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

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Territorial Seed Company

It's time to start planning for growing season 2023! If you’re looking for plants for your garden, skip the lines at the garden center and let Territorial Seed Company deliver top-of-the-line, healthy and hardy vegetable plants right to your door! They have a great line of pre-grown plants, an expansive seed catalog, and over 40 years of experience delivering the best seeds and plants for everyone's garden.

Get 10% off your order by visiting territorialseed.com/growingjoy - discount applied at checkout.

Soltech

Soltech makes the grow lights you’ve heard me talk about for years: whether you are looking for a pendant light, track lighting, or a simple bulb to screw into any standard light fixture, Soltech has got you covered. They offer quality products with great customer service, free shipping, and a 5-year warranty. Keep the sun shining and the plants green inside your home with Soltech.

Check them out at soltechsolutions.com and get 15% off with code bloom15.

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5 Listeners

The Power of a Therapeutic Garden to Help Us Feel Better

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

07/25/23 • 42 min

Gardening has long been known for its therapeutic advantages and as a place of calm and peace in the middle of a hectic schedule. Garden therapy can relieve stress and enhance our mental and emotional health. In this episode, we'll look at 9 gardening practices that can help you develop a deeper connection with nature—and yourself.

In this episode, we learn:

[05:11] Therapeutic benefits of gardening during tough times
[09:40] How gardening can help you with focus and monotasking
[10:55] The connection between gardening and mindfulness
[12:55] 9 therapeutic garden activities for a more joyful gardening experience
[13:01] #1 Turn your garden visits into a self-care reflection moment
[17:08] Where can you find the best tone fertilizers for your indoor and outdoor plants?
[21:09] Engage your 5 senses!
[21:18] #2 Sight (being fully present in the beauty of nature)
[22:53] #3 Smell (enjoy aromas and incorporate them into daily routines)
[24:56] #4 Sound (especially bird songs!)
[26:54] #5 Touch (trace leaf outlines and feel their textures)
[28:38] #6 Taste (try your homegrown produce!)
[29:56] #7 Affirmations (to your plants and yourself)
[33:24] #8 Grow flowers
[35:39] #9 Look for plant/life parallels

Mentioned in our conversation:

Merlin Bird ID
GJWM Episode 186 The History Of Houseplants With Jane Perrone
GJWM 188 The Art Of Aromatic Gardening With Amy Of NYC Aromatica

For a closer look into these therapeutic gardening practices,

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Ensure a thriving garden with the right products! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar powered plant, zero waste manufacturing and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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2 Listeners

Water Saving Techniques for Your Garden

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

02/04/25 • 52 min

How can we conserve water while maintaining healthy, attractive gardens, no matter what climate you're in? Record-breaking heat waves, devastating droughts, wildfires scorching millions of acres, floods turning streets into rivers—we've seen it all this year. As climate extremes test our resilience, our gardens are feeling the impact too. How do we ensure our gardens not only survive but also grow in these unpredictable conditions? Let’s talk about water-saving techniques and strategies to keep your garden lush and sustainable with Noelle Johnson, aka the “Arizona plant lady.” She’s a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and the author of the new book, ‘The Water-Smart Garden.’

In this episode, we learn:

[02:53] How Noelle became a plant expert
[04:36] Why water conservation is important
[07:27] What does water conservation look like?
[08:27] Identifying drought conditions
[09:56] Water-saving tips for renters
[10:49] What are the plants great for different plant zones?
[13:43] Drought-tolerant plants
[15:28] Espoma Organics’ premium gardening products
[16:58] AHS Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening
[18:52] Why you should go to a local nursery
[20:34] Making soil more efficient at water retention
[23:32] How mulch and ground cover help with water retention
[26:36] What are ollas for water saving?
[30:46] What are different ways of saving rainwater? (rain barrel, swale, creek beds, etc)
[36:32] What is xeriscaping?
[40:33] How can you reduce the water your lawn needs?
[44:14] Smart irrigation controllers
[45:30] Beginner tips for water conservation
[47:20] Advanced water conservation strategies
[49:14] ’The Water Smart Garden’

Mentioned in our conversation:

For Noelle's complete list of water-saving tips,

Follow Noelle:

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Quarto: American Horticultural Society Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening

Grab a copy of Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Quarto.com, or Amazon.com.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

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2 Listeners

How to Overcome Burnout Through The Healing Power of Nature

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

06/20/23 • 43 min

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

In this episode, we learn:

[00:24] Maria shares her experience with depression and severe burnout over the past three years
[01:54] Plants are a great way to reconnect with a part of ourselves that modern society ignores
[10:24] How is burnout defined?
[12:27] How do you recover from burnout?
[13:25] What is Attention Restoration Theory?
[14:23] First type of attention: Directed Attention
[14:37] Second type of attention: Involuntary Attention (aka fascination)
[16:10] Involuntary attention practices to help you find balance in life
[16:14] Look at a plant before you look at your screen
[18:00] Thank the trees
[18:36] Pair it with gratitude
[19:25] Ritualize engaging with nature
[22:54] Go outside
[23:02] Forest bathing and its benefits
[25:51] Mental health walks
[26:44] Get your bare feet on the earth (aka grounding/earthing)
[28:36] Practice mindfulness through plant care
[30:53] Lean into scent
[33:24] Two different types of plants for healing purposes
[33:38] Slow burn plants
[35:57] Quick win plants
[38:23] Pruning back to inspire growth

Mentioned in our conversation:

For a detailed list of Maria's recommended practices,

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

1 Listener

5 Tips for Growing in Hot Climates

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

09/03/24 • 47 min

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

In this episode, we learn:

[00:00] I’ve moved to Florida!
[04:36] What should you do when changing garden zones?
[05:04] Who is Janey Santos?
[12:16] What are temperennials?
[13:47] What is “true annual”?
[15:49] Wind River Chimes
[17:24] Espoma Organic
[18:50] What are other examples of temperennials?
[22:03] What are some gardening tips for hot climates?
[24:39] Why drip irrigation could be useful
[29:09] Why should you use mulch?
[31:09] The best kind of mulch
[32:02] Garden Supply Company
[37:56] Why should you know your season?
[40:20] What does Janey’s garden look like?
[43:42] Connect with Janey

Mentioned in our conversation:

Best for the West - Janey Santos of Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat
Growing Joy Ep 176: Landscaping in the Southwest
Growing Joy Ep 241: Small Space Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners
Growing Joy Ep 06: Enjoy a Living, Potted Christmas Tree for the Holiday Season!
Supertunia Vista® Bubblegum®
Lantana
Caladium
Monrovia
Youtube video: 🌱 Surprising My Pregnant Sister with a Dream Raised Bed Garden!
Cool Flowers: How to Grow and Enjoy Long-Blooming Hardy Annual Flowers Using Cool Weather Techniques

For Janey's reliable hot climate gardening tips,

Follow Janey:

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Gardener's Supply

Discover your garden favorites and exclusive innovations at gardeners.com and use code GROWINGJOY for free shipping.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the

1 Listener

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

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

12/03/24 • 56 min

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

In this episode, we learn:

[03:48] What is Kim’s gardening background?
[06:30] What does her garden & garden zone look like?
[09:16] Why raised bed gardening is the best option in Florida
[13:04] Why efficiency is important in gardening
[14:33] Gift yourself or a loved one the gift of peace and joy with a personalized Wind River Wind Chime!
[16:03] Bring simplicity into your garden with Kelly Norris's new book, Your Natural Garden.
[17:34] 3-minute gardening tasks
[27:21] 5-minute gardening tasks
[30:51] Simplify your gardening experience with Espoma Organic’s high-quality products!
[38:03] How to plan your garden for dormant season
[40:15] How to break down your garden tasks
[43:13] 8-minute & 10-minute gardening tasks
[49:06] 30-minute gardening tasks
[51:00] Where can you find Kim on social media?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Pre-order 10 Minute Gardener by CaliKim
The First Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening by CaliKim
CaliKim's Smart Pots Fabric Planters
CaliKim's Seed Collections
CaliKim's Garden Kits
Crescent Gardens TrueDrop planters
Organic Gardening for Everyone: Homegrown Vegetables Made Easy by CaliKim
CaliKim Backyard at night

For CaliKim's time-saving gardening tasks,

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Quarto: Your Natural Garden by Kelly D. Norris

Grab a copy of Your Natural Garden by Kelly Norris at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, quarto.com or amazon.com to get inspired and take action on your garden.

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOU...

1 Listener

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

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

01/07/25 • 47 min

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

In this episode, we learn:

[01:51] Reflecting on 2024
[04:31] What’s your plant parent personality?
[06:38] Why I now consider myself a low maintenance plant parent
[09:08] How I fell in love with Ficus (and fell out of love with Calathea)
[11:52] My success with Anthuriums and Alocasia
[13:37] Why my most repurchased plants are philodendrons (+ pothos)
[15:19] Start 2025 with soothing premium chimes with Wind River!
[17:00] Grow your best garden yet with the AHS Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening!
[19:39] Why there is less light in your house than you believe
[20:50] My top favorite plants in 2024
[33:44] My least favorite plants in 2024
[37:56] Plants that didn’t make it in 2024 :(
[42:53] What's in store for my 2025 houseplant collection?

Mentioned in our conversation:

For a complete list of my 2024 plant collection ranked,

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Quarto: American Horticultural Society Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening

Grab a copy of the Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, quarto.com or amazon.com to start growing organically.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Check out the full show notes and blog here!

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywit...

1 Listener

Houseplants for Kids: Raising the Next Generation of Plant Parents

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

02/25/25 • 32 min

“Start ‘em young.” That’s my motto. Well, it’s not really mine but I say it all the time when it comes to houseplants. And for this episode, I’m sure plant parents are gonna be happy to learn how to connect the younger generations to plants and nature at a young age.

So I want to share this conversation with my plant friend Priscille Joseph, who is a Canadian author, illustrator, and plant lover. She wrote My First ABC Book of Houseplants and she’s all about helping kids connect with nature.

In this episode, we learn:

[03:07] How did Priscrille become a plant lady?
[06:04] How ‘My First ABC Book of Houseplants’ was created
[10:46] Launching workshops with sustainable brands
[13:12] What are the ways to engage kids with houseplants?
15:22] Nurture your plant babies safely from toxic chemicals with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
[16:57] Let kids enjoy a sensory experience
[17:27] Connect plants with stories
[21:39] Involve kids in hands-on activities
[22:34] Make it interactive
[24:18] Get creative with plants
[26:52] Bonus tip: give kids responsibility
[28:46] Where can you get Priscille’s book?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Download Priscille’s books:
My First ABC Book of Houseplants: Exclusive Edition
My First Abc Book Of House Plants | Indigo
My First ABC Book of Houseplants | Amazon
Free Greenhouse Scavenger Hunt Printable
Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health (JESEH)
The Bug Girl: A True Story by Sophia Spencer

Want to engage your kids more with easy plant tasks?

Follow Priscille:

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a ...

1 Listener

Plant Inspired Vacations

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

01/28/25 • 55 min

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

And we're going to dive into everything you need to know about it today with my horticulturist bestie Leslie Halleck, who has been on the show many times, and Marcia Castro Rosenberg, listener-turned-plant-shop owner and also a dear friend of mine.

Leslie and Marcia have actually teamed up to create a once-in-a-lifetime trip called Botany & Betterment in The Amazon! It's a seven-day riverboat and jungle adventure on the Rio Negro River in Brazil this August 2025.

In this episode, we learn:

[03:40] Get to know Marcia
[07:51] Leslie’s botanizing trips
[11:32] What is botanizing?
[15:17] Support sustainable gardening with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
[16:52] Bring nature back to your garden with Kelly Norris's Your Natural Garden
[18:55] What are their most memorable botanizing experiences?
[25:37] What are the botanizing basics?
[30:14] Where can you find plant keys & field guides
[34:57] On creating the ultimate Amazon trip: ‘Botany & Betterment’
[39:23] Hiring local guides for your trip
[43:50] Building community and personal growth
[49:45] Where can you find more info about Leslie and Marcia

Mentioned in our conversation:

To know more about Leslie and Marcia's botanizing adventures,

Follow Leslie:

Follow Marcia:

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Quarto: Your Natural Garden by Kelly D. Norris

Grab a copy of Your Natural Garden by Kelly Norris at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, quarto.com or amazon.com to get inspired and take action on your garden.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial

1 Listener

The Role of Nature in Personal Growth

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

12/31/24 • 57 min

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

In this episode, we learn:

[02:12] Who is Marcus from Garden Marcus?
[04:49] Something we have in common!
[09:03] How did Garden Marcus get started?
[12:50] How did Marcus first start gardening?
[17:01] Our crazy plant parent stories
[18:56] Community and isolation
[20:37] Why we need more green spaces
[27:41] How to be a more “grounding” person
[30:08] How disconnected is the world from nature?
[33:08] Exploring plant life parallels
[36:37] How to understand “feelings”
[39:35] How to awaken to nature’s presence
[43:27] How Marcus’s book came to be
[46:11] Mind, body, and spirit
[47:32] What it means to be “community loyal”
[48:23] Garden Marcus vs. Marcus Bridgewater
[51:04] Check out Seasons of Growth: The New Journal
[53:30] Where to follow/find Garden Marcus

Mentioned in this conversation:

How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself by Marcus Bridgewater
Seasons of Growth: A Journal for Well-Being Inspired by Marcus Bridgewater
Choice Forward
Redwood National and State Parks (U.S. National Park Service)

For more plant-life parallels,

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria