Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness
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Let Nature Be Your Garden Designer
• 47 minWhat 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 LinkedInWebsiteFacebookInstagram 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.
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