Looking for free, natural ways to decrease stress and increase joy and calm in your life? The answer might be simpler than you think: houseplants, gardening and nature. On Growing Joy with Plants, learn alongside Happy Plant Lady, Maria Failla to care for plants, engage with nature, and use them to manage your overwhelm, anxiety and experience happiness and calm you thought was only available on vacation.Plant care is self care. Come grow some joy with us. Follow along on socials @growingjoywithmaria
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Données mises à jour le 25/09/2026
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Desert Landscaping Tips for a Thriving Southwest Garden: Best of Growing Joy Replay
jeudi 24 septembre 2026 • Durée 41:49
The first time I visited Arizona, I could not believe my eyes. I could not believe that, as someone who spent my life growing up in the Northeast, an arid desert like Arizona exists!
The southwestern climate is so wild because I don't understand how a desert garden could look and feel lush and magical, just like a tropical oasis, but it can. It's all about desert landscaping with low-water plants and native desert plants that are built to grow on less. So I visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona a couple of years ago, and I got to interview Tina Wilson, their Director of Horticulture, who gave us this crash course on how to landscape in the desert.
So for this episode of the Best of Growing Joy series, I wanted to bring back this conversation for any of our listeners living in arid desert areas in the Southwest. Because plant friends, there are gorgeous drought-tolerant plants and smart drip irrigation systems that will bring pollinators and gorgeous beings to your southwest garden, so it grows well instead of just looking fried!
In this episode, we learn:
[04:58] How Tina Wilson became Director of Horticulture at Desert Botanical Garden
[06:13] Tina's duties as Director of Horticulture
[08:04] Unique vegetation in Arizona
[10:02] What is desert landscaping? (and its 3 characteristics!)
[13:08] Gardening zones in the Southwest
[14:06] Key factors to consider when landscaping in the desert
[14:42] Right plant at the right location!
[15:51] What are the plants recommended for desert landscapes?
[16:46] The impact of the southwestern sun on plants
[18:17] Protecting plants from sunburn with shade cloth
[19:16] What is a plant palette?
[21:08] Where to find the best bamboo bedding for health and comfort?
[23:36] Want to grow fresh berries in your own garden?
[25:09] The importance of water conservation and irrigation in the desert
[26:22] Why reduce grass/turf in desert landscapes?
[29:24] The process of renovating a yard: soil profiling and testing
[31:07] Why are native desert plants so well-suited to desert conditions?
[33:34] An overview of desert plants' root systems
[34:17] How a Saguaro cactus stays upright despite its shallow root system
[35:53] Exploring water harvesting techniques
[37:02] What are some of the drought-tolerant plants?
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All My Plants are Dead
Épisode 358
mardi 22 septembre 2026 • Durée 23:31
So, plant friends… all my plants are dead. Well, not all of them. But MANY of them. I had a baby in June, and my houseplants did not survive my postpartum era. What’s interesting is that I've heard from listeners who went through this exact thing. I never judged them once and coached them through it. But I still thought it would never be me, because I have a whole podcast about houseplants. But here we are. Let's talk about it!
In this episode, we learn:
[00:00] My plants are dead!!!
[01:55] 12 weeks postpartum in Florida with a baby… and a lot of sad plants :(
[03:06] My pregnancy, buying/renovating a house, and a very difficult birth
[05:09] How 'mom brain' affected me
[06:54] How I’m redefining plant parenthood
[07:46] The syngonium I found on my honeymoon
[08:37] What are the life transitions that quietly change how I care for plants?
[10:02] 8 years of shifting my interests (houseplants, growing food, cut flowers, propagation, tropicals)
[12:50] What I actually want now in this new season of life
[14:17] Low maintenance, high impact (stroller walks, snipped bouquets, and birdsongs)
[15:35] Experience the richness of single-origin honey with 3x more antioxidants with Manukora Honey!
[17:21] What connecting with nature indoors looks like
[18:51] Caring for Polpettino and feeling more like a mammal than ever!
[19:47] Why this episode is "All My Plants Are Dead," not "I Killed All My Plants"
[20:09] Not giving up on plants and what I'm committing to in Zone 10B!
[21:24] What does your growing joy look like right now, and what do you want it to look like in 2027?
Motherhood, Seasons of Life and Changing Plant Passions
Épisode 357
mardi 15 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:02:54
Did you know that Becca from Becca De La Plants and I delivered our babies 24 hours and 3 minutes apart?! We didn't plan that. We've been friends for almost 10 years now, and the first time we hung out, she was planning her wedding. Since then, we've gotten married, moved, built businesses, and now she's had her second baby, and I've had my first! For some reason, we keep landing in the same season of life at the same time. So I asked her to come talk with me about it. About two hard pregnancies, about the identity shift nobody warns you about properly, and about what plants have been quietly teaching us the whole time. Come join our conversation!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:14] Meet Becca De La Plants
[06:53] The TikTok comment that flagged her cholestasis!
[08:22] Where social media saves you, and where it wrecks you
[10:22] Running my business from bed through a sick first trimester
[11:43] What prenatal depression took from Becca’s toddler's first years
[13:41] The beliefs we absorb about how pregnancy is supposed to feel
[17:57] Why I wouldn't let myself attach to this pregnancy after two losses
[20:42] How one Five Guys order sent me to the ER with gallstones
[24:22] How a hard pregnancy made the newborn phase feel blissful!
[25:53] Becca's HG lifting the day she delivered and finally being able to eat
[28:47] Why snap-back culture makes no sense when you barely gained weight
[29:49] The identity shift of becoming a mom!
[35:46] How thinking in seasons gives you permission to be fully present
[37:37] Is "don't lose yourself" actually good advice?
[38:21] My HOT take: why you should have your kids later
[42:01] What slow-germinating seeds taught me about timing
[42:59] What it's like being last to have a kid when you've always gone first
[46:19] Second-baby calm vs. logging every single diaper in the app
[47:53] Sibling age gaps, and watching your own sister dynamic play out in your kids
Mentioned in our conversation: For all of my and Becca's motherhood hot takes,Thank you to our episode sponsors:Quarto: Concrete Botany by Joey SantoreEspoma Organic
Indoor Citrus Trees: Light, Water, and Fruiting Tips: Best of Growing Joy Replay
jeudi 10 septembre 2026 • Durée 47:13
Have you ever wandered through the citrus section of a nursery, inhaling the sweet scent of Meyer lemons and key limes, and thought “Oh my, I want one”? As someone who impulse purchased a struggling lime tree years ago—which I named Limey, by the way—growing citrus indoors is possible with the right care and conditions. Citrus plants can be great houseplants if you set them up for success, and they present a unique opportunity to engage all five senses! In this episode, I invited my long-lost dear friend Danny Trejo from Via Citrus to share with you everything you need to know to cultivate your own indoor citrus plant, from choosing the right variety to proper care for growth and fruiting.
In this episode, we learn:
[00:00] What citrus varieties has Maria grown over the years?
[11:59] What is Danny's background with citrus?
[19:39] What citrus varieties does Danny recommend for beginners?
[21:20] Other citrus varieties Via Citrus are growing
[24:13] What conditions do citrus plants need to thrive indoors?
[28:01] Grow light specifications for citrus (a crash course)
[31:28] Why you should have a proper watering schedule
[34:09] Soil care and drainage hole for your citrus
[35:52] How often should you fertilize citrus?
[37:11] How to prepare your citrus in the winter
[38:37] When is the best time to prune your citrus plants?
[41:40] How to increase humidity for citrus in the winter
[42:53] What are some common citrus troubleshooting tips?
[44:08] Can you grow citrus from seeds?
[45:28] What is grafting?
[49:53] How to ensure that your plant's buds develop into fruit
[51:52] What exciting new sustainable pot line is Danny creating?
[55:06] Where can you find Danny on social media? (use code ‘GROWINGJOY' for 10% discount!)
Set your indoor citrus plant up for success with Danny's expert tips!
