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

Did you know that you can have a living Christmas tree in your home that can be planted and live long after the ornaments come down? I didn't know this until seven years ago when I interviewed Joe Lamp’l, otherwise known as Joe Gardener, all about how to have a living Christmas tree indoors that you plant in later years.

It was a fascinating episode, and it is Part 2 of our Christmas Tree Series that we've brought back from way deep...

Plant friends, today let’s talk about the Sonoran Desert, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. As a former New Yorker turned Florida plant parent, I will never forget the first time I visited Arizona and that surreal feeling of standing in a place so unlike anywhere I’d ever been. And lucky for us, I have invited a new plant friend and someone who knows the Sonoran Desert ecosystem like the back of her hand. She’s calle...

I am so tickled to bring you this episode, a very special episode in the Best of Growing Joy series. This is the fifth episode I ever published in my over 300 episodes on this podcast, but I figured the timing is perfect for me to bring back this oldie but goodie that even if you've been a real devout listener of the podcast, you might have missed because it's so far down the feed. It's perfect for the Best of Growing Joy season—al...

Did you know that the water we drink and use in our gardens isn’t in its most natural, optimal form? That simple idea cracked open one of the best conversations I’ve had in my 300+ podcast episodes, plant friend! I talked to Mario Brainovic, the CEO of Analemma Water, to learn about coherent water: what it is, why it matters, and how it affects both our bodies and our plants. This conversation inspired me and made me rethink the wa...

Plant friend, I'm so excited to bring you this Best of Growing Joy series, a throwback episode to 2020. In the pandemic, I let my plant nerd freak flag fly extremely high. New York Botanical Garden had only in-person classes at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx, and in the pandemic they brought those classes online. I took every class they had to offer: soil science, plant science 101, and this class on tree communication with a pr...

If you’ve been hanging around the planty corners of the internet lately, you’ve probably noticed something: there’s a particular surge in interest in Anthuriums in our community over the last couple of years! These beautiful and dramatic houseplants are so beautiful, and more and more plant parents in our Growing Joy community have been asking about them. So when I met the Cass, aka plantaddicted_cass, the Anthurium Queen, at the S...

What if your holiday gifts didn't just look beautiful, but they kept growing long after the season ended and reminded the giftee of you and what an amazing person you are? In this Best of Growing Joy episode, it's a little short for you, but it's packed with really fun DIY plant projects that you can start doing now so that you can gift them over the holiday season to your loved ones and to your coworkers!

This is an episode I relea...

We all love plants, right? We give them names, talk to them like they’re our friends, and basically treat them like family. However, a lot of plants out there can actually really hurt you. That’s what we’re going to talk about today with my longtime friend and fellow plant podcaster Jane Perrone, host of ‘On the Ledge’ podcast and author of ‘Atlas of Deadly Plants.’ We’ll talk about poisonous plants, their chemistry, history, and t...

 If you want to grow fresh herbs, greens, edible flowers, maybe even vegetables, right in your apartment, but you don't want to deal with soil, hydroponics is the answer to your prayer. There has been so many incredible advancements in hydroponic growing that has made this. Former industry that was really reserved for large scale growers, totally available to apartment dwellers.

Now, this throwback episode in the Best of Growing Joy...

In a time where it feels like the weather is getting more and more volatile no matter where we live, making sure that you can capture rainwater is so important for so many people around the world. That's what this entire episode is about. And to help me with this topic is my plant friend Martha Retallick, author of Water Harvesting 101, who’s mastered the art of collecting and reusing rainwater after years of living through drought...

 Have you ever dreamed of turning a simple fish tank into a lush underwater jungle? Or maybe you're like me, and you have a partner who isn't really into houseplants but is fascinated by those YouTube videos about turning aquariums into these swaying underwater jungles?

You or your partner are gonna love this Best of Growing Joy Replay Episode when, a few years ago, I sat down with Karen Randall. She's the author of Sunken Gardens a...

Happy Leave the Leaves Month, plant friends! Did you guys know that was a thing that plant parents celebrate in October? It's actually one of the simplest, most low-maintenance, and laziest things that you could do to increase the diversity in your yard and save the planet!

And the perfect person to talk to about that is none other than my plant friend, David Mizejewski, a naturalist from the National Wildlife Federation, and a tota...

 What is it that makes hoyas so irresistible that buying your first hoya often leads to having 40 in the few months to follow? In this listener favorite of the Best of Growing Joy series, I am bringing back a conversation with Doug Chamberlain of Vermont Hoya. Doug is one of the most beloved Hoya experts online, and we dive into their dazzling diversity, surprising care quirks, and intoxicating flowers.

Doug makes a very strong argu...

Have you ever wondered why your hoyas or pothos sometimes send out those long and wild tendrils that seem to have a mind of their own? I certainly have a windowsill full of hoyas doing this right now. There really isn’t a super “secret” technique. Most of our houseplants are just natural climbers that grow up trees in search of light and use those tendrils for support. So I invited over my new plant friend, Ara from Propagation Dia...

Did you know that brightness has nothing to do with how much energy your plants actually receive from light? In this episode, I’m joined by horticulturist and author Leslie Halleck, who literally wrote the book Gardening Under Lights. Together, we’ll break down the science of indoor grow lights in a simple, approachable way—so you can confidently choose the right setup to keep your plants thriving all winter long (and beyond).

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Where do you even start if your dream is to turn that blank slate into a gorgeous garden? You’ve just moved into a new house. The keys are in your hands, you’re staring at your front door and also at a lot of lawn and maybe some unappealing landscaping. Good thing, plant friends, that I got to dive into this question with ecologist, writer, and new author Becky Searle (@sow_much_more), who just wrote Grow a New Garden! The book is ...

 What if caring for a tiny tree could teach you patience, presence, and even a new way of looking at life? That, my friends, is the magic of the art of Bonsai. It is a very specific practice that requires very specific care that I often get questions about. And so today I've decided to re-release an old episode where I interviewed Bonsai master, Bjorn from Eisei-en Bonsai.

You might know him from his incredible YouTube videos all ab...

Interested in joining Maria on a retreat like this? Join the waitlist! http://growingjoywithmaria.com/retreat

Three days with no phone, no laptop, no social media notifications buzzing in my ear. It’s just me, the forest, and goats that became some of my best friends! And I achieved all of this when I visited Hemlock Neversink in Castskills last month to commit a full digital detox. I swapped screen time for barefoot hikes, yoga, fo...

Are you running out of space for your plants? Growing your plant collection can be quite the challenge when all your countertops, tablespace and even floorspace have been populated with your plant babies. Don’t fret any longer, plant friends, as we got the most beautiful and mess-free DIY projects for you to make the most out of your vertical space at home! In this episode, learn alongside me as Erin Harding of @houseplantclub and ...