Bloom And Grow Radio

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

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

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! Th

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

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!Our Sponsors:* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/BLOOMAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

I’m very excited to welcome back Chris Satch to the show! Chris is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill (www.thesill.com) and is my go to guy for any plant issues I have with my personal collection. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. I got a lot of requests this winter for an episode on grow lights, and took some time to think about who I wanted my guest to be. I knew that Chris was the perfect person to help break down the science of grow lights because… I don’t really know anything about them! If you listened to Episode 07 with Olena from @TheOperatingSystem when she mentioned her grow lamps, I actually had to ask her what they were because I had no idea you could use light bulbs to help your houseplants grow. How far I’ve come in such a short time! This is a very special episode for Bloom and Grow Radio because it’s the first episode I’ve crowd sourced my listen

Michael Perry is the entrepreneur and self titled “geek” behind the “Mr Plant Geek” empire. But he is, in no way, a tradition “geek”. I like to call him the “bad boy of the plant world." You might know Michael from his Instagram account (@Mr_PlantGeek) or www.mrplantgeek.com which have photos and blogs about the worlds most interesting plants. But they also have a collection of selfies showcasing his rugged good looks, impressive collection of tattoos and ever changing hair color. You also might recognize him from his “Rude Botany” line of t-shirts which have sayings like “Philadelphus erectus” or “Rubus cockburnianus” in bold lettering across the chest. Michael approaches plants with a light hearted, fun approach that is completely unique and absolutely fun to follow along with. But don’t be fooled, although his approach to plants is lighthearted, Michael seriously knows his plants. He spent years developing and creating new creations like the “TomTato” and “Egg and Chips” plants for Thompson & Morga

First part of the Plant Side Chat series where we will explore the lessons learned from caring for plants. Today's topic: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate.Our Sponsors:* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/BLOOMAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Meagan Rosson is the creator behind the Instagram account: Plant_Lady_is_the_New_Cat_Lady. Her two gorgeous cats: Mack and Brooklyn, are quickly becoming “Instagram Famous“ due to Meagan’s hilarious Instagram stories of their impressive acrobatics around her one bedroom apartment and their relationship with her growing collection of 60+ plants. Meagan and I met early on in both of our plant journeys and have watched each other’s love for plants grow. Since I have no pets, I knew Meagan would be the perfect person to discuss the ups and downs with living with cats and plants and the toxic plants to avoid if you have Cats. We have a fun conversation about her hilarious stories of joining her two loves. She also gives some advice and her perspective on how to live successfully with cats and plants, and how to avoid choosing plants that could be toxic if ingested. Disclaimer: we are not Veterinarians, plant toxicity specialists or plant scientists. If you have questions about plant toxicity we encourage you to ch

By day, Toronto based Darryl Cheng is a Business Analyst for a Tech Company. By night, he is the creator of the incredibly popular blog and Instagram account - Houseplant Journal. Darryl’s commitment to excellence and his passion for plants and thirst for knowledge have turned him into the king of the internet houseplant world. What was initially a hobby Tumblr page has turned into an Instagram account with over 200,000 followers, a go to blog for anything plant related (www.houseplantjournal.com), the beginnings of his very own houseplant care book and plant time lapse videos that have gone viral around the world. Get ready… this is an epic episode for Bloom and Grow Radio. We cover a variety of topics, have deep thoughts about our plant friends, a little “dirty talk” and learn some secrets behind his collection. And if you stay tuned through the end of the show, Darryl gives us a sneak peak of another talent and passion of his, that is equally as impressive as his houseplant collection- but you’ll only find

Olena Shmahalo, otherwise known as TheOperatingSystem on Instagram is the Art Director of Quanta Magazine by day, and has an Etsy shop where she sells her plant cuttings and plant themed merchandise by night. Originally from the Ukraine, Olena has been growing her Urban Jungle of over 150 plants over the span of several apartments. Her current apartment is a masterpiece of Urban Jungle artistry, and her photos that are envied on Instagram are not to be missed (give her a follow at @TheOperatingSystem). We dive into how she created her Urban Jungle, tips for having a successful relationship with so many plants and she walks us through how to propagate plants for ourselves! If you are interested in learning the stories behind her amazing Instagram Photos or curious about how to propagate your own plants, this episode is for you! In this episode you will learn: - The evolution of Olena’s Urban Jungle - Tourism tips for Plant People - The secret to how Olena keeps her plants happy - Relationship advice for Plant