Listen to This Before You Buy a Greenhouse!
Épisode 356
mardi 8 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:00:59
Have you fallen down the greenhouse rabbit hole yet, plant friends? If you've had plants for more than a year, you're probably like me, who's started Googling "how to put a greenhouse in my backyard" already. And I learned that a greenhouse isn't a big plant shelf but a structure, and it's probably the largest single purchase you'll make as a plant parent. I'm in Zone 10b in Florida and I still haven't built mine. So I asked Leslie Halleck, a favorite podcast guest, a long-time friend, and someone who has a master's in greenhouse production and a new book called Home Greenhouse Revival, what to figure out first. And I think she also holds the guest record for most appearances on the show! Let's dive in!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:06] Meet Leslie Halleck
[02:33] Moving her whole life and business from Texas to Oregon
[03:29] Why the Pacific Northwest is a ‘horticultural mecca’ for gardeners
[04:42] Lelie’s new 6-acre property (what she calls folia forest farm)
[06:49] What does her "pocket farming" look like?
[09:03] Why are greenhouses trending?
[12:51] What is the biggest greenhouse mistake?
[14:13] Why cooling a greenhouse is so much harder than heating one
[18:47] What are the elements that make up a greenhouse?
[21:21] Greenhouse framing materials and glazing!
[22:43] Is there a beginner-friendly greenhouse?
[25:04] What Leslie thinks about thrifted/DIY vintage window greenhouses
[27:41] How to pick the right greenhouse size?
[29:48] Greenhouses as the expensive part of a cheap hobby
[30:33] Using multiple greenhouses to zone temperature and humidity
[32:47] What about a half-empty greenhouse?
[33:26] What is AOI (angle of incidence)? How roof pitch and sun angle affect how much light gets in
[35:49] Inside the plant profiles (PPFD, DLI, photoperiod, fertilizer PPM, and VPD)
[39:21] How does pest management in a greenhouse work?
[43:33] Leslie's dream greenhouse for her new property (and why she's leaning Venlo)
Mentioned in our conversation:For Leslie's expert greenhouse advice, Thank you to our episode sponsor:Manukora
The Secret Language of Flowers Every Plant Lover Should Know
Épisode 355
mardi 1 septembre 2026 • Durée 44:15
How can we use flowers to further connect with nature and with the world? My mom once photocopied an entire flower dictionary for me from the thick pages of The Language of Flowers. I loved that she did it, but then I never really used it because it was too dense and there were a lot of meanings nobody says out loud anymore. But then I’ve thought deeply about it. I've grown dahlias my whole life. I have four hibiscus in my front lawn now. What if those choices were saying something? So I sat down with Mary Kelava, a former florist and author of A Bouquet of Words, to finally learn the language of flowers as a gardener. Come learn with me!
In this episode, we learn:
[01:27] Meet Mary Kelava!
[02:12] How she became a florist and a flower language expert
[03:41] Two types of flower books you’re bound to read!
[06:08] My mom’s photocopied dictionary part of ‘The Language of Flowers’
[07:41] Where does the language of flowers come from?
[10:21] How did the Victorian era understand the language of flowers?
[11:38] What the flowers you're drawn to might be telling you
[12:46] Why color, personal memory, and fragrance matter as much as the meaning
[18:30] Kate Middleton's wedding bouquet, Queen Elizabeth's funeral flowers, and a Lego hibiscus
[20:16] Do flower colors carry meanings of their own, or is it just color psychology?
[21:46] What zinnias mean, and how to handle flowers bred in every color
[22:58] What the research for her book ‘A Bouquet of Words’ looked like
[23:57] Do flower meanings hold up across cultures?
[25:35] How to start learning the language of flowers easily
[27:02] How to build a themed garden with meaning using easy-to-grow flowers
[28:29] Planning a flower memorial garden for a pet
[31:01] How to write notes that go with the bouquet
Mentioned in our conversation:
To grow flowers that have meaning to you,
Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Espoma Organic
Quarto: Home Greenhouse Revival by Leslie F. Halleck
Elevate Your Interior Decor with Plants: A Plant Design Crash Course
Épisode 354
mardi 25 août 2026 • Durée 51:14
What if the fewer the plants, the bigger the impact? Right now my house is a construction zone, and my plants are on their own. I have an eight-week-old baby, a '70s house we gutted mid-pregnancy, and a carpeted garage. So yes, a few plants have died. But something else is happening too! My taste is changing. I'm letting go of a lot of little plants, and I want one big beautiful plant for my bathroom instead. In fact, my friend Samantha Hermann of @houseplusplant and I are both in a transitional season of life. She’s moving into a house she designed around her plants... and cutting her collection from 300 to about 100. Here's what she taught me. Let's dive in!
In this episode, we learn:
[01:42] Grab a mini course for whatever your plants need right now with the Growing Joy Academy!
[02:57] Welcome back, Samantha of @houseplusplant
[04:05] How much did her plants influence her home design aesthetic?
[06:07] Instagram vs. reality: where do plant people actually keep their plants?
[07:36] Cutting her collection from 300 plants down to 100 (intentional vs. collector)
[10:11] Why she's only keeping big statement plants now
[19:22] What is she most excited about in the new house?
[22:20] Renovating a 1970s house while I’m pregnant!
[24:33] Collecting pieces with a story instead of getting them off Amazon
[25:29] What are some plant styling rules for a calm home?
[28:21] Treating a statement plant as art!
[30:19] What makes a plant grouping actually work?
[32:33] Does the rule of threes work for plants?
[33:54] Why there's always a hoya in her groupings
[36:49] Blooming houseplants that don't get enough credit!
[37:49] The custom window shelves she's sad to take down
[40:00] How to build grow lights into your house (outlets, dimmers, timers, and hiding cords)
Mentioned in our conversation:
For Samantha's amazing tips on how to do more with fewer plants,
Thank you to our episode sponsor:
Manukora
Wedding Flowers 101: How to Choose Blooms That Last: Best of Growing Joy Replay
jeudi 20 août 2026 • Durée 01:11:32
When I got engaged, I figured choosing wedding flowers would be the easy part. I'm a plant person, right? Wrong. Wedding florals are an entire world of their own, and I was lucky to have a florist who walked me through all of it and built the floral landscape of my dreams.
That florist is Corina of The Botaniste, and in this Best of Growing Joy episode, she's sharing the wedding flower crash course I wish I'd had from day one.
We get into how to choose blooms that actually hold up and don't wilt (spoiler: several of my first picks were a hard no), why conditioning matters more than expensive stems, how to work with seasonal availability instead of fighting it, and how to lean on greenery to stretch your budget. Corina also covers the trends she's seeing, how to talk to a florist even if you don't know a single flower name, and how to repurpose arrangements so they outlast the ceremony.
And if a wedding isn't in your future, don't skip this one because it all applies to backyard bouquets and dinner party tables too!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:22] Introducing Corina
[04:16] What to expect of the last episode of My Botanically Inspired Wedding Series
[09:29] Corina shares her experiences planning wedding florals with couples
[10:33] Why Pinterest is every bride’s best friend AND worst enemy
[11:52] How Corina became a plant lady and how she started The Botaniste
[17:29] Corina’s biggest influences in floral styling
[18:18] What are current and upcoming trends for wedding flowers?
[19:46] What elements are there in a tablescape?
[22:28] Is there a difference between wedding flowers and event flowers?
[26:14] Maria shares her decision-making process with her wedding florals
[28:02] How flowers elevate any event
[29:26] How to preserve your wedding flowers
[31:00] What are the best and the worst flowers to have at your wedding?
[34:01] Which flower is an alternative to peonies?
[35:54] New rose varieties to try in your wedding flowers
[39:27] How to condition cut flowers
[41:23] How to keep cut hydrangeas from wilting
Mentioned in our conversation:
What flower would you love to have in your wedding bouquet?
