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

Did you know plants for your home office can do more than just look nice? Office or work from home, they can boost your focus, spark creativity, lift your mood, and cut your stress. It's been proven over and over.

So today, for the Best of Growing Joy series, I'm digging into the archives and refreshing an old solo episode from the middle of the pandemic. Fair warning, you'll hear me talk about work from home a lot, since that's all we were doing back then. Our community got really creative with their setups too.

This one's all about biophilic design, something I keep coming back to this year since I'm renovating my own home through that lens. We'll get into easy ways to turn your desk into a plant-filled workspace that actually helps your productivity and your mental health.

Think about it, work is a huge chunk of our life. Nine to five, five days a week. So why not spend it surrounded by plants? That's what this episode is about: making your workday more joyful, more relaxing, and more productive. I hope it helps.

In this episode, we learn:

[02:07] Why Bloom and Grow Radio is doing an episode on #plantywfh spaces

[04:39] Check out Maria’s Planty WFH space tour

[05:03] What to expect from this episode on work from home setups and biophilic design

[06:50] The AMAZING and unbelievable benefits of engaging with plants and biophilic design, according to 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design

[07:27] What is biophilia, the idea behind it, and the important figures behind this wonderful hypothesis

[09:24] The psychological role of plants in our creativity

[10:09] How being around nature and scenery affects patient recovery, as studied by Dr. Ulrich in 1972 to 1981

[11:13] A review of direct versus involuntary attention based on studies by Stephen R. Kellert and Rachel Kaplan

[13:41] Biophilic Pattern #1: Visual Connection with Nature

[13:54] Planty WFH Tip #1: Put your desk near a window

[14:15] Planty WFH Tip #2: Put plants within the eyeline of your desk

[14:33] Planty WFH Tip #3: Have a green wall in your office

[14:56] Planty WFH Tip #4: If you can’t have real plants, pictures of plants will do!

[15:09] Biophilic Pattern #2: Non-Visual Connection with Nature

[15:26] Planty WFH Tip #5: Play nature sounds like the one-square inch forest silence in the Olympic National Park, bird songs, or waves

[16:36] Planty WFH Tip #6: Have different plant scents nearby, or you can use a diffuser like Maria!)

[16:53] Biophilic Pattern #3: Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli

[17:09] Planty WFH Tip #7: Set up bird feeders or pollinator-attracting plants, or take care of rare-blooming plants for a nice surprise

[17:39] Biophilic Pattern #4: Thermal and Air Flow Variability

[17:59] Biophilic Pattern #5: Presence of Water

[18:07] Planty WFH Tip #8: It’s your humidifier’s time to shine! Maybe a tiny fancy plug-in fountain?

[18:40] Biophilic Pattern #6: Dynamic and Diffuse Light

[18:52] Planty WFH Tip #9: Install a grow light with a timer, and have a more sustainable work hours setup!

[19:12] Planty WFH Tip #10: Reduce your blue light intake and light candles after a long day of work

[19:33] Biophilic Pattern #7: Connection with Natural Systems

[19:47] Biophilic Pattern #8: Biomorphic Forms and Patterns

[19:56] Did you know there are interesting and precise angles in nature?

[20:35] Biophilic Pattern #9: Material Connection with Nature

[21:07] Planty WFH Tip #11: Add accents in your home office like wood grains, fossil textures, and bamboo rattans

[21:30] Planty WFH Tip #12: Try a natural color palette of greens and browns

[21:50] How Maria and Billy managed their storage during their move

[24:52] Biophilic Pattern #10: Prospect

[25:04] Why it’s important to change the focus of your eyes every once in a while

[25:18] Biophilic Pattern #11: Refuge

[25:19] Why Maria recommends a planty screen-free space

[26:10] Biophilic Patterns #12: Mystery and #13: Risk and Peril

[26:20] The biggest rule of thumb of biophilic designs for Maria

[27:06] If you can’t have real plants, download the Bloom and Grow Radio’s free and gorgeous watercolor of prickly pear cactus in various states of bloom!

[28:03] Planty WFH Tip #13: Envelop your space in plants (if you can!)

[28:32] Maria’s planty WFH tips and ideas based on her own WFH setup

[30:04] The best plants for low-light home offices

[31:13] Are you blessed with a high-light office situation? Maria recommends these plants that love abundant light

[31:36] Planty WFH Tip #14: Install grow lights to incorporate more plants

[32:44] Planty WFH Tip #15: Tiny space? Go vertical!

[34:21] Maria’s biggest takeaways from 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design and her top advice on #plantyWFH setups

[36:26] Finding joy and awe in your #plantyWFH as a small break from your work day

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Get the free download with 9 Tips for Greening Up Your Work From Home Office Space

Check out Maria's #plantywfh office tour on youtube!

BAGR YouTube video Houseplant Tour: My Restorative Plant Corner // Why Plant Care Truly is Self Care

BAGR Episode How To Use Plants To Create Restorative Environments With Anne Meore From NYBG

14 Patterns of Biophilic Design by William Browning, Catherine Ryan, and Joseph Clancy

Hoh Rainforest Audio

Biophilia by Edward O. Wilson

Frederick Law Olmsted

View Through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery by Roger Ulrich

Stephen R. Kellert

Attention Restoration Theory: Exploring the Role of Soft Fascination and Mental Bandwidth by Rachel Kaplan

What Was That Like Podcast by Scott Johnson

 

Which biophilic design tip are you most excited to try in your workspace?

Check out the full show notes and blog for my plant-filled home office setup!

 

 

 

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.

What if the most relaxing time for you in your garden isn't during the day, but after dark? In those cool summer nights when garden chores aren't practical because you can't see very well, we have a unique opportunity to ease burnout, support mental health, and deepen your connection to plants and nature. So I'm joined by a friend, Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago, a repeat guest and the author of Verdura, to talk about her new take on garden breaks after dark. And we discuss how to create simple, mindful rituals that help plant parents unwind, reset, and find joy in the garden in the evening, in even just 10 minutes. Let's get started!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[01:39] Catching up with Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show!

[03:43] What Perla has been up to since publishing her book, Verdura

[05:13] How do garden breaks improve employee well-being?

[09:15] Perla’s personal wake-up call with burnout and

[10:22] Why we need to stop feeling guilty about taking breaks

[14:05] Why shifting your garden break to the evening is an overlooked opportunity

[14:58] Experience single-origin honey with 3x more antioxidants with Manukora!

[16:43] How experiencing complete darkness after Hurricane Maria inspired Perla’s night sky gardening

[18:36] How our artificial outdoor lighting negatively affects pollinators and migrating birds

[19:01] Why it’s actually easier to relax in your garden at night than during the day

[21:12] Simple ways to light your outdoor spaces without disturbing local wildlife

[25:14] How to safely plan your paths and prepare for your first garden break after dark

[28:48] What should you actually do during a 5 to 15-minute nighttime garden break?

[33:25] How to take a meaningful nature break when winter weather keeps you indoors

[36:43] How one client uses her garden's evening soundscape to decompress after a long workday

[41:21] Where to find Perla, AgroChic, and her resources online!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Growing Joy Episode 225: Indoor Plant Projects for Stress Relief with Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago

¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life: 30 Projects to Nurture Your Passion for Plants and Find Your Bliss by Perla Curbelo-Santiago

 

For Perla's mindful gardening insights,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

 

Follow Perla:

Website – Spanish
Website – English
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter/X

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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!

 

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.

What if herbs go beyond the small, contained, and kitchen-window plants we use them for? Herbs could do so, so much more! In this episode, I sit down with Sue Goetz, a garden designer, author, and herb obsessive, to explore the many different ways we can use our favorite herbs in our garden landscape. She has a five-foot rosemary hedge in her backyard and uses chamomile between her stepping stones. She also grows lavender, sage, and catmint as full-on landscape plants that feed her, scent her garden, attract pollinators, and keep deer out. So not only do herbs have flavor, fragrance, and medicinal properties, they’re also low-maintenance once established. Let's dive in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[01:38] Meet garden designer and author Sue Goetz!

[02:09] How Sue developed a passion for plants

[05:07] Why herbs are the most "generous" plants

[06:28] Why scent is the most underutilized sense in our gardens

[08:57] How to start treating herbs as large landscape shrubs, trees, and hedges

[10:45] Which herbs are best for replacing large plants/hedges?

[12:23] How to get large creeping and upright rosemary hedges

[15:09] Invest in quality soil and compost to build your garden’s foundation with Espoma Organic!

[16:33] What are some deer-resistant herbs that we can use as protectors?

[19:02] Which smaller herbs work best for edging borders and invisible fences

[20:24] Is Alyssum an herb?

[20:48] Landscape herb sun needs and chamomile ground cover

[24:37] How chives double as a sturdy pollinator magnet and an easy DIY gift

[26:25] How can we use herbs as landscape plants to attract more pollinators?

[29:04] Why you might be killing your lavender and how it actually wants to be treated

[32:10] How to pair landscape herbs together (and which aggressive spreaders belong in pots)

[34:34] Why you should grow what you love and then try one "crazy" experiment

[38:55] How to use colored basil for landscape pop and cut flower arrangements

[41:21] Simple ratio for mixing your own herbal bath salts from the garden

[44:26] Where to find Sue, her blog, and her themed container herb gardening book!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Complete Container Herb Gardening by Sue Goetz

Crescent Garden Self-Watering Elevated Planter

 

For Sue's recommended herbs for garden landscaping,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

 

Follow Sue:

Website
The Herb Lover's Garden
Instagram
Facebook

 

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.

Ferns are some of the most gorgeous houseplants you can grow... and one of the oldest plants on the planet. They're basically living dinosaurs. But if you've ever watched a maidenhair fern grow in a sidewalk crack, only to crumble the second you bring it indoors, you know exactly why ferns have a reputation for being impossible to keep alive.

Most people aren't failing at ferns. They're just growing the wrong fern for their home.

In this episode, I'm bringing back one of my favorite interviews from the archives with my friend Lisa from The Houseplant Guru. Lisa is a lifelong plant expert who has successfully grown ferns for years, even in a Midwest home that's about as far from a tropical rainforest as you can get.

We're talking about how to keep your ferns healthy, how to actually get them to grow, why you keep finding crispy fronds all over your floor, and how to choose the right fern for your lifestyle and your home conditions. Spoiler: it's almost never going to be the maidenhair fern... unless you're growing it under glass.

In this episode, we learn:

[02:03] Meet houseplant expert Lisa!

[03:27] Lisa’s 60-year-old heirloom Boston fern and why ferns get a bad rap

[06:05] Where do ferns grow naturally?

[08:53] Is there something about ferns' root systems that makes them more finicky?

[10:51] How to choose the right window and light placement for ferns

[12:28] How to fertilize ferns without burning their roots?

[14:40] How to water ferns correctly?

[20:53] How to safely treat pests and scale on sensitive leaves

[23:55] What are spores, stolons, and how do ferns actually reproduce?

[29:05] Maidenhair ferns

[29:56] What are the best ferns for your home?

[30:54] What does Lisa recommend with brown fronds?

[34:20] Unique collector ferns to add to your collection!

[38:20] How to care for staghorn ferns

[41:36] How to properly water a bird’s nest fern without rotting the center

[44:23] Tips for raising tree ferns and baby mother ferns using closed glass terrariums

[46:53] Where to find Lisa, her resources, and her books!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Growing Joy Episode 84: African Violets 101 with Lisa from Houseplant Guru

Growing Joy Episode 261: The Best Low Light Plants for Dim Spaces

Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants by Lisa

Creative Houseplant Projects (Former Houseplant Party) by Lisa

How to Care for An Heirloom Fern Over 40 Years Old (Blog)

The Austral Gem Fern is THE Fern for the Fern Challenged (Blog)

The Antlers on My Walls (Blog)

Do You Use Lemon Juice to Clean Your Plant Leaves? I Do! (Blog)

Systemic Houseplant Insect Control

Espoma Organic Indoor!

Jack's Classic 20-20-20 All Purpose Water-Soluble Fertilizer

 

Which fern are you most excited to try in your home?

Check out the full show notes and blog for Lisa's easy-care fern guide!

 

Follow Lisa:

Website

Books

Instagram

Facebook

 

 

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.

What if we don't design or control our gardens, but instead collaborate with them? I moved from the lush woods of Zone 5B to a front yard full of sand in Zone 10B Florida and felt like I had no control over my garden design. It was frustrating! So I sat down with Evan Meyer of Bloedel Reserve, a 140-acre garden and wild lands complex on Bainbridge Island just outside of Seattle, to help me feel more grounded in my new garden. Evan has spent his career working across the states studying restoration ecology, native plants, and conservation horticulture. We talked about co-designing with nature, as he believes we should move away from the "God complex" of traditional garden design and let Mother Nature be our co-designer. Listen in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

[01:57] Meet Evan Meyer, Executive Director of Bloedel Reserve!

[05:15] What Evan learned about ecological horticulture across different climates

[10:15] Why individual home gardens have a larger ecological footprint than public parks

[12:19] How the plant supply chain keeps most landscapes generic

[15:43] Experience single-origin honey with 3x more antioxidants with Manukora!

[17:28] Prep your kitchen for garden harvest season with Caraway Cookware!

[18:53] Why are more gardeners actively seeking out native plants?

[21:45] How to co-design your home garden with nature

[22:06] If a tree falls, leave it!

[24:42] Why you should read your local ecology

[25:46] Let’s reframe garden "problems" as opportunities

[29:10] More examples from Bloedel that home gardeners can actually steal

[30:06] How does Bloedel's moss gardener curate rather than plant?

[31:44] Retrain your eyes to find dormant plants and deadwood beautiful!

[34:35] Practical steps for learning your local wild ecology

[37:58] How an ecologically minded front yard builds neighborhood community

[39:07] The rise of whimsy in garden design and why we're craving that feeling right now

[40:13] What to expect when you visit Bloedel Reserve!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

iNaturalist

Understanding Natural Light

What's Your Plant Parent Personality?

 

Interested in doing a collab with your garden?

Check out the full show notes and blog here for Evan's advice!

 

Follow Evan & Bloedel Reserve:
Evan's LinkedIn
Website
Facebook
Instagram

 

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!

Caraway

Visit carawayhome.com and use promo code BLOOM at checkout for an additional 10% off your order.

 

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.