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

If you have 250 plants in your home, what would you do? That seems like WAY too many plants to care for, right? But for Samantha Hermann, better known as @houseplusplant on Instagram, this is her second nature. She’s my newest plant friend, and I’m so excited to have a casual conversation with her on this episode (let me know if you want more episodes like this). Samantha has been successfully keeping that many plants alive and happy for years, and I’m sure it’s a lot of work. But she’s here to share her best tips for managing a large indoor plant collection without stressing out!

In this episode, we learn:

• [04:46] Meet Samantha, the houseplant expert with over 250+ plant babies
• [05:37] What happened at the recent Tropical Plant International Expo?
• [11:22] When did Samantha start collecting houseplants?
• [15:09] Grow healthy plants in any corner of your home with Soltech’s stylish grow lights
• [17:26] Make your houseplants happy with Espoma Organic's high-quality, premium potting mixes
• [21:39] Why you should try new methods/species to avoid boredom and burnout
• [25:30] How Samantha’s plant collection has evolved over the years
• [30:51] What does Samantha’s research process look like for a plant? 
• [32:30] Why is trial and error in plant care important?
• [36:25] How does she take care of her plants every day?
• [39:24] What is her approach to controlling pests?
• [45:44] How does she care for her plants while she is away? (and smart home gadgets!)
• [51:25] Tips for maximizing your plant space through styling and organization
• [57:23] What are the challenges she faced having to take care of a large plant collection?
• [01:03:03] Why you shouldn’t let plant care become a source of stress (dark side of plant care)
• [01:03:59] Tips for moms on how to manage both children and plants
• [01:08:35] Starting her Instagram plant account
• [01:11:20] When did she realize that she wanted to be a full-time plant content creator?
• [01:14:37] Where can you find Samantha on social media?

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE)
• Foliage Focus
• Foliage Pro
• Prop Drops | Market Botany
• Market Botany (@marketbotany) | TikTok
• Mossify
• 46th IAS Annual Show and Sale Information
• Cultivate'23
• Sol Soils
• Pocket Wall Planters | WallyGrow
• Growing Joy Ep 219: How to Care for Alocasias
• YouTube: Make Your Own Moss Pole for Indoor Climbing Plants

For Samantha's simplified plant care routine,

check out the full show notes and blog here! 

Follow Samantha:

Website

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

Facebook

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Soltech Solutions

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

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

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