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas trees are on every corner of NYC and it’s time to pick one up and bring it into your home to celebrate the holidays. Although a cut Christmas Tree isn’t exactly a living houseplant… Christmas Trees could be argued to be one of the oldest indoor plant traditions around which is why I thought it would make a fun and interesting episode! Mary Jeanne Packer, Executive Director of The Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, takes us through the best practices for caring for a cut Christmas Tree. Founded in 1953, the mission of the Christmas Tree Farmers’ Association of New York (CTFANY) is to empower its members in the development of the real Christmas tree industry.  CTFANY provides information and opportunities for its members that include national visibility and stature, quality production, preservation, education, pride in their products and customer satisfaction.  They provide education to the public about the real tree industry, enable the public to

Part two of my Christmas Tree extravaganza is all about celebrating you houseplants enthusiasts who want to take the leap, and jump into the joys of having a LIVING, potted Christmas Tree. This trend has become more popular over the years, and as I was researching it, I came across an amazing article by Joe Lamp’l about this intriguing idea. After reading it, I knew he would be the perfect guest for this episode and I am BEYOND thrilled to have him! Joe is a podcaster himself with his amazing gardening podcast, The Joe Gardener show. He is also the Creator, Host and Executive Producer of the award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World® and Founder of joegardener.com. He is also the previous host of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network, as well as on-air contributor to The Today Show, Good Morning America and The Weather Channel. He is a gardening and podcast veteran who takes us through everything we need to know about jumping on the Living Christmas Tree Trend and the joys of replanting your t

I learned about Summer Rayne Oaks when I first started researching “Urban Jungles” in NYC. She is a Model/Activist/Entrepreneur who is famous for her Brooklyn apartment in which she has over 670 plants. She has dedicated the last decade of her life to being a champion for sustainable practices in the fashion, beauty and food industries. She wears many hats including being named the first “eco model”. She has a sugar detox program (sugardetoxme.com), a cookbook, a style guide, a podcast (Idea Nosh), and founded Le Souk, a global materials marketplace. She is a serial entrepreneur with a degree in environmental science from Cornell and a passion for plants. She is the founder of Homestead Brooklyn, a blog and Youtube channel created to help bring more nature to urban living. And to top it all off… she was even the muse and inspiration for the Toyota Prius C! What can’t she do? Her Youtube channel, Plant One On Me is packed with informative videos about plant care and fun DIY projects. If you are curious about S

Diana Zarins is the mastermind behind the Instagram account and Youtube channel How To Succulents. She is a “black thumb” turned #succulentwhisperer with a following of over 70,000 followers who turn to her for succulent inspiration and education. If you want to learn how to better care for your succulents, this is the episode for you! In the episode you will learn: Diana’s journey from “black thumb” to succulent lover Her extensive collection of 300 indoor and outdoor succulents Why succulents are great houseplants 5 things to know to NOT kill your succulent – drainage, water, light, temperature, infestation The secret to knowing how dry your soil really is Transitioning plants from indoors to outdoors for the changing of the seasons Best “starter succulent” How to use her hashtags to learn more about succulent care #propagationweek #howtobeasucculentwhisperer Using succulents to inspire hardiness and grit in your everyday life Follow How To Succulents: Instagram: @howtosucculents Youtube channel: How to S

Today’s episode is with one of my most favorite Plant People I have met yet… Christopher Satch! He is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. They also have created a somewhat cult following on Instagram with over 150,000 followers who drool over their urban jungle inspirations and informative plant care stories. I’ve had the pleasure of going to one of Chris’s Plant 101 classes at The Sill, which was not only informative, but wine filled, so fun and a great way to meet other Plant Parents in NYC. His wealth of knowledge about every plant under the sun is unparalleled, but what makes him so special is his humor, perspective and openness. I couldn’t be more excited to have him as my first guest! If you are looking for an amazing, concise overview of the top 5 plant care basics, this is the episode for you! In this episode you will le

Bloom and Grow Radio is a weekly Podcast designed for the Urban Jungle Dweller, Houseplant Enthusiast and Succulent Killer alike. Maria Failla interviews different “Plant Parents” in the Urban Gardening community to source houseplant care tips, stories and lessons they’ve learned from caring for their plants along the way. Each episode has a practical and spiritual tips and stories that empower and inspire the listener to have their own houseplant collection. In this episode you will learn: Bloom and Grow Radio’s mission What inspired the creation of Bloom and Grow Radio Founder, Maria Failla’s journey from Succulent Killer to Crazy Plant Lady Instagram: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/BLOOMAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands