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

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.

Plant Side Chat #2 - Planty Friendships for Friendship February on Bloom and Grow Radio! We dive into the beauty of plant friendships and why they are so important! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.