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

Join us as Corinne shares her powerful journey to kitchen garden wellness and herbal healing. Facing chronic health issues like MCAS and severe migraines, Corinne found answers in herbalism and growing her own food. She reveals how making a rosemary tincture helped manage her migraines by increasing blood flow, and how a simple garlic oil infusion effectively treated her daughter's recurring ear infections. Beyond specific remedies, Corinne explains how her kitchen garden in Raleigh, NC (Zone 8A) became a profound space for nervous system regulation, helping her tap into a parasympathetic state without even trying. Discover how growing herbs like chamomile and thyme, alongside fall crops like kale, broccoli, and sugar snap peas, transformed her health and mindset. Corinne emphasizes that the garden is more than just a vegetable patch; it's a beautiful, accessible wellness practice woven into daily life, teaching patience and providing a non-judgmental space for healing. Learn how to integrate gardening into your routine, whether it's enjoying morning coffee among your plants or sharing harvests with neighbors. Corinne's story highlights how growing your own food can be a wellness revolution for the whole family, even inspiring kids to eat their vegetables. Let's dive in!

In this episode, we learn:
[01:21] Why I'm about to start my first in-ground garden in Florida
[02:41] Meet Corinne! + how health issues led her to herbalism
[04:12] Growing in a Zone 8A kitchen garden
[07:39] How rosemary helped her MCAS migraines
[08:24] What is MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)?
[10:29] How to make a rosemary tincture
[12:55] Why she learned the herbal remedy first before growing the plant
[14:36] How garlic oil cleared her daughter’s ear infections
[15:41] Grow food in small spaces with The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby!
[17:01] Feed your houseplants this fall with Espoma Organic’s premium plant foods!
[20:02] What should a beginner medicinal herb garden include?
[23:24] How the kitchen garden can help your nervous system
[25:01] Have we overcomplicated wellness?
[27:14] How gardening also teaches us patience
[28:25] How her garden grew from pots to raised beds
[30:37] What grew well in her summer garden
[31:49] When to plan and plant your fall kitchen garden
[32:34] Seeds vs. seed starts (aka growing for the season of life you're in)
[33:52] How do you turn your kitchen garden into a wellness practice?
[37:16] Sharing the garden with friends and neighbors!
[39:03] How gardening got her son to eat vegetables
[40:27] What Corinne’s kitchen garden coaching looks like
[42:05] Where to find Corinne and The Nourished Garden!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Growing Joy Episodes:349: Grow Your Own Luffa: Luffa Gardening Tips for Plant Lovers with Janice Cox
319: How to Preserve Food From Your Garden with Staci and Jeremy Hill, Ep 319
168: Grow Your Own Tea: Intro to Herbalism with Juliet of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine


Start small and with what you'll use,
check out the full show notes and blog for Corinne's fall kitchen guide!

Follow Corinne:
Website
Coaching
Workshops
Instagram

Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Quarto: The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby
Grab your copy of The Container Kitchen Garden at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
Espoma Organic
Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

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

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Is a plant ever really just a plant? I don't think so. I went from former plant killer to a house full of green in about three months. And somewhere along the way, my plants stopped being decor and started being company. For many of us, plants are also routine and a reason to get up in the morning. And for Krystal Duran of Plants With Krystal, they were a big part of healing after losing her husband. In this episode, we talked about grief, growth, and why you don’t have to be at your peak all the time. Come join our conversation.

In this episode, we learn:
[02:08] Join my free Substack newsletter!
[03:04] Meet Krystal Duran from @_plantswithkrystal_
[03:42] What it’s like to write a book after years of short-form plant content
[04:46] Short-form videos vs. long-form writing
[06:26] What was Krystal’s relationship with nature like as a kid? (+ the first houseplant she killed!)
[09:46] Why some popular houseplants just don’t work for every home
[11:33] How a move to Indiana and a career in social work led her to plants
[14:01] Why she started with cacti and succulents for her plant collection
[15:32] Learn 35+ ways to make new plants with The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation from the American Horticultural Society!
[17:05] Keep your houseplants cared for this fall with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
[19:00] Is your succulent growing, or is it stretching for light?
[20:22] Krystal’s love story with her husband, Tony
[22:49] What happens when a plant lover marries a minimalist?
[26:11] Plant life parallels
[27:27] How plant care helped her decompress after hard workdays
[30:09] Why plants offer "companionship without expectation"
[32:11] Losing her husband and dealing with grief on social media
[35:24] How the plant community showed up for her (even inside Animal Crossing)
[37:10] What happened to her 300-plant collection while she was grieving?
[40:00] What grief taught her about patience and finding joy in small things
[43:11] Why we're not supposed to be at our peak all the time
[44:34] The indoor lotus pond she built that didn't last
[47:22] Why she shifted toward low-maintenance plants
[51:16] Inside More Than Just a Plant (her book about grief, plant care, and community)
[53:11] What are some creative ways to gift plants to new plant parents?
[55:48] Where to find Krystal and her book!