How to Tell Time with Your Garden (And Not a Watch)
Épisode 353
mardi 18 août 2026 • Durée 47:51
Is it possible to tell time with your garden? Apparently, birds and plants can tell us what time of day it is! When we recorded this episode, I was in my third trimester, so sometimes I would be up at 2 AM whether I liked it or not. Which was how I found out that the birds in my Florida backyard start up around 4! For a while, I'd check my phone to see how close we were to sunrise. Now I learned to listen. That's the idea behind The Fullness of Time by Cathy Haynes. It's a book I read about how to tell time without a clock, instead using birdsong, blooms, shadows, and stars. It touched the gardener in my soul, and I knew I needed to have Cathy on the podcast to talk about all of the different ways our ancestors kept time in their gardens and in nature. Come learn with me!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:07] Meet Cathy Haynes!
[03:12] What is The Fullness of Time book about?
[04:05] The evening primrose in her London backyard that started all of this!
[05:55] How does gardening change your sense of time?
[07:17] How did ordinary people tell time before clocks?
[09:26] Cock crow, midnight spirits, and what each part of the day means!
[11:42] Reading a clock vs. actually sensing time
[12:20] What is the ornithological clock (how to tell time through birds)?
[17:00] Learning to pick out the individual singers in the dawn chorus
[17:36] Merlin app to learn birdsong
[18:38] What third-trimester insomnia taught me about the 4 AM birds
[21:53] What is this Linnaeus’s flower clock?
[23:55] Did the Bern Botanical Garden get a living flower clock to work?
[26:30] Daisies, chicory, and the timekeeping plants hiding in pavement cracks
[28:40] Which time-telling plants can you add to your own garden?
[30:59] Why mature sunflowers stop following the sun and just face east
[33:26] How did our ancestors use shadows to tell time?
[35:21] Ancient scratch sundials on churches and Icelandic hills!
[37:37] Light pollution and how to adapt to the sun in a city
Mentioned in our conversation:
Interested in tracking time with your local birds and flowers,
Thank you to our episode sponsor:
Espoma Organic
How to Propagate Pothos and Other Vining Indoor Plants
Épisode 352
mardi 11 août 2026 • Durée 56:29
We're going back to basics today on how to propagate pothos, plant friends! It's one of the simplest things you can do as a plant parent. And pothos is probably the easiest plant to propagate, which is exactly why it's where you should start. I just want you to do it right the first time because one success is what turns this into a lifelong habit. So I brought propagation expert Lindsay Sisti back on the podcast to walk through pothos propagation from the very beginning. Join us as we talk beginner-friendly propagation tips, how to root pothos cuttings in water, light and watering, and why making that first cut actually helps your plant grow. Let's prop!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:51] Meet Lindsay Sisti and her challenge for you!
[04:24] Why pothos is the best plant to learn propagation on
[06:00] Why your pothos cutting speeds up your other props
[07:02] Plant anatomy 101: What do you need to know before you cut?
[09:11] Why you should leave the leaves on your cuttings
[10:19] Internodes vs. nodes (aka plant knuckles)
[13:31] Node cuttings vs. tip cuttings, and what "sterilized shears" really means
[19:54] What is a petiole and why will a single pothos leaf never root?
[21:22] Leaf removal and water setup!
[23:12] Why cutting back a balding pothos makes it bushier (apical dominance explained)
[26:57] Do pothos cuttings need to callus first?
[27:55] What rooting hormone actually does, and the tradeoff of changing your water
[30:36] The different methods of propagating different types of vining plants like pothos
[31:44] Sphagnum, fluval stratum, and perlite (why water still wins for pothos)
[35:02] Can you root bare nodes with no leaves? Plus prop box basics
[37:40] Does cinnamon work as a rooting hormone?
[38:56] Why the thrift store is the best place to find propagation vessels
Mentioned in our conversation:
For Lindsay's different propagation methods,
Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Manukora
Espoma Organic
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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!
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!
Home Greenhouse Revival is available for pre-order now at quarto.com and launches in September. Pre-order your copy wherever books are sold or through your local bookstore.
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!
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!
