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

When it comes to killing plants, it's not a matter of if... it's a matter of when.

And killing a plant doesn't mean you're bad at plants. It just means you're a plant parent. But so many of us carry real shame around plant death. One loss, and we decide we're a plant killer and quit for good.

In this Best of Growing Joy series episode, I'm bringing back my conversation with Cassidy from Succulents and Sunshine about the guilt that comes with plant death, especially with succulents. They get sold as easy care plants. They're not.

We get into why even plant experts lose plants, how to know when to treat versus when to toss, and why your plant number shifts with the seasons of your life.

In this episode, we learn:

[00:00] Does being a plant parent mean you’re also a plant killer?

[05:24] Who is Cassidy and how she became the plant parent she is today

[06:00] What is Succulents and Sunshine about?

[10:55] Cassidy's take on how plant parents handle plant death

[12:45] Trying to keep an echeveria succulent alive

[14:36] When to toss vs. treat your plants [it's simple!]

[16:24] The importance of a plant care routine

[18:34] Why it’s important to know your plant number

[19:27] Emotional attachment to our plants [feat. Maria's lime tree story]

[22:20] Maria's experience with generational plant gifts

[25:45] What Cassidy learned from every plant failure

[25:52] Tip #1 Be more attentive to your plants

[26:18] Tip #2 Different plants require different care

[27:41] Tip #3 Don't be too hard on yourself; plants die in the wild too

[28:43] Where to get plant seeds that are guaranteed to last longer

[30:40] Get quality grow lights that will last and look stunning next to your plants

[32:31] Why most of the plants we have aren’t designed to live in our homes.

[34:39] Why Haworthia is most suitable as your indoor succulent

[36:37] Should you try to grow the same plant again or let it go completely?

[41:20] What are some ways to reduce your plant collection?

[44:13] Learning to let go of dying plants

[48:32] The mental cost of holding onto something that no longer serves you

[51:23] What are the two options when you kill a plant?

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Snappy pots

Smart Passive Income

Hygrometer

Lomi composter

 

Have you ever killed a plant that someone special gave you?

Check out the full show notes and blog for a gentler way to think about losing your heirloom plants!

 

Follow Cassidy:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

 

 

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

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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

We often talk about garden-to-table, but what about garden-to-glass? AKA how to grow plants for garden inspired cocktails, and all the ways to turn a harvest into something delicious, regardless if you drink alcohol or not. I spent a full year not drinking, first through fertility treatments and then through pregnancy. And I learned that the mocktail section of most menus is a trap. Everything is so sweet that you finish it in about 90 seconds. And then I met Belinda and Venise at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. They're sisters, they're plant ladies, and they run a garden-to-glass syrup company called Simple Goodness Sisters. They also wrote the book called Drink Your Garden. In this episode, they share different ways you can enjoy your garden harvest in easy yet delicious cocktail and mocktail recipes. Let's dive in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[02:46] Meet Belinda and Venise of Simple Goodness Sisters!

[03:26] How did their syrup business begin?

[06:29] Venise's homesteading story

[10:49] What the farm grows for the business vs. for their families

[13:52] What counts as a cocktail garden?

[15:29] Home Greenhouse Revival by Leslie Halleck

[17:07] How to use edible flowers

[18:18] Which edible flowers are easiest to grow?

[21:33] What actually belongs in a cocktail garden

[22:41] Why purple sage and mojito mint taste better in drinks

[23:49] Rows vs. interplanting, reusable mulch

[27:05] Building a bar cart from your garden

[29:32] Why they wrote the book they couldn't find

[30:34] What is a syrup and how do you make one?

[32:06] Their favorite syrups

[36:09] What is a shrub and how do you drink it?

[38:57] Beet shrub showstopper

[40:05] How to make a blue mocktail for a baby shower

[40:48] Tinctures vs. bitters

[42:42] How an infused spirit becomes a liqueur

[44:59] Buzz button gin, cherry bourbon, and Midnight at the movies

[49:03] Travel syrups hack!

[52:06] Cordials, and balancing sweet, sour, bitter, and spirit

[53:00] What to gift a gin-obsessed dad, and why you might just dislike tonic

[55:00] How to make your own compound gin at home

[56:38] Garnishing like a container garden (thriller, filler, spiller, and powdered rims)

[58:30] Braided chives, pickled garnishes, and drinks you can snack on

[1:00:10] Where to find Belinda, Venise, the book, and the Farm Club subscription box!

[1:02:47] The herbal lemonade and blue spritz I served at my baby shower

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Join the Cocktail Farm Club - Simple Goodness Sisters

Drink Your Garden: Recipes, Stories and Tips from the Simple Goodness Cocktail Farm by Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham

USDA Organic Blue Spirulina Powder

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar | Bragg

Herb Garden Syrup (Lemon Herb)

 

For Belinda and Venise's scrumptious cocktail recipes,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

 

Follow Simple Goodness Sisters:

Website
Instagram
YouTube
Recipes

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Quarto: Home Greenhouse Revival by Leslie F. Halleck

Home Greenhouse Revival is available for pre-order now at quarto.com and launches in September. Pre-order your copy wherever books are sold or through your local bookstore.

 

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

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

Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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

If you're looking for a large, tree-like plant, a pop of color, or a cool, structural statement piece for your home, might I suggest the rubber plant? Ficus elastica is one of the most underrated houseplants out there, and today we're giving it the hype it deserves!

In this Best of Growing Joy series, I pulled my conversation with Raffaele of Ohio Tropics, a fellow rubber plant lover, where we talk about everything you need to know about rubber plant care: how to help your rubber plant truly grow, how to stop it from dropping its leaves, and how to keep those glossy leaves from crisping up.

Because whether it's a simple green rubber tree or a stunning variegated variety like my beloved Ficus Belize on my green wall, those huge, glossy leaves make such a statement in your home. Listen in to learn simple rubber plant care tips, plus the most common mistakes plant parents make (and exactly how to avoid them), so you can grow your very own iconic indoor tree.

In this episode, we learn:

[00:43] Maria’s plant and personal updates

[02:12] Introducing Raffaele from Ohio Tropics

[03:14] Your invitation to a free 10-day virtual garden festival!

[03:58] What to expect from this rubber plant episode

[06:40] How Raffael became the plant parent he is today

[10:06] What is a rubber plant?

[11:26] Do rubber trees produce latex?

[12:53] Where can you find rubber plants in nature?

[14:33] What are the different types and varieties of rubber plants?

[18:54] How to water rubber plants

[21:27] Raffaele’s watering tip using a turkey baster

[23:21] How much sunlight does a rubber plant need?

[27:35] Are rubber plants low-light plants?

[28:35] What kind of soil mix is good for rubber plants?

[30:52] Where to get pre-grown plants and seeds for your spring garden

[32:09] The best indoor and outdoor gardening products

[34:49] How to fertilize rubber plants

[37:11] Rubber Plant FAQ #1: Why is my rubber plant not growing?

[39:03] Rubber Plant FAQ #2: How do I get my rubber plant to branch and be bushier instead of taller?

[39:51] What is the air layering propagation method?

[44:15] Rubber Plant FAQ #3: Why are my new leaves smaller than the older ones?

[45:32] Rubber Plant FAQ #4: Why are my rubber plant leaves dropping?

[48:20] Why overwatering can cause issues to your plant (in ways you might not expect)

[49:12] Rubber Plant FAQ #5: My plant looks healthy, but the branches are all over the place; why is this happening?

[50:26] Rubber Plant FAQ #6: What are the tiny white spots on my rubber plant?

[51:26] Rubber Plant FAQ#7: Why are the edges of my variegated rubber plant browning?

[54:09] Rubber Plant FAQ #8: My rubber plant has aerial roots, but do they grow better in slightly cooler conditions?

[55:18] Raffaele’s recommendations of the best rubber plant varieties for beginners

[57:35] What Raffaele’s book Houseplant Warrior is about!

[59:41] Where to connect with Raffaele

[01:01:52] Upgrade your plant education with these two events!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Houseplant Warrior: 7 Keys to Unlocking the Mysteries of Houseplant Care, book by Raffaele Di Lallo

The Great Grow Along Virtual Garden Festival

 

Which rubber plant variety are you most excited to try?

Check out the full show notes and blog to start growing your own statement rubber plant!

 

Follow Raffaele:

Blog

Instagram

YouTube

Book

 

 

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

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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

Propagation is your best friend as a plant parent. It's a free way to make more of the plants you already have, and watching new roots grow is so much fun! But there's more to it than sticking a pothos in a glass of water, not to mention that if you get the humidity wrong, you’ll get mold. So I invited over my go-to propagation nerd, Lindsay Sisti, to guide us through the different ways you can propagate successfully. She’s a propagation expert, plant breeder, and author of The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation. She’s been in the podcast before, and we've both survived mold cleanup in our own homes. Listen in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[02:22] Welcome back, Lindsay, my propagation nerd and friend of the pod!

