooting issues with caring for Pilea - How and when to fertilize Pilea - What to look forward to seeing Piep carry in the future - Discounts for Bloom and Grow Radio Listeners! (10 % off using the code Bloom10 on www.piep.co) Follow PIEP: Insta: @piep.co, @pilea.lovers, @plantunicorn Facebook: facebook.com/shop.piep Pinterest: pinterest.com/shoppiep www.piep.co Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Insta: @BloomandGrowRadio Facebook: Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.