Mentioned in our conversation:
More Than Just A Plant by Krystal Duran
Growing Joy 330: 2026 Garden and Houseplant Trends: My Main Takeaways from Northwest Flower and Garden Festival
Growing Joy 247: Growing Joy "After Dark": Spilling the Planty Tea with Kamili Bell Hill and Agatha Isabel

Needing more lift from your plants?
Check out the full show notes and blog.

Follow Krystal:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube

Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Quarto: The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation by the American Horticultural Society
Grab your copy of The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
Espoma Organic
Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

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.

When winter sets in and our gardens go dormant, that 'green itch' doesn’t go anywhere!
In this Best of Growing Joy replay, I’m revisiting my conversation with returning guest Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago, certified horticultural therapist and author of Verdura: Living a Garden Life, all about indoor plant projects for stress relief and mental health.
Perla shares her genius tiny barefoot garden, a shallow pot of fragrant thyme you can rest your feet on for a little grounding when it’s too cold to go shoeless outside (an idea I’ve used ever since). We also cover creating a miniature garden escape, gardening for your inner child, and why just 15 minutes with plants can lift your mood for days.
In this episode, we learn:
[01:53] Rebranding of my YouTube Channel
[02:43] Introducing Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago aka Agrochic!
[04:24] How did Perla develop her passion for gardening and plants?
[07:05] How did Agrochic start?
[09:38] How did Perla balance Spanish and English content?
[11:32] What does her plant collection and garden look like?
[15:08] Make meditation more relaxing and meaningful with Wind River’s Meditation Chimes!
[16:51] Learn how to grow cut flowers with The Cut Flower Handbook’s beautiful illustrations!
[18:41] Why are people drawn to nature and plants right now?
[21:08] Seeking simplicity to escape social media overstimulation
[22:08] Perla’s interesting success stories about bringing plants into clients' lives
[29:17] What is nature’s role in mood and healing?
[30:42] Concept of gardening as a means to reconnect with one's inner child
[34:18] Rediscover a sense of “awe” and childlike wonder
[38:21] What is Perla’s barefoot garden project all about?
[45:02] How do you create a miniature garden for yourself?
[50:34] Get Perla’s book and follow her on social media!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Book by Perla ¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life: 30 Projects to Nurture Your Passion for Plants and Find Your Bliss
Book by Florence Williams The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative
GardenComm
My Garden Break
KidsGardening

Is your green thumb getting restless this winter?
Check out the full show notes and blog for indoor plant projects that ease stress while your garden sleeps!

Follow Perla:
Website – Spanish
Website – English
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter/X


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.

You probably spend most of your day inside. Most of us do... about 93% of our time, actually. Not to mention you’re definitely on your phone all the time. This is a health risk! To explain how harmful this habit is, I invited my dear friend Dr. John La Puma to explain what these habits might be doing to our brain and heart. He was on the show before, where we talked about culinary medicine and gardening! John is a board-certified internist, a trained chef, and he runs an organic regenerative farm in Santa Barbara. He also read 2,200 studies to understand why being outside feels so good. What he found became his book, Indoor Epidemic, which became the focus of our conversation, and how we are so starving for nature. Listen in!

In this episode, we learn:
[02:31] Sign up for my Growing Joy newsletter on Substack!
[03:10] Welcome back, Dr. John La Puma!
[04:50] How a doctor and chef became a nature as medicine expert
[06:46] Why does nature feel good?
[07:38] Buying an abandoned plant nursery and reading 2,200 studies
[09:19] How his work shifted from ecotherapy to the indoor epidemic
[11:21] How blue light at night affects your heart health (and what to use instead)
[14:31] What is the indoor epidemic?
[16:20] Get a daily dose of antioxidants and immune support with Manukora Honey!
[18:09] How hinoki oil and forest bathing help improve immunity and blood pressure
[21:14] Why 17 minutes outside a day is all you need (optimizing the 7%)
[23:04] Light first, coffee second…?
[26:38] Why sunglasses and windows block morning light
[28:12] Why burnout is really digital overload
[29:07] What is a zeitgeber?
[30:15] How CO2 buildup indoors affects your brain
[31:50] How awe and sunsets calm the vagus nerve
[34:40] Attention restoration theory (why nature rests your brain)
[36:24] Why you need to put your phone down outside
[38:26] Plant blindness and how to find nature in the city
[40:37] How does gardening help improve mental health and dementia?
[43:28] Can light therapy help with seasonal depression? (10,000 lux study vs. Prozac)
[46:30] John’s number one morning routine protocol!
[49:14] How to get kids off screens and outside
[50:55] Where to find John, Indoor Epidemic, the free toolkit, and the Nature Number quiz!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Indoor Epidemic by Dr. John La Puma
Dr. John on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Growing Joy 131: Culinary Medicine from Our Gardens with Dr John la Puma

You only need 17 intentional minutes of outdoor time,
check out the full show notes and blog on how it works!

Follow John:
Website
Blog
Books
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok

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, a guidebook, and an onboarding call with Manukora's clinical specialist, PLUS $75 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.

Have you ever picked up a plant at the garden center and wondered how the houseplants even get here? I didn't think about it much until I was invited to speak at Cultivate, one of the biggest horticulture industry conferences, and I spent the whole time walking the halls. I'd been caring for plants for years. But I had no idea how much love and time go into getting one plant onto a store shelf. So I asked my friend Justin Hancock to walk us through it. Justin is a horticulturist at Costa Farms, the largest houseplant grower in the world. We talked about plant hunters, secret R&D areas in greenhouses, years of testing, and literally millions of cuttings before a plant ever makes it onto a store shelf! Let's dive in!

In this episode, we learn:
[01:33] Come hang out with me over on Substack!
[02:58] Welcome back, Justin Hancock!
[05:19] Why the horticulture industry is so grounded and generational
[06:30] What has Justin’s experience in the horticulture industry been like?
[07:38] Why many horticulture businesses are passed down through generations
[09:29] How a plant gets from discovery to your local garden center
[11:12] What is a plant hunter, and how do you become one?
[12:14] What makes a good new houseplant
[14:00] How long does a plant spend in R&D before it hits shelves?
[14:11] How growers forecast plant trends years ahead of social media
[15:51] Meet the plant rebels who changed history in Rebel Gardeners by Camilla Anderson!
[17:43] Plant hunting vs. plant breeding
[19:35] Why aureums are so shy to flower…
[20:52] What happens after a plant passes R&D? (propagating from one cutting to thousands)
[22:40] Costa's five-point testing process and why variegated plants are so tricky to produce
[24:40] The other roles that touch plants before they reach the garden center
[25:19] How Costa is making its potting mixes more sustainable and locally sourced
[26:33] How many plants make it out of R&D (and the Monstera subpinnata that flopped)
[28:37] How tissue culture fits into plant hunting and production
[29:33] What is tissue culture, and how is it different from growing from a cutting?
[30:53] Should everyday plant parents buy tissue culture plants?
[34:01] When trends move faster than production: the pink princess philodendron
[36:12] What's hot right now and the new genera coming out of R&D
[38:55] Inside Justin's book, The New Complete Guide to Houseplants
[40:40] Bonus plant profiles and signed copies when you pre-order through Costa Farms!
[42:31] Rapid-fire questions: underrated & overhyped houseplants
[44:00] The plant Justin always kills, and the one he grows best!
[45:30] The one thing he wishes every person understood about their houseplants

Mentioned in our conversation:
 The New Complete Guide to Houseplants by Justin Hancock
Mike Rimland (Plant hunter at Costa Farms)
Monstera Bulbasaur
Growing Joy 357: Motherhood, Seasons of Life and Changing Plant Passions with Becca De La Plants
Growing Joy 300: Exploring the Different Types of Pothos: From Marble Queen to Albo to Climbing Giants with Justin of Costa Farms

Where do your favorite houseplants come from?
Check out the full show notes and blog to find out!

Follow Costa Farms:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Thank you to our episode sponsor:
Quarto: Rebel Gardeners by Camilla Anderson
Grab your copy of Rebel Gardeners at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.

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.