Explore every episode of the podcast Prop Culture
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| E04: Oxford's *uck-Up, AND An Interview With @BotanicalOtter (Colonialism in Plant Collecting?) | 25 Nov 2025 | 01:09:41 | |
In Episode 4, Tanya tries to convince Jos to cure a headache with a disgusting espresso-lemon concoction. And she gets worked up about the "fast fashion" of Christmas plants. We also head deep into the jungles of Borneo for a reality check on what it means to be a modern "Plant Hunter." In this episode:
Mentioned in this episode:
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| E03: SKG Went P*RN?!? And: Too Much Money, Pet Peeves, And A Call To Action For The Planet | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:53:52 | |
We are celebrating hitting #4 on the Belgian podcast charts for gardening! In this episode, Jos and Tanya spill the tea on insane market prices, debate plant fast fashion, and chat with a true legend of the Aroid community. In this episode:
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| E02: Palmstreet Review, Killed By A Paper Towel & Who Let The ‚Rare' Plant Scams Out? | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:44:33 | |
In this episode, Tanya and Jos talk about the latest news in plants, share a Palm Street App review, and discuss their first Collector's Confession. Then they have a look at three really weird plants, and close out with a deep dive into how platforms like Etsy have opened the floodgates for scammers. LINKS AND REFERENCES Latest news
MAIN TOPIC The 'Rare' Plant Problem: How Etsy & Co.'s Green Boom Sprouted a Crop of Scams Sources: Sale Samurai - Etsy SEO Analytics & Keyword Search Volume and Spill The Plant Tea More links
Next episode airs on November 18, 2025. | |||
| E01: We're Pregnant with Provenance, Birkin Drama, and the King's Orchid | 04 Nov 2025 | 00:33:30 | |
Welcome to the very first episode of Prop Culture! Jos and Tanya introduce the podcast's mission: to create a sustainable, connected plant community by sharing news, gossip, science, and the "plant tea". In this episode:
Links
Next episode airs on November 11, 2025. | |||
| S02E03 | Plant Shipping, the History of A. 'Ace Of Spades' & Designer Plants | 19 Feb 2026 | 00:49:11 | |
In this episode, Tanya and Jos explore the cutting edge of plant science and the "wild west" of online plant selling. We start with some major news regarding the EU’s New Genomic Techniques (NGT) and what "designer plants" might look like in the future. We also dive into the drama of Reddit, discussing the audacity of a buyer asking for a free replacement plant four months after purchase—because they were in a coma. Jos shares his "hard way" lessons from launching a plant shop, and we discuss the heartbreaking news about Liverpool’s struggling botanical collection. Finally, we reveal the complex history behind the legendary Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Queen of Hearts’ before rating a new batch of "Weird Plants"—one of which Tanya can only describe as "Minecraft-esque" and phallic. Key Topics:
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| S02E02 | Interview with Dr. Tom Croat (Part 2) | 13 Feb 2026 | 00:58:27 | |
After a chaotic start involving a "brain cell frying" recording mishap, Tanya and Jos are back for the second episode of Season 2. We dive into the legacy of the late orchid legend Paul Gripp, discuss the evolution of "rare" versus "collector" plants, and Tanya makes a confession about a certain "betrayal" regarding the IAS Tropical Plant Expo. In the second half of our interview with Dr. Tom Croat, we explore the mysteries of wild hybridization, the "Aroid Bubble," and Tom’s advice for the next generation of botanists. To wrap things up, Jos tests Tanya’s gag reflex with a round of "Weird Plants"—featuring a succulent you can eat and a Magnolia fruit that Tanya describes as a "biological abomination". In this episode, we discuss:
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| S02E01 | Interview with Dr. Tom Croat (Part 1) | 27 Jan 2026 | 01:01:58 | |
Happy New Year and Welcome to Season 2! We made it back. Tanya is (mostly) healthy, Jos is caffeinated, and we are starting 2026 with a guest we’ve been dreaming of hosting since Day 1: Dr. Thomas Croat. The Man Behind the Name You likely know Dr. Croat as the “Godfather of Aroids”—the man who has described over 1,300 species and collected more plants than probably anyone in history. But in Episode 1 of Season 2, we got to hear the stories before the fame. He told us about his early adventures sailing from St. Thomas to South America on a sloop, a journey he chronicled in his memoir Under the Spinnaker. Lacking the equipment to dry and press plants, he spent months just observing—visiting thousands of habitats and learning Spanish by immersion on the back of trucks and trains. It’s a fascinating look at how a young botanist built the foundation for a legendary career. Also: Can Moss Survive Space? In our news segment, we discussed a mind-blowing study from Science News. Scientists attached spores of the moss Physcomitrium patens to the outside of the International Space Station. The conditions: Vacuum of space, intense UV radiation, extreme freeze/thaw cycles. The result: After 9 months, 86% of the spores came back to life and grew. The takeaway: If we ever move to Mars, this moss is definitely coming with us. Plus: Jos breaks down the history of the Philodendron spiritus sancti bubble. Is it still the “Holy Grail” now that you can buy it in a tissue culture bag? Rate That Weird Plant We close each episode with a segment we call “Rate That Weird Plant”. Check this episode’s weird plants below. Eulychnia castanea f. Spiralis Posted on Reddit by Planta_Samantha. Dendrobium wassellii Posted on Houzz by malteseproverb. Cynomorium coccineum Posted on Science Photo Gallery by Bob Gibbons. | |||
| E09: Season Finale: The Truth About Variegation, P. Dean McDowell, & Weird Plants | 31 Dec 2025 | 00:47:08 | |
Episode 9: A Variegated State of Mind (Season Finale) It is the last episode of the year! We are wrapping up the season with a packed episode, spilling some plant tea, diving deep into the science of variegation, and rating some truly bizarre plants. We start by debunking a questionable article about "windowless rooms" (sorry, Enid!) and clearing up the confusion behind the mysterious "Philodendron 69586" floating around the internet. Then, we shine our Provenance Spotlight on a collector favorite: Philodendron 'Dean McDowell'. Finally, we get into our main topic: Variegation. Why does it happen? What is the difference between chimeral and genetic variegation? And why was 2020 the "Variegation Gold Rush"? Thank you to all our listeners for an amazing year. We will see you on January 6th for Season 2! In this episode, we cover:
Mentioned in this Episode:
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| E08: "Are We Woke Yet?" Addressing Problematic Names. Our Guest Memo, aka Houseplanty Goodness, on the Future of Collecting and Green Dreams | 24 Dec 2025 | 01:17:18 | |
In Episode 08, Jos and Tanya brave the winter blues (and Christmas trees) to tackle the heavy hitters: Is the plant community finally "woke" yet? We discuss the 2024 vote by 100 scientists to remove racial slurs from Latin names and why common names like "Wandering Dude" might only be a superficial fix. We are also joined by the wonderful Memo (aka Houseplanty Goodness) to discuss "Aroid Fatigue," his dream of a geothermal greenhouse, and why he strips naked after visiting his allotment. In this episode: Spilling the Tea (News):
Deep Dive: What’s in a Name?
Interview: Memo (Houseplanty Goodness):
Rate That Weird Plant:
Mentioned in this episode:
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| E07: Is Tissue Culture Ruining the Hobby? Plus The 10/10 Weird Ghost Plant, Holiday Cacti, And More! | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:58:59 | |
In Episode 07, Tanya is pre-recording before traveling back to Czechia and braving the frozen north (Reykjavik), and Jos is embracing his inner Grinch. We dive deep into the science, myths, and market impact of Tissue Culture—is it saving the hobby or ruining it? Plus, we rate a plant that literally looks like... well, lips. In this episode: Spilling the Tea (News):
Feature: The Truth About Tissue Culture (TC): The Science: How we clone plants from a single piece of tissue (and why "shoots before roots" matters). The Market Impact: From the $1,000 Monstera obliqua Peru crash to mass-market availability. The Stigma: Are TC plants weaker? Does it kill the excitement of collecting? Tanya and Jos debate the "authenticity" of lab-grown vs. seed-grown. Genetic Anomalies: Why mutations like the Monstera 'Thai Constellation' are actually TC's "happy accidents." Rate That Weird Plant:
Mentioned in this episode:
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| E06: Meeting a Legend: Joep Moonen, The 'Stranger Things' Plant Fail & The Ghost Orchid | 11 Dec 2025 | 00:51:23 | |
In Episode 06, we are fan-girling hard! Jos and Tanya sit down with a true icon of the plant world, Joep Moonen, to hear the wild (and funny) true story behind the Philodendron that bears his name. Plus, we catch Netflix making a major botanical error and discuss why plant collectors are "a special kind of crazy." In this episode:
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| E05: HOA Destroyed His Collection, Plant Reviews 2.0, Monstera Burle Marx Flame. And A Vegan Vag...? | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:59:19 | |
In Episode 5, we celebrate our 5-week anniversary (and our 37 subscribers!) by tackling the darker side of plant collecting—from nightmare Homeowners Associations to the ethics of stealing seeds from botanical gardens. In this episode: 🪴 Spilling the Tea (News): 🗞️ HOA Nightmare: We react to the Reddit horror story of "The Botanist" whose 20-year succulent collection was destroyed by a gardener on HOA orders. 🗞️ Phytokleptomania: Are you a plant thief? We discuss the compulsion to steal cuttings and berries (and Jos confesses to his own crime at a botanical garden). 🗞️ Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents: Jos reveals new research on succulents injected with phosphorus to glow in rainbow colors. Cool science or tacky kitsch? 👀 Feature: The Power of Reviews: 🫰🏼 Why reviews are the "digital currency" of the 21st century.⭐️ The problem with current plant reviews: Why generic 5-star systems fail when FedEx crushes your box. 👍🏼 Plant Provenance Solution: We explain our new granular review system (rating Communication, Packaging, Price, and Quality separately) and the "Agree" button that gamifies trust. 🤯 Deep Dive: Monstera 'Burle Marx Flame': Is it a species or a hybrid? Jos breaks down the enigma of this plant found in Roberto Burle Marx's garden. 🤪 Rate That Weird Plant: 🪨Pseudolithos cubiformis: The "cube-shaped" succulent that looks like a frog with warts. 🦴 Ceropegia fusca: The "mummified cat tail" from the Canary Islands. 🤭 Hydnora africana: The parasitic "vegan vagina" that smells like feces. Mentioned in this episode: Plant Provenance: https://plantprovenance.com Research: "Phytokleptomania" by Dr. Saptarshi Dey: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/397876144_Phytokleptomaniac_A_Playful_Neologism_for_Compulsive_Plant_Collecting @MonsteraStan 's BMF Green-on-Green: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQcHT61DA8I @summerrayneoakes RBM Tour: https://youtu.be/d0-Nh5BZcJs?si=3yRSjre7G8BbYqYR Pseudolithops cubiformis: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1004505365008761&set=pcb.1004505475008750 Ceropegia fusca: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/118514638 Hydnora africana: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=973811300984830 and https://www.facebook.com/groups/142126849181880/posts/9981126478615152/ Connect with us: Email: PropCulture@hortikult.com Website: https://hortikult.com | |||
| S02E04 | Daffodils, Community, and What’s the Deal Plant Content IP & Content Theft? | 20 Mar 2026 | 00:52:50 | |
In this episode, Tanya and Jos bridge the gap between historic botanical discoveries and the modern digital landscape. Jos shares the incredible story of a South African plant rediscovered after 200 years, along with the "Daffodil Fever" of the Victorian era. Tanya updates us on the "generational cold snap" in Florida and how it’s affecting both commercial crops and private collections. The conversation then turns to the ethics of the plant community. We examine plant content theft, including how influencers are targeted by content scrapers and AI face-swapping scams. Finally, Jos brings a trio of "weird plants," ranging from a "brain cactus" to a New Zealand oddity known as the "vegetable sheep." In This Episode, We Discuss:
Weird Plant Ratings:
Mentioned in this episode
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| S02E07 | Guess The Guest! Plant Diplomacy, NoID, and some really weird plants that have us in the gutter | 07 Apr 2026 | 01:00:06 | |
Tanya is officially back in Europe, but her "Queendom" is in a state of emergency. Between dry rot and a thrips infestation on her Thai Constellation, she’s facing the reality of leaving her collection in the hands of a "non-plant" husband for seven months. In this chaotic and hilarious episode, Tanya and Jos are joined by a Mystery Guest—a well-known figure in the plant community who is currently moonlighting as a student of the drums. Together, they explore the concept of "Orchid Diplomacy," the science (and laziness) behind plant watering gadgets, and a deep dive into the "John Does" of the botanical world: NoID plants. In This Episode
Travel Log 2026:
Weird Plant Ratings (The "In the Gutter" Edition):
Substack: Prop Culture on Substack — Leave your guesses for the Mystery Guest in the comments! Instagram: @prop.culture.podcast Website: Prop Culture on Hortikult YouTube: @prop.culture Connect with Us: propculture@hortikult.com | |||
| S02E06 | Plant Show in Thailand – Interview With Anastasia Shokhrin @foliage_fancies (and IAS Treasurer) | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:58:46 | |
In this episode, Tanya and Jos bridge the gap between the royal gardens of England and the bustling plant markets of Bangkok. We look into the high-maintenance "Plant Shuffle" of King Charles III, discuss the evolving trend of physical plant journaling in a digital age, and get an update on the European collector scene with the upcoming My Botanica events. The highlight of the show is an international interview with Anastasia Shokhrin (@Foliage_Fancies), who joins us live from a quiet corner of a Bangkok mall to discuss her frequent plant-hunting trips to Thailand. From the legendary reveal of the 'Devil Monster' to the "fun" logistics of US customs, Anastasia shares what it’s really like to bridge the gap between a tropical paradise and the arid climate of Colorado. Finally, Tanya tries to redeem herself in the "Rate That Weird Plant" segment with a highly endangered pitcher plant and a flower that looks like a sitting monk. In this episode, we discuss:
Interview with Anastasia Shokhrin (@foliage_fancies):
Weird Plant Ratings:
Resources & Links Mentioned:
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| S02E05 | Podcastathon Special: Why the IAS Matters, Interview with ATL Plant Room | 20 Mar 2026 | 00:39:34 | |
In this special "Podcastathon" edition of Prop Culture, Tanya is joined by Ashley (@ATLPlantRoom), the Marketing Chair for the International Aroid Society (IAS). Together, they pull back the curtain on what it means to be part of the world’s leading organization dedicated to the Araceae family. From its "book club" origins in 1977 to its current role as the official international registration authority for aroid cultivars, the IAS has evolved into a global powerhouse for plant science. Tanya and Ashley discuss the tireless work of the society's all-volunteer board and explain exactly how your membership dues and donations fund critical conservation, research, and preservation The IAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit powered by passion, not payroll. Here is why your contribution—whether time or money—is a direct investment in the future of the plants we love:
Becoming an IAS member unlocks a world of exclusive resources:
We all love bringing nature into our homes, but that hobby often comes with a carbon footprint. Use this Podcastathon as an opportunity to offset your impact by supporting the society that protects these plants in the wild.
Follow Ashley @ATLPlantRoom on all social platforms. Visit aroid.org to support the mission IAS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aroidsocietyIAS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internationalaroidsocietyIAS on Discord (members only): IAS on Substack: https://aroid.substack.com/IAS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-aroid-society IAS Cultivar Registry: https://aroidcultivars.org | |||
| S02E08: Exploring Plant Naming Wars, Futuristic Greenhouses, and Interview with New Host Kaylee Ellen! | 14 Apr 2026 | 01:30:18 | |
In this episode of Prop Culture, hosts Tanya and Jos welcome Kaylee Ellen as their new co-host, a much-loved plant YouTuber known by many. The trio discusses plant naming controversies, including trademarked cultivar names and shops rebranding plants for profit. They cover news about a tech billionaire planning a futuristic succulent dome in Somerset and share which plant genera they'd avoid buying again, with Calathea topping the community poll. Also: Kaylee opens up about her plant shop journey, and then the episode wraps up with a fun "Rate That Weird Plant" segment featuring unusual succulents. Timestamps Kaylee's Podcast Journey That Never Happened (until now)(00:01:16) Kaylee shares her experience starting a second YouTube channel and her desire to do a podcast. Plant Naming Controversy: Mysteria Spotsylvania (00:02:29) Discussion about a plant shop renaming a Thai Constellation as "Mysteria Spotsylvania" and trademarking plant names. Cultivar Naming & Shop Branding Issues (00:06:01) Debate over shops rebranding plants, trademarking cultivar names, and the ethics of plant naming in the community. Ecotypes, Variegation, and Plant Diversity (00:11:44) Conversation about natural plant variation, ecotypes, and the tendency to over-categorize plants. Niche Collecting & Kew Gardens Anecdote (00:14:18) A story about collecting different forms of the same species and a visit to Kew Gardens. News: Tech Billionaire’s Succulent Dome (00:15:16) Discussion of Koos Bekker’s plan to build a futuristic dome greenhouse for succulents in Somerset, England, and local reactions. Facebook News: Plants Never to Buy Again (00:21:37) Review of a poll in a Facebook group about plant genera people vow never to buy again, and hosts share their personal lists. Top Unpopular Plants & Community Poll Results (00:26:01) Revealing the top plants people regret buying: Calathea, Alocasia, Croton, and others, with commentary on why. Interview: Kaylee Ellen's Background (00:31:42) Start of the in-depth interview with Kaylee, covering her real name, online persona, and experiences as a content creator. Reflections on The Rare Plant Shop (00:34:39) Kaylee discusses her journey as a plant shop owner, the business lessons she has learned, and the impact of online reviews. Business, Reviews, and Customer Service (00:44:32) Debate about the importance and pitfalls of online reviews, customer complaints, and strategies for handling negativity. Content Creation: Best and Worst Work (00:53:32) Kaylee reflects on her proudest and least favorite content as a YouTuber, including documentaries and less elaborate videos. Dream Plants & Unlimited Budget (00:57:47) Hosts discuss what plants they would buy if money were no issue. Community vs. Individualism in Plant Collecting (01:01:16) Exploration of whether plant collecting is inherently individual or community-based, and the diversity within the plant community. Content Creator Community & Isolation (01:06:16) Kaylee shares her experience of isolation as a creator and her recent efforts to connect with other plant YouTubers. Plant Community Drama & Negativity (01:08:04) Discussion of conflicts and negativity within the plant content creator community, including personal anecdotes. LGBTQ+ Presence in the Plant Community (01:12:56) A conversation about why the plant community is a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals and the nurturing aspect of plant care. Rate That Weird Plant (01:20:59) Hosts rate and humorously describe unusual plants, including Pachypodium namaquanum, Bowiea volubilis, and Duvalia caespitosa. Hot Takes Challenge & Episode Wrap-Up (01:35:48) Announcement of a challenge for next week (sharing hot takes on plant collecting), closing remarks, and sign-off. CONNECT
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| S02E09: Plant Gatekeeping, Plant Name Trademarks, Soil Mix Myths, and the (accidental) Birth of Fun Guy™ | 21 Apr 2026 | 01:13:06 | |
We kick off with the latest in plant trademark drama: Proven Winners' newly branded "Mythic Phoebus," which, under the trade name, is a variegated Alocasia (likely Alocasia Dora or similar). We dig into why a grower would trademark both a fake genus and a fake species name, what it means for the collector community, and why renaming common aroids as "boutique" plants is a growing marketing trend. Then we head to Monster, Netherlands, where 84-year-old Jan's 12-year-old Ficus has outgrown his living room — a sweet reminder that, properly cared for, houseplants can become generational specimens. Main topic: Plant gatekeeping in the houseplant community. We break down the practice of buyers clearing out big-box stock of rare plants (Anthurium, variegated Monstera, and rare Philodendron) to resell at a markup on Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, and eBay. Kaylee offers a shop-owner's perspective on why this mirrors industry-wide sourcing practices from Dutch, Thai, and Indonesian growers. Tanya covers the entrepreneurial and legal side: tax obligations, EU plant passport regulations, buyer protection, marketplace reporting laws, and how private resellers undercut legitimate plant shops across Europe. Jos shares a grower's perspective on the difference between strategic stock-building and true gatekeeping — including his own experience with variegated Anthurium and rare Monstera aurea cuttings. New Segment — Hot Take of the Week: Kaylee argues that species-specific soil mixes are overcomplicated marketing bullshit. Jos shares what commercial Dutch Anthurium growers actually use (spoiler: it looks mostly like coco coir with wood fiber, peat, and bark — no chunky perlite, no added pumice). We discuss whether boutique Aroid soil mixes, Alocasia mixes, and Begonia mixes are meaningfully different, or just repackaged marketing — and when tailored substrate actually matters (cacti vs. tropicals vs. high-humidity grow tents). New Segment — Hot or Not: Jos introduces two new plants making waves in the collector community:
⭐ Rate That Plant — our recurring weird plant segment:
Also discussed: indoor humidity and beneficial insect use against thrips and spider mites, the Thai constellation Monstera pest problem, cuttings strategy for rare Anthurium breeding, and why box-store plants aren't always bred for hardiness. Follow Prop Culture for weekly episodes on collectors' plants, aroid drama, collector culture, and everything happening in the houseplant world. Drop your hot take in the comments or slide into our DMs on Instagram — and tell us: would you buy a plant-themed adult toy from us? (Yes, we're serious. Not really. Kind of.) CONNECT
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| S02E10: The Orchids Are Horny and the Bees Don't Know! | 28 Apr 2026 | 01:17:33 | |
Tanya, Jos & Kaylee unpack a Facebook plant-DNA conspiracy, the wild trickery orchids use to scam pollinators (yes, including sex), Tanya's hot take on why rotating houseplants is bullshit, and weird-plant ratings featuring an elephant's foot. CONNECT
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| S02E11: Captain Aroid, aka Jos Was in China to Judge Anthurium and Platycerium | 05 May 2026 | 00:59:12 | |
Jos returns from judging the first-ever Sensoria Expo in Hangzhou and reports back on what plant collecting looks like at China-scale. Plus: a sobering study on collapsing orchid pollination, the Alocasia 'Pink Bull' mislabel, two hot variegated Anthuriums, and weird plants featuring praying-hand pea flowers. CONNECT
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| S02E12: Take Two, Really? Two Decades of Plant Collecting, Interview with @MonsteraStan | 19 May 2026 | 00:58:01 | |
They say sh!t happens, right? Episode 12 has us handling a Take Two, because Tanya & Tech. Nonetheless, it's an enlightening episode! In the news segment, we cover the past two decades in houseplant collecting according to a Google Trends report (shoutout to affordablebiscuit on Reddit!). Also in the news: a fascinating report from Matador Network on America's rarest flower. The video follows researchers deep into Florida's remote swamps as they trek through flooded forests and climb high into the tree canopy to study the ghost orchid — one of the rarest and most elusive flowers in North America. It blooms unpredictably and depends on a single, still-unidentified pollinator that continues to baffle scientists. INTERVIEW with @MonsteraStan We also got @MonsteraStan on the mic for a proper chat. He breaks down the origin of his handle (name + Monstera obsession, shocking we know), how he became a plantfluencer in the first place, and what six years of aroid madness has actually taught us — if anything. He takes on the critique that variegated Monstera cultivars are basically all the same plant in a trench coat, weighs in on Monstera hybrids muscling into the scene, names the cultivar he's currently losing his mind over, and gets into the politics of plantfluencer friendships and collabs. We also discuss his Monstera World Championship, and he shares a hot take on TC plants that we're just going to let him say. CONNECT
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| S02E15: The Chocolate Botanist on Plants as Food, Medicine & Ancestry, and the Ugliest Orchid Alive | 30 Jun 2026 | 01:34:08 | |
Derek Haynes — The Chocolate Botanist — joins us for one of our widest-ranging episodes yet: equal parts plant science, stand-up, and a conversation that genuinely mattered. We open with the news. Tanya reports from Japan, where a 26-year-old got arrested within 24 hours for swapping the price tag on a ~$1,700 Operculicaria (a slow-growing Madagascan caudex succulent that mimics a decades-old bonsai) down to about $25 — then panicked and fled at the till. Then Jos digs into TWP Tropical, the Oklahoma seller being called out across Reddit and Facebook over allegedly importing poached Anthurium carlablackiae and papillilaminum, blocking anyone who questions them, running "blind pre-sales," and faking listings with AI-generated plants. All firmly "big alleged." Then the interview. Derek is a trained plant biologist — a decade managing an automated greenhouse where he says he's grown and touched over a million plants, plus stints at the NCSU Phytotron, tissue culture, and hand-pollinating corn for the USDA. He walks us through how plants can be turned into protein factories, and he's refreshingly honest about where the "scientist in a lab" image ends and the guy with a hole-puncher in a 40°C cornfield begins. (There's also a small-world moment when it turns out Jos breeds the very same tobacco species Derek used to grow.) But the core of this one is his mission. We get into the Botanical Green Book — his project spotlighting Black plant people and mapping the safe spaces our community doesn't always provide — and Derek shares hard, first-hand experiences of being ignored and unwelcome in plant shops as a 6'3" Black man. He makes the case for being "a co-conspirator, not just an ally," lays out his ethnobotany thesis that plants are food, medicine, and ancestry, and tells the story of the trusted mentor who quietly talked him out of his dreams — and what he'd tell the next young Black botanist instead. He also gives a shout to the Black women who built his brand: Erica Parker Smith, Lucretia of Soul Sister Plants, and Erica Powell. We close with the games. Hot or Nah rates a color-shifting Dimorphorchis (hot), a "Mother and Daughter" croton (lukewarm), and a big-leaf Anthurium (Jos: smitten; Tanya: stank face). Then Rate That Weird Plant takes on a frilly snake gourd flower, a "grandma's dentures" Bulbophyllum, and Gastrodia agnicellus — officially the ugliest orchid on Earth — with the segment descending exactly where longtime listeners know it always does. Find Derek: @thechocolatebotanist on Instagram. He also co-hosts The Dirt on Gardening (live Tuesdays, 7pm ET). CONNECT
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| S02E14: Of Plant Shows, MOSS POLES, Living the Content Creator Life, aaaaand: Weird Plants! | 16 Jun 2026 | 01:32:29 | |
The day has finally come. We've summoned the Master of Moss Poles, none other than Jan, aka SydneyPlantGuy! But first things first: In this episode, we discuss the latest "news" on common houseplant mistakes, and we talk about attending plant shows. Then we interview Jan, and what an interview it was! Did you know that Jan can be spicy? In our Hot or Nah segment, we rate:
And finally we rate some really weird plants!
CONNECT
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| S02E13: It's Children's Day and We have a Special Guest! Also: Anthuriums are Making a Comeback. What Now? | 01 Jun 2026 | 00:46:01 | |
International Children's Day is celebrated worldwide on June 1, and on the second Sunday of June in the United States. The day holds special significance for Czechs. 80 years ago, on June 10, 1942, Nazis massacred hundreds of men, women, and children in the Czechoslovakian town of Lidice. Since Tanya lives in the Czech Republic, we decided to honor this day and 1) have her daughter (10) on the podcast, and 2) publish this episode on this Monday, rather than our usual Tuesday. Safe to say, Tanya's kiddo is not as crazy about plants as Tanya is. Tune in for this wholesome, candid, and sometimes hilarious episode, where Tanya and Jos ask Zara about her mother's obsession with plants. In our News segment, we cover a questionable claim that Anthuriums are making a comeback. Were they ever gone? We also look towards Scotland, where the organizers of a plant festival decided to include a sauna in the activities for visitors. And, of course, we're rating weird plants. | |||