[04:28] What tropical houseplants are found in the rainforest?

[06:00] Why your heating/AC sucks the humidity out of your home

[10:00] Why growing houseplants indoors in Florida is hard!

[10:56] When does humidity become a big aspect of plant keeping? (common plants vs. the divas)

[14:51] Experience the richness of single-origin honey with 3x more antioxidants with Manukora!

[16:36] Why filling your house with humidifiers isn't realistic

[17:45] Lindsay's black mold nightmare in her 100-year-old home!

[21:20] How humidity travels through your HVAC and grows mold where you'd never expect

[23:29] Humidity hacks that fail (sorry!)

[25:09] Why misting is mostly pointless and when it causes problems

[28:31] IKEA grow cabinets 101: the MILSBO, Rust-Oleum, and building your glass box

[33:40] Choosing grow lights: Barrina, Monios, and T8 vs. T5

[35:53] Why you need fans and airflow (transpiration and guttation explained)

[40:18] What prop boxes are and why they root plants better than a glass of water

[43:21] Building a prop box (containers, sphagnum moss, and the "wrung-out sponge" rule)

[46:30] Lindsay's layered setup!

[49:44] Do you really need to "burp" your prop box?

[52:31] How to rebuild Raffi the Rhaphidophora from node cuttings

[58:16] Should you let cuttings callus first? Variegated vs. non-variegated

[1:01:16] Mold vs. algae, and the diluted hydrogen peroxide fix

[1:03:18] Final steps: lid on, into the window, and when to transplant

[1:06:56] Can you crowd the nodes?

[1:08:11] Why are prop boxes low stakes?

[1:09:43] Where to find Lindsay and her propagation book!

[1:11:21] Update: how Raffi's prop box actually turned out

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation by Lindsay Sisti

IKEA MILSBO

Barrina Grow Light

Monios-L Grow Lights

LECHUZA-PON

 

For Lindsay's different propagation methods,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

 

Follow Lindsay:

Website
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Manukora

Go to manukora.com/bloom to get up to 31% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook, PLUS $25 worth of free gifts!

ZenAI

Visit zen.ai to start your first vibecast for free.

 

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

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

Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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

Have you ever thought about growing your own luffa? Someone sent me a packet of luffa seeds about four years ago. I think I won them in a giveaway, and they just... sat there. I never planted it because something about luffa felt kinda different. It's not your classic garden edible, and I couldn't picture how it worked. So I invited Janice Cox over to talk about growing luffa! Janice is a garden and natural beauty expert, and she's written a whole workbook on this plant. Now I can't stop thinking about growing luffa, harvesting it, and figuring out what to make with it. Turns out it's way simpler than I built it up to be in my head. Learn with me!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[01:47] Meet Janice Cox, the luffa queen!

[02:34] What is luffa, and why does it have so many surprising uses?

[04:10] How Janice backed into gardening through natural beauty writing

[05:57] Why clean beauty pushed her toward aloe vera and label-reading in the US

[10:12] How luffa went from ancient Egypt to WWII oil filters

[12:18] Turning a luffa harvest into soap, crafts, and pet toys

[15:29] Feed your midsummer garden with Espoma Organic!

[17:47] What does luffa need to grow? (full sun, pollinators, and a trellis)

[19:54] Male vs. female flowers and hand-pollinating your luffa

[22:06] What the luffa growth stages look like and how to know when to harvest

[25:24] Water and light requirements for luffa

[26:44] How do you process your luffa? (peeling, saving seeds, and cleaning for gifts)

[29:09] Direct sowing vs. starting luffa seeds indoors

[30:58] How to slice, flatten, and sew with dried luffa

[33:59] What are the different luffa varieties?

[35:52] What are the most common mistakes first-time luffa growers make?

[38:30] Why luffa makes a great gift and a full-circle, sustainable plant

[40:15] Luffa seed tips: nicking, soaking, and testing for viability

[42:06] Where to find Janice, her books, and her guides

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Growing Joy 310: Digital Detox: What 3 Days in Nature Taught Me (and How You Can Recreate It at Home)

Growing Joy 319: How to Preserve Food From Your Garden with Staci and Jeremy Hill

Janice Cox’s books:

Natural Beauty At Home Handbook

Beautiful Luffa

Beautiful Roses

Beautiful Lavender

Beautiful Flowers



 

For foolproof luffa growing tips,

check out Janice's guide in the full show notes and blog!

 

Follow Janice:

Website
Instagram
Blog
Books

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

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

ZenAI

Visit zen.ai to start your first vibecast for free.

 

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

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

Